2007-08 Season
July: WorldNET 2008 REPORT
by Glen Wilson for Popular Stand fanzine;
Doncaster Rovers have come a long way since 1998. However throughout the past decade, from relegation to the Conference through to the eve of an unprecedented Championship season there has remained one constant; the Donny R’sonists. Formed as a swansong for supporters of a dying football club the R’sonists first took the field with Rovers at their lowest ebb, competing in the 1998 Worldnet Internet Supporters tournament in Reading. In the decade since ‘Blockton Brown’ ceremonially kicked off the R’sonists opening game much has changed for the club the players support but the R’sonists have remained throughout the renaissance, their name serving as a ‘lest we forget’ reminder of the antics of Rovers’ former ‘benefactor’.
Like the R’sonists, Worldnet too has grown since ’98 and this year 72 teams of supporters descended on Boddington Hall in Leeds for the annual competition, with the 64 team main tournament supplemented by an eight team veterans competition. The R’sonists may have been in the main draw, but they boast many a veteran themselves. Alex Dougall, Matt Smith, Paul Nelson and Alan Brown were all present in ’08 as they had been in ’98 although injury had sadly restricted the latter pairing to a supporting role.
The weekend long tournament began on Saturday with the group stage; sixteen groups of four teams across eight pitches with each match lasting thirty minutes. The top two in each group would progress to Sunday’s knock-out cup, the bottom two to Sunday’s knock-out plate. With everyone competing on the Sunday the incentive for reaching the Cup came in the scheduling, with the first round Plate matches set to begin at 8am.
Not that the group draw had offered much of a lie-in to the R’sonists as they took the field in Group 13’s opening match; a 9am kick-off against Shrewsbury. However, the early start did not seem to hamper Donny and goals from Keith Sanders and Lee Drobac gave the R’sonists a 2-0 lead inside the opening ten minutes. Shrewsbury were not in a rolling over mood though and pulled a goal back just before the break as they converted a left wing corner. Early in the second half it was all square as a quick free-kick caught the R’sonists (well, me anyway) napping to give Shrewsbury an equaliser. The R’sonists almost retook the lead, but Drobac’s header was brilliantly turned onto the bar by the Shrewsbury keeper and it finished all square.
The group’s other two sides, Derby and Hull, also drew 2-2, which is worth mentioning for arguably the own goal of the weekend as the Hull right back chipped his own keeper from fully thirty-yards. With Shrewsbury defeating Hull the R’sonists needed victory over Derby to keep up their challenge and they did so in convincing style with two goals for Drobac and a hat-trick for Sanders securing a 5-0 win for Donny.
The Shrews also ran in five against Derby meaning the R’sonists needed to beat Hull to progress to the cup, with a win by three goals enough to secure first place in the group. The R’sonists went one better securing their cup place with a 4-0 win over the Tigers as the strike pairing of Drobac and Sanders shared three goals between them and the R’sonists youngest player Andy Sheldrake rounded off the win with Donny’s best goal of the day.
Throughout the years at the Worldnet it has become clear that the tournament is attended by two kinds of supporters’ teams. There are those who take their football, and the opportunity to represent their club very seriously and emerge fresh and prepared for each match. Whilst on the otherside of the coin are the teams who treat Worldnet as a weekend away and a chance to socialise with their fellow fans over a football tournament. The R’sonists are probably the link point of this Venn diagram; a team who play football well but also attack the social nightlife of the weekend with as much relish as a welcoming through-ball.
So with that in mind spare a thought for Fulham, the R’sonists first round cup opponents. At 9:50am on the Sunday Fulham were pitchside, midway through a well rehearsed warm-up routine in pristine kits. Meanwhile meandering wearily across the field towards them were the R’sonists, bedecked in an array of red and white hoops from the past six years and nursing varying degrees of injury and hangover. Unsurprisingly first impressions told the story of the first half as Fulham bossed it.
