Doncaster Rovers 1 - 0 Mansfield Town: Doncaster see off Mansfield to secure promotion back to League One

Posted Sunday, April 09, 2017 by PA

Doncaster sealed promotion back to Sky Bet League One at the first time of asking with a 1-0 win over Mansfield.

Tommy Rowe's second-half header saw Doncaster finally break the deadlock after a difficult afternoon against their local rivals.

Both sides struggled for fluidity in a scrap of an opening period and Darren Ferguson switched formations early in a bid to wrestle Doncaster into the game.

John Marquis should have put Doncaster ahead early but flicked a header straight at Jake Kean while Rowe saw a shot charged down after taking too long to assess his options.

Doncaster pushed hard after the break but were met with stubborn resistance from hard-working Mansfield.

The clearest opportunity saw Rowe drill low from 25 yards with Kean tipping it around the post.

While scorelines elsewhere suggested Doncaster would be heading up regardless, plenty of nerves were settled when Rowe powered home a header from James Coppinger's corner with 74 minutes gone.

Mathieu Baudry was called on to clear off the line from Danny Rose's hooked effort as Doncaster held on for a win which ensured their stay in the bottom tier was restricted to just one season.