Three Things We Learnt About Doncaster Rovers’ Demolition Of Grimsby Town – Opinion

In one of the more high-scoring games of the League Two schedule this weekend, Doncaster Rovers travelled to nearby Grimsby Town and put on a show with a 5-1 win.

The Mariners got off to a dreadful start, conceding two within the first ten minutes before a Danny Rose penalty gave some hope to the Blundell Park faithful. But the second half saw Grimsby fall even further behind, conceding three more before the full-time whistle.

It was three points that put Grant McCann’s team further clear of the drop zone and are now thirteen points clear of Forest Green Rovers with fourteen games remaining of their campaign.

But the heavy loss keeps Grimsby uncomfortably close to the bottom two, with a draw for Colchester United now putting them directly above the red line. David Artell’s side can however be comforted by the defeats of the Nailsworth club and Sutton United by Crawley Town and Bradford City respectively.

Here are three things that we learnt from Doncaster Rovers’ comprehensive 5-1 victory over Grimsby Town on Saturday afternoon…


Doncaster Rovers will be safe this season

The South Yorkshire club have put themselves into a perfect position heading into the final matches of this season. Being thirteen points clear of the drop is plenty of breathing room and with the narrowing opportunities for Forest Green and Sutton to pick up the necessary points to survive, Doncaster have probably done enough this season.

The run they have made in the past few weeks have been the pivotal point to secure their safety. Eight points in the last four matches have taken Grant McCann’s men from 22nd to 20th and six points ahead of Colchester United. In the same period, Grimsby have picked up just a singular point against Accrington Stanley, and FGR have taken four, thanks to their impressive win at Barrow.


Grimsby Town are in serious trouble now

A six-point gap for Grimsby, however, is certainly not enough, especially considering the rest of the fixture list for the rest of the season. The Mariners play Forest Green on March 2nd and travel to Gander Green Lane just a week later. Lose either of them fixtures, and Grimsby will have the bottom two breathing down their necks. 

Their offensive output left much to be desired today. From twelve chances today, they only got four on target, including Danny Rose’s penalty. They struggled to break past Timothee Lo-Tutala when the chances presented themselves, and Mo Eisa was kept quiet.

David Artell’s side have conceded 21 goals in six games. That is over a third of all the goals they have let in this league campaign. Grimsby need to deliver something quickly to avoid getting reeled in and caught by Forest Green or Sutton.


Hakeeb Adelakun is a revelation for Rovers

Losing Mo Faal to a recall from West Bromwich Albion in January must have stung, with the 21-year-old being the second-top-scorer for Doncaster. However, Hakeeb Adelakun seems to have fit Grant McCann’s style perfectly.

Since joining on loan from Lincoln City, the winger has seamlessly shown his talent on the field with two goals and four assists, including a hat-trick of those at Blundell Park. It is still early days, but the 27-year-old seems to be showing his ability on a more regular basis than he has at his stints at Sincil Bank over the year. Imps fans know that on his day, Adelakun can be a game-winner, as he was in his man-of-the-match performance against Charlton Athletic in October.

 

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