With Donny struggling to gain a foothold Fulham took a deserved lead via a back post header midway through the half. Despite being outplayed the R’sonists went into the interval level as Lee Drobac flicked Glen Wilson’s long throw into the top corner for an unlikely equaliser on the stroke of half-time. In the second-half the R’sonists improved but still Fulham had the better of the chances, denied a winner by the alertness of R’sonists keeper Andy Harriman and the width of the goalpost.
The match moved into golden goal extra-time and still the R’sonists lived dangerously as Fulham were again denied by an acrobatic overhead goal-line clearance by Rob Newton. Just as it looked like the R’sonists had managed to do enough to hold out for a penalty shoot-out they stole an unlikely victory. A Wilson free-kick found the head of Drobac and as the ball bounced across the area Paul Cuffling struck to make it 2-1.
Into round two and a match against a West Brom side who were reportedly full of bravado after victory over the Irish side Castlerock. For all the Baggies confidence it was the R’sonists who started better as Keith Sanders almost rounded the keeper for the opening goal. After that point West Brom took control and despite dominating the second half they could not find a way past Andy Harriman and so for the second match running it went to extra-time. This time it was a much shorter affair as the Baggies pounced in the first minute, a close range finish providing the golden goal for a 1-0 win.
For the second successive year the R’sonists bowed out at the second round stage after topping their group, possibly a case of peaking too soon, but more likely a case of consuming a little too much of the local nightlife. However, the R’sonists continue to uphold the key ethos of the Worldnet tournament, playing football with an emphasis on enjoyment. After eleven successive tournaments the Donny R’sonists remain a very welcome and respected member of the internet football supporters family and all being well will continue to do so for the decade ahead.
R'sonists Squad; Andy Harriman, Ian McKenzie, Paul Buckle, Glen Wilson, Alex Dougall, Matt Harriman, Nigel Johnson, Paul Cuffling, Andy Sheldrake, Rob Newton, Karl Smith, Joe Stevens, Matt Findlay, Graham Moss, Keith Sanders, Lee Drobac, Matt Smith
Doncaster Rovers have come a long way since 1998. However throughout the past decade, from relegation to the Conference through to the eve of an unprecedented Championship season there has remained one constant; the Donny R’sonists. Formed as a swansong for supporters of a dying football club the R’sonists first took the field with Rovers at their lowest ebb, competing in the 1998 Worldnet Internet Supporters tournament in Reading. In the decade since ‘Blockton Brown’ ceremonially kicked off the R’sonists opening game much has changed for the club the players support but the R’sonists have remained throughout the renaissance, their name serving as a ‘lest we forget’ reminder of the antics of Rovers’ former ‘benefactor’.
Like the R’sonists, Worldnet too has grown since ’98 and this year 72 teams of supporters descended on Boddington Hall in Leeds for the annual competition, with the 64 team main tournament supplemented by an eight team veterans competition. The R’sonists may have been in the main draw, but they boast many a veteran themselves. Alex Dougall, Matt Smith, Paul Nelson and Alan Brown were all present in ’08 as they had been in ’98 although injury had sadly restricted the latter pairing to a supporting role.
The weekend long tournament began on Saturday with the group stage; sixteen groups of four teams across eight pitches with each match lasting thirty minutes. The top two in each group would progress to Sunday’s knock-out cup, the bottom two to Sunday’s knock-out plate. With everyone competing on the Sunday the incentive for reaching the Cup came in the scheduling, with the first round Plate matches set to begin at 8am.
Not that the group draw had offered much of a lie-in to the R’sonists as they took the field in Group 13’s opening match; a 9am kick-off against Shrewsbury. However, the early start did not seem to hamper Donny and goals from Keith Sanders and Lee Drobac gave the R’sonists a 2-0 lead inside the opening ten minutes. Shrewsbury were not in a rolling over mood though and pulled a goal back just before the break as they converted a left wing corner. Early in the second half it was all square as a quick free-kick caught the R’sonists (well, me anyway) napping to give Shrewsbury an equaliser. The R’sonists almost retook the lead, but Drobac’s header was brilliantly turned onto the bar by the Shrewsbury keeper and it finished all square.
