Three goals in 13 second-half minutes saw Wednesday to a fifth win in six games at Doncaster today, keeping up our push for a play-off place.
We fought back from a goal down at the break to seal a 3-1 victory, staying in eighth position but now level on 55 points with sixth-placed Wycombe.
Wednesday dominated possession in the first half but couldn’t turn our superiority into goals.
Our only clear chance of the half came on 25 minutes when Barry Bannan’s cross picked out Sylla Sow but his weak header from six yards out was easily saved by Jonathan Mitchell when the striker should have done better.
Doncaster had hardly threatened but took the lead just before the break from a penalty when Kyle Knowle went down in the box under a challenge from Massimo Luongo and George Byers and Dan Gardner fired home an unstoppable spot kick.
Bannan’s corner in added time was tipped onto the bar and over for a corner by Mitchell and when the flag kick came in, Florian Kamberi volleyed high over from 10 yards out.
Both Sow and Kamberi had struggled to get involved in the first half and Darren Moore subbed them both at half time with Callum Paterson and Saudi Berahino providing a new strike partnership for the second 45 minutes.
Ciaran Brennan sent a header over the bar at the start of the second half while Joseph Olowu missed a great chance to put Rovers further ahead soon afterwards when he failed to connect properly inside the six-yard box.
Paterson headed too high when well placed at the other end but the same player made no mistake on 70 minutes, seeing his first header blocked but the Wednesday striker diving in bravely to nod home from the rebound.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell kept out a deflected effort from Josh Martin and we then missed a great chance to take the lead on 76 minutes from the penalty spot.
Ro-Shaun Williams was adjudged to have handled Paterson’s shot but Bannan’s effort from 12 yards was kept out by the legs of the diving Mitchell.
However, despite that miss Wednesday were in front four minutes later, sub Lewis Gibson doing well with a run down the left and when his low pull back found Berahino in the box, the striker turned smartly around fire high past Mitchell.
Three minutes later it was 3-1 when Berahino’s clever flick on halfway found Marvin Johnson on the break and his low cross to the near post was excellently guided home by Bannan.
There were to be no late scares from the home side and the three points also meant that we ended that dreadful record of not winning an away game from a losing position for six years … for the record that previous such victory was 2-1 at Birmingham in February 2016.
Peacock-Farrell, Brennan (Gibson 71), Storey, Palmer, Hunt, Luongo, Byers, Bannan, Johnson, Sow (Berahino 46), Kamberi (Paterson 46). Unused subs: Wildsmith, Agbontohoma, Brown, Waldock.