Key events
25 min: Mateta is the target of passes by both Wharton and Hughes. Neither get there.
23 min: Considering Mateta is on the field, Palace really have created next to nothing. It’s been poor overall, one to make those watching question their choices in life.
21 min: Donny free-kick, and it will be sent into the box…well, except it’s weak, though at least ends up with Molyneux. Palace still clear the danger.
18 min: Grant McCann is fuming there was no booking. Ennis comes back on. Slower than he was before.
17 min: Wharton, with socks rolled down, looks very comfortable. Munoz and Ennis end up in a tangle and that looks like a grim foul. He’s not booked. No VAR but Ennis is down.
16 min: A Palace corner is conceded after Anderson reads the danger. Good catch by Sharman-Lowe.
14 min: Richards has to head away after some nice weaving from Molyneux. The ball hung in the air but the defender got there first. Doncaster do look dangerous.
12 min: Nice move from Devenny, and then Munoz plays in Hughes. Sterry charges across and puts in a tackle.
10 min: Yeah, it’s been no classic so far…but here’s Billy Sharp, released by Maxwell, who lays up Ennis but the power on the shot can’t beat Turner.
8 min: Palace favouring the long throw, and the dead-ball. They have a free-kick now, Hughes chipping in, and Tom Anderson heading away with vigour.
6 min: Kamada, who has struggled at Palace, is sent away down the right but can’t beat his man. Doncaster’s backline is a bit makeshift, it’s the time of the season when the injuries hit.
4 min: It’s Palace playing the longer stuff so far. The ball is back with Rovers keeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe, on loan from Chelsea. Is he better than Bob Sanchez? Let’s see.
3 min: Great to see Adam Wharton back for the first time since October. What a ride 2024 was. It was only last January he was a Blackburn player, and ended up at the Euros. Such talent. Hope he doesn’t end up as quiz question because it’s clear he’s got plenty to achieve with his ability and reading of the game.
Away we go in Doncaster
1 min: The Palace fans have travelled up the M1 and M18 in numbers. It looks freezing cold. Doncaster engage the old high press and forced Matt Turner to lose the ball.
Oliver Glasner’s turtle-neck jumper rather unfortunately reminds of the U-Boat captain in Dad’s Army. Don’t tell him, Pike.
“When you go as a Premier League club to a League Two club it is your responsibility to win this game,” says the real Glasner, who is aware of Doncaster’s physical presence.
Richard Hirst gets in touch: “If Palace lose tonight Fulham will be the only London Premier League side in the last 16 – glory days!”
The FA Cup fifth round draw
Preston v Burnley
Aston Villa v Cardiff City
Doncaster or Crystal Palace v Millwall
Manchester United v Fulham
Newcastle United v Brighton
Bournemouth v Wolves
Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
Exeter or Nottingham Forest v Ipswich
2) Doncaster Rovers (1997-98)
The free market rules in English football, which means pretty much anyone with a bit of spare cash can buy themselves a club. Some teams find their perfect match, a steady hand on the tiller that unleashes a club’s true potential. Doncaster got Ken Richardson. Under his ownership, Rovers lost their league status, their main stand to a suspicious fire, and their dignity.
Personal note: I attended Belle Vue in 1999 for a pre-season match with Manchester City, featuring a teenage Shaun Wright-Phillips. The away end was essentially a grass bank.
Billy Sharp, at one point the top scorer in English football in the 21st century, starts up front for Donny. Oliver Glasner ain’t no Slot, and he’s made just three changes from Old Trafford. Matt Turner’s in goal, with Adam Wharton and Justin Devenny the other changes. Chilwell watch: he’s on the bench.
The teams
Doncaster: Sharman-Lowe, Sterry, Olowu, Anderson, Maxwell, Broadbent, Bailey, Molyneux, Sharp, Ennis, Street. Subs: Lawlor, Sbarra, Gibson, Nixon, Ironside, Kelly, Senior, Westbrooke, Crew.
Crystal Palace: Turner, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell, Kamada, Devenny, Mateta. Subs: Henderson, Matthews, Lerma, Franca, Clyne, Esse, Chilwell, Kporha.
Referee: Farai Hallam (Surrey)
The Donny manager, Grant McCann, is a good egg.
Louise Taylor speaks to Doncaster’s hitman, FA Cup legend and journeyman.
Preamble
So then, Donny, the mic is passed by Plymouth to see if they can continue a round of shocks. The stage is set at the Keepmoat, usually host to football in League Two, where Grant McCann’s men carry the flag for Yorkshire. South Yorkshire, to be precise. McCann is in his second spell at Rovers has experience of facing Premier League clubs. He’s promised his team will have a go, and if they follow the lead of Leyton Orient and the mighty Argyle, who knows will happen? Palace, doing fine in the Premier League, might rest a few from a squad that is not the strongest. So, who knows? It’s why we’re here, right?
Kick-off at 7.45pm. Join me.
