Doncaster Rovers progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Stockport County at Edgeley Park on Saturday. The match ended 1-1 after normal time, with Rovers winning 5-4 from the spot.
Alfie May marked his second debut with a goal shortly after the break, opening the scoring from a corner. Jay McGrath provided the assist, but Stockport equalised within a minute to level the tie.
Manager Grant McCann praised his side's defensive discipline throughout the encounter. "I thought it was a really disciplined performance," McCann said. "They're a really good possession-based team. We know they have good players, and I thought the boys, the front four, particularly the ones that started the game, put in a massive shift for us."
Goalkeeper Tommy Simkin made two penalty saves on his debut to help secure the win. Hakeeb Adelakun scored the decisive penalty to send Rovers through.
Building momentum ahead of League One campaign
McCann acknowledged his team had chances on the break that could have been executed better, but highlighted the defensive foundation as key to the victory. "We had a lot of chances on transition and breaks that we probably didn't execute," he said. "I was frustrated to concede so quickly after, but we stuck at it, we stayed in it. Penalties are penalties, you've got to get up there and be confident and calm, it could have gone either way, but from a defensive point of view, that gives us something to build on."
Rovers will discover their second-round opponents on Monday 10 August, with the draw scheduled to take place ahead of Plymouth Argyle's match against Exeter City on Sky Sports Football.
The club begin their League One campaign next weekend against Mansfield Town at One Call Stadium. That match is sold out. The next available ticket opportunity is the South Yorkshire derby against Barnsley on Saturday 22 August, with kick-off at 12.30pm.
