The Dons are going up

13/04/2025 06:11

Not specifying which Dons, mind you.

Although it’s not done our automatic promotion hopes much good, if you’d given me the option of Dons 1 Dons 1 before the game, I would have taken it.

And judging by the post match reaction of the 756 there yesterday lunchtime, I’m not the only one.

That we went ahead after four minutes is always a bad thing in itself. Not so much for scoring first, but that we always seem to go back and defend afterwards.

We did last week against Harrogate, we’ve done that in so many other games this campaign, and doing likewise for 86+ minutes in the sunshine makes it a very long afternoon.

I haven’t got round to seeing Smith’s goal yet, but at least somebody is finding the net at the time we need it. Though I wouldn’t have predicted it would be him doing it.

Of course, said afternoon got even longer on 28 minutes. Granted, Reeves did apparently miss the ball but not their player.

Although we did get a lesson in what to do if you’re on fire, namely drop to the floor, roll around in a lot of pain and wait for somebody to smother you.

I’m in no doubt some of us behind the goal would have happily done the last thing, given half a chance (and a handy blanket too).

If there’s one thing I noticed yesterday, and this will become a theme in this report, at least we’re putting our bollocks on the line.

Lewis was giving our fans a fist pump in the first half when we won a throw in. Well, he might have been signifying what he’d like to do to the officials when nobody was looking, but I’ll stick with him geeing us up.

That we went in at half time winning was no minor miracle, there was an incident when Goodman turned the ball wide without knowing where it was, although you can’t ride your luck for that long.

Or as your editor said to somebody at half time – we’re winning, but it feels like we’re losing…

We came out for the second half, and to be honest it was a case of when and not if they would score.

It wasn’t for the want of us trying to keep the ball out, the hard graft side of things was in evidence throughout the fixture.

But there was that sense that with ten men, unfriendly officiating, a decent enough opponent, there would be that one moment when our strong resolve becomes anything but.

That your editor was clock-watching at 52 minutes wasn’t a good sign, put it that way.

Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but I thought their player got sent off after they inevitably equalised.

It was a bit of a strange one, from the brief footage I’ve seen. It was either a punch or a headbutt, or something else. I’ve no idea why he did it, and I don’t really care either.

I’m just glad he found the sun a bit too much yesterday and acted like there was too much tartrazine in his lemon squash.

Unfortunately, and inevitably, their goal came on 78 minutes. A massive deflection, that slice of luck that determines whether you go up automatically, or you have to go through the playoffs.

You half-expected us to wilt further, they get a second goal in quick succession and we’d be more concerned with staying in the top seven afterwards.

And yet…

I don’t know what it was, but we suddenly got our arse into gear. Maybe because it was eleven vs ten, rather than twelve vs ten by then, but we stopped being so defensive.

This, by the way, is what annoys me most about a JJ team – we try and win every game 1-0 and only go positive again when we have to.

It was great to see we were stretching them, making them work, and were even threatening a break. And then, we got one.

Except it was Joe Lewis, who reminded us all why he’s a centre back and not a centre forward. He’ll have nightmares about that all week, and so will we.

Maybe he was put off with having his arse cheeks lacking mobility?

We could have lost it, although if anything I reckon we were more likely to win in the seven minutes of injury time.

But we still lack something. And as Tilley showed with that 96th minute free kick, it’s not just Jake Reeves who is shit at set pieces.

The whistle went, and both sets of players sunk to their knees afterwards. I can’t really blame them, and I believe Sky Sports said it was a great game for the neutral.

I’m not a neutral though, so the neutrals watching can fuck off.

As for the rest of it, we got through what I think was the most difficult of the last five regular season games with a valuable point.

I really do think Port Vale on the 26th April will be easier. We’re at home, and they might be champions by then.

I still don’t think we’re good enough for autos, but the way this season is going nothing will be decided until a week Tuesday at the very earliest.

But I can’t fault the collective effort. And for the final four games, that might just be enough…

Plus points: We didn’t lose. Smith scoring. Resolute play with ten men. Coming good again in the last 15 minutes.

Minus points: We didn’t win. Their goal. Going defensive after 1-0 up. Lewis’s miss.

The referee’s a…: Oh boy.

