Bristol Rovers 4-1 MK Dons - Luca Hoole, John Marquis and Harvey Saunders put Gas through
Bristol Rovers are two wins from Wembley after a convincing victory over MK Dons albeit with injury concerns casting a cloudi2-prod.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/article7927157.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200/0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_V_MK_Dons_WC-149.jpgi2-prod.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/article7927257.ece/ALTERNATES/s510b/0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_V_MK_Dons_WC-211jpgg-ag.jpgJohn Marquis celebrates after scoring against MK Donsi2-prod.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/article7927155.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_V_MK_Dons_WC-110.jpgLewis Gordon in action against MK DonsJohn Marquis fired a brace as Bristol Rovers eased into the quarter-finals of the Papa Johns Trophy on a bitterly cold night at the Mem with a comfortable win over MK Dons but it came at a price as Joey B***** lost key players Aaron Collins and Jordan Rossiter to injury.
Marquis produced two fine finishes after the break to add to Luca Hoole’s opener before Harvey Saunders added gloss to the scoreline, but the exit of Collins inside the opening 10 minutes left an air of concern around the ground. Rossiter also followed just before the break but the midfielder’s injury didn’t look as bad and could be seen as more of a precautionary move by Joey B***** to replace him.
With a busy festive period ahead of them, Rovers can ill-afford to lose such vital players as Collins and Rossiter, while Antony Evans also looked in severe discomfort at the end of the contest.
B*****, as expected, made changes to his starting line-up from Saturday’s league win over Port Vale with John Marquis and Luke McCormick returning to the side in attack and midfield, while Anssi Jaakkola continued his run of playing in this competition.
There was also a place in defence for Hoole after a period in which the young Welshman has become a peripheral figure in B*****’s system but a wounded and managerless MK Dons side offered a great opportunity for a confidence booster.
Collins had half a chance at goal when he darted onto a long ball forward by Bobby Thomas, which Dons keeper Jamie Cumming was slightly slow leaving his box to clear but got enough on the ball to deny the Rovers No10 before he could shoot into an empty net.
A few moments later and the 25-year-old was presented with a glorious chance as McCormick played Lewis Gordon inside the defence and while the wing-back had an opportunity to shoot, he instead elected to square the ball, taking Cumming out of the equation, but Collins, barely a yard out and with no-one in front of him, skewed the ball awkwardly wide.
It was wholly out of character from the striker and he may have received a nudge in the back from a defender and he crumpled into the goal and received treatment, before hobbling his way around the pitch and down the tunnel needing the support of two physios.
Josh Coburn was introduced in his place and was his typically physical self, leading the line while also dropping deep to try and get the Gas going as the game settled into a bit of a mid-half lull.
But it was from an unfamiliar source that the hosts opened the scoring. An Antony Evans corner floated over everybody inside the penalty area but Rossiter scampered back to regain possession, drove to the byline and then clipped in a cross to which Hoole arched his neck and connected with a close-range header for an impressive finish.
Rossiter was increasingly running the game, on both sides of the ball, but the Gas lost their midfield terrier as, after a break in play, the Scouser dropped to haunches and signalled to the bench. He didn’t look in anywhere near as much pain or discomfort as Collins, and at one point looked set to rejoin the action just before half-time, but B***** evidently didn’t want to take any chances and he was replaced by Paul Coutts just before half-time.
Rovers created further daylight on the scoreboard early in the second period as Evans broke down the right and delivered a stinging low cross intended for Coburn. The Middlesbrough loanee, however, miskicked, getting the slightest of touches to set up Marquis to finish at the far post with Cumming completely wrong-footed.
The visitors had the stuffing knocked out of them and Marquis added to his tally in route one fashion as Anssi Jaakkola took a break from trying to keep warm to launch a ball downfield which Coburn flicked into the path of the Gas No9. Marquis moved forward and took his shot probably a little further out than Cumming was expecting, catching the keeper a little off-balance as it nestled into the corner.
After B***** made a triple change, Saunders had them four goals to the good when he converted McCormick’s deep cross with a well-taken left-footed strike. It wasn’t quite plain sailing for the Gas though as Alfie Kilgour conceded a late penalty and was sent off for a foul on Mo Eisa with the striker then reducing the deficit from the spot.
A potentially damaging evening then got worse as Evans left the field with a hip injury and only returned to the field to ensure the Gas didn’t have to play the final five minutes with nine men.
Bristol Rovers: Jaakkola, Connolly, Gordon (Kilgour 68), Marquis, Collins (Coburn 13) (Sinclair 68), Rossiter (C) (Coutts 45), Evans, McCormick, Gibbons, Hoole, Thomas (Saunders 68)
Subs: Belshaw, Westbrooke
Goals: Hoole 32, Marquis 54, 66, Saunders 70
Yellow Cards: McCormick 81
Red Cards: Kilgour 79
MK Dons: Cumming, Tucker, Smith (Grant 64), Robson, Grigg (Eisa 69), Oyegoke, Johnson, Barry (Dennis 64), Lawrence, Devoy, Jules
Subs: Ravizzoli, Kemp, Harvie, Ilunga
Goals: Eisa 80
Yellow Cards: Johnson 45+2