The group’s other two sides, Derby and Hull, also drew 2-2, which is worth mentioning for arguably the own goal of the weekend as the Hull right back chipped his own keeper from fully thirty-yards. With Shrewsbury defeating Hull the R’sonists needed victory over Derby to keep up their challenge and they did so in convincing style with two goals for Drobac and a hat-trick for Sanders securing a 5-0 win for Donny.
The Shrews also ran in five against Derby meaning the R’sonists needed to beat Hull to progress to the cup, with a win by three goals enough to secure first place in the group. The R’sonists went one better securing their cup place with a 4-0 win over the Tigers as the strike pairing of Drobac and Sanders shared three goals between them and the R’sonists youngest player Andy Sheldrake rounded off the win with Donny’s best goal of the day.
Throughout the years at the Worldnet it has become clear that the tournament is attended by two kinds of supporters’ teams. There are those who take their football, and the opportunity to represent their club very seriously and emerge fresh and prepared for each match. Whilst on the otherside of the coin are the teams who treat Worldnet as a weekend away and a chance to socialise with their fellow fans over a football tournament. The R’sonists are probably the link point of this Venn diagram; a team who play football well but also attack the social nightlife of the weekend with as much relish as a welcoming through-ball.
So with that in mind spare a thought for Fulham, the R’sonists first round cup opponents. At 9:50am on the Sunday Fulham were pitchside, midway through a well rehearsed warm-up routine in pristine kits. Meanwhile meandering wearily across the field towards them were the R’sonists, bedecked in an array of red and white hoops from the past six years and nursing varying degrees of injury and hangover. Unsurprisingly first impressions told the story of the first half as Fulham bossed it.
With Donny struggling to gain a foothold Fulham took a deserved lead via a back post header midway through the half. Despite being outplayed the R’sonists went into the interval level as Lee Drobac flicked Glen Wilson’s long throw into the top corner for an unlikely equaliser on the stroke of half-time. In the second-half the R’sonists improved but still Fulham had the better of the chances, denied a winner by the alertness of R’sonists keeper Andy Harriman and the width of the goalpost.
The match moved into golden goal extra-time and still the R’sonists lived dangerously as Fulham were again denied by an acrobatic overhead goal-line clearance by Rob Newton. Just as it looked like the R’sonists had managed to do enough to hold out for a penalty shoot-out they stole an unlikely victory. A Wilson free-kick found the head of Drobac and as the ball bounced across the area Paul Cuffling struck to make it 2-1.
Into round two and a match against a West Brom side who were reportedly full of bravado after victory over the Irish side Castlerock. For all the Baggies confidence it was the R’sonists who started better as Keith Sanders almost rounded the keeper for the opening goal. After that point West Brom took control and despite dominating the second half they could not find a way past Andy Harriman and so for the second match running it went to extra-time. This time it was a much shorter affair as the Baggies pounced in the first minute, a close range finish providing the golden goal for a 1-0 win.
For the second successive year the R’sonists bowed out at the second round stage after topping their group, possibly a case of peaking too soon, but more likely a case of consuming a little too much of the local nightlife. However, the R’sonists continue to uphold the key ethos of the Worldnet tournament, playing football with an emphasis on enjoyment. After eleven successive tournaments the Donny R’sonists remain a very welcome and respected member of the internet football supporters family and all being well will continue to do so for the decade ahead.
R'sonists Squad; Andy Harriman, Ian McKenzie, Paul Buckle, Glen Wilson, Alex Dougall, Matt Harriman, Nigel Johnson, Paul Cuffling, Andy Sheldrake, Rob Newton, Karl Smith, Joe Stevens, Matt Findlay, Graham Moss, Keith Sanders, Lee Drobac, Matt Smith