His name was Neil Hair, with a barnet akin to that of Simon Jordan. Who officiated as well as Simon Jordan ran Crystal Palace.

Turns out he’s not exactly the best referee, as this gem from 2022 proves.

Oh, and he is/was a teacher from Peterborough. No wonder so many kids these days are thick.

We were impressed with his performance to the point we’ve even created a new chant. Though I doubt it will be the last time I’ll hear “Cunt with a whistle”.

Them: As good as we are, as the respective league positions show, although I think we could match them in the playoffs if we needed to.

Got the nickname Divecaster though, as they realised the referee would buy anything from them, and exploited that well.

Would they have equalised if they hadn’t had their jammy goal? Probably, although in an odd way it made the final fifteen minutes easier to handle when they did.

I haven’t been to Doncaster in a little while, and it’s still one of those out-of-town venues that I hate.

They try and make it something less soul-less, with the usual fanzone and PA system pumping, but it must makes me glad Plough Lane is in a built up area full of natural bustle.

The whole MAKESUMNOIIIIIZZZZZEEE hype beforehand, with the tifo and the drum feels as forced as it reads, and you half-expected cheerleaders to appear too.

£21 wasn’t bad though, and they did win the 2019 EFL Away Fan experience. And they had a “Away Badge of Honour” board, to stick your Only Fools and Horses mockup sticker.

Presumably to stop the ne’er-do-wells from sticking them in the toilets.

I couldn’t help noticing their rugby league team is also called the Dons, and they also play in blue and yellow. Perhaps there’s a copyright infringement there?

Oh, and there was a sparring session for this upcoming boxing card at the stadium beforehand. If the game was shit, they could have just held it in the second half.

Point to ponder: Will we miss Jake Reeves as much as we think?

He’s needed a rest, I don’t think he’s been nearly as good as he has been in recent games, and it’s not like we don’t have replacements in Maycock and Ball.

If I was the club, I wouldn’t bother appealing and instead use it as an opportunity to gear him up for the playoffs.

Which, by the way, I expect us to be in. If only because we are getting points even when we’re not playing that well.

We might be lucky that when – not if – we get an injury to an important player (because let’s face it, that’s what will happen), we do have replacements now.

Perhaps only adequate ones, but we won’t be going into the minimum four games needing to put in today’s equivalent of Alfie Bendle.

You can pick out who would come in for whom yourself, but when Goodman was timewasting sitting on his arse a couple of times yesterday, you weren’t going be quite so worried if Lewis Ward came in…

Truth is stranger than fiction: 1) The away turnout for a 12h30 kickoff in Yorkshire. Kudos, all. 2) June Ackland look-alike chief steward overseeing the away end. Definite an ex-copper or head teacher at a minor private school. 3) Swindon’s result against Bradford. What kind of shit team lets in two injury time goals against the Robins….?

Anything else? I think we’re probably looking for the playoffs now, which I’m quite relaxed about.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love automatic promotion, and we should keep pushing for it all the while it’s possible.

That realistically died when we failed to beat Barrow/Morecambe/Cheltenham in that miserable period for us, and SW19 has often said we’re not really good enough for them.

But I do think we’ve got a good chance in the extended bit of the season.

Firstly, as said earlier, I expect us to be in them. We’re good enough to be, I expect us to find enough to make sure we’re in them, and it would take a catastrophe for us to slide out of them.

I’d be more worried if I was Walsall right now, put it that way.

But while anyone in them has a chance, due to the nature of them, we’ve got as good an opportunity as anyone.

I say that because we’ll be likely facing a Doncaster or Notts County at some point. And yesterday proves to me that we’re not significantly worse than them.

Maybe we have a bit of an inferiority complex about our team? We’ve been in the playoffs/autos for most of the season I think, and you don’t do that without having something about you.

And if nothing else, the determination is there with us. Sure, we’re not winning games like we were under the Wombley 2016 run, but it’s a different time now.

Seeing not one, but two of our players give it the big “come on” to our fans yesterday when we had a late corner will live for a while in my memory.

We might yet find ourselves in League Two next season, and in truth that’s probably what will happen.

But this lot give the impression they’re going to die trying not to be. It might not be all we need, but if it is…

So, was it worth it? Dunno.

In a nutshell: Doncaster v AFCW in the playoff final. You watch.