By Rovers Reporter Zak Armitage.
Doncaster Rovers were comprehensively beaten by Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium, in what can only be described as a below-par performance from Andy Butler's side.
Rovers made the trip to face Oxford off the back of two winless outings, with the most recent a goalless draw at home to Northampton Town on Saturday, while their opponents were trying to return winning ways after a defeat at the hands of Hull City.
Oxford made a positive start to Tuesday's encounter with a string of early chances, with both Liam Kelly and Matty Taylor coming close to giving them the lead, the latter with a testing strike that was well-saved by Rovers goalkeeper Louis Jones.
Oxford would make their early dominance count and took the lead after 19 minutes when former Bristol Rovers striker Taylor fired home with a sumptuous finish on the turn.
Shortly after The Us came close to adding a second with an effort from Cameron Brannagan saved by a busy Louis Jones in the Doncaster goal.
Doncaster failed to withstand the Oxford pressure and a Josh Ruffles header was deflected into the goal by poacher, Matty Taylor. This goal his second of the game and 13th of the League One season.
By this point, the floodgates were very much open and Oxford added a third just before the half time break when the host's on-loan winger Olamide Shodipo fired home from close range.
This was one of the last pieces of action in a disastrous first-half showing from Andy Butler's Rovers side, who were far from their best.
After the break, Oxford continued to pile on the pressure with a testing strike from Cameron Brannagan which was tipped over the bar by Jones.
After this Doncaster were provided with some much-needed rest-bite and started to show glimpses of their true selves, with an effort from Madger Gomes coming close to providing Rovers with what would've been a consolation goal.
As it was Oxford saw through their defensive tasks to take not only a comprehensive victory but an impressive clean sheet as well which will please Oxford manager Karl Robinson, after his side were able to combat Doncaster's attacking threats with ease.
To conclude, it was a poor showing from Andy Butler's Doncaster, who were far from their best in the matchup with fellow play-off chasers Oxford. Whilst their second-half showing was improved it was still far from the levels which were needed to bring themselves back into the game. As it is Andy Butler will be keen to forget about tonight's match as Doncaster's display left a lot to be desired.
