Doncaster Rovers v Crystal Palace: FA Cup fifth round - live!

17 February 2019 03:51
Minute-by-minute updates from the Keepmoat StadiumMarquis of Doncaster struts into Palace on missionSend your emails to Nick here, or tweet him @NickMiller79 3.51pm GMT All getting a bit giddy in Donny.Pre-match excitement levels?We’re currently all applauding a big flag for it being both big, and indeed a flag#FACup 3.50pm GMT Some pre-match reading: Louise Taylor went to speak to beponytailed big man up top John Marquis, about scoring goals with Doncaster and his previous career:The young Marquis diversified, briefly, into modelling, promoting Rio Ferdinand’s clothing range. “I did a couple of shoots, hats, T-shirts, stuff like that. It was fun, a good experience and I still speak to Rio now and then but it’s behind me now, I prefer being on the pitch.” 3.47pm GMT Grant McCann speaks: “It’s obviously a huge task. It’s a great occasion for the fans: it’s for them, really. We’ll stick to our gameplan: if it’s good enough, brilliant, but if not at least we’ve had a go. The players will give everything they’ve got and make their families proud.” 3.46pm GMT Roy Hodgson speaks: “We’ve done well to get this far, and it will be another tough tie today. I think we’ve chosen a strong team: there were a couple of injuries, a few players unavailable to me, but this is as strong a team as I was hoping I could put out.” 3.41pm GMT Big news from the Keepmoat.Neil Shipperley at the bar on the away concourse at the Keepmoat. 3.32pm GMT Bit of a shame Mallik Wilks isn’t playing today because, as I believe people cooler than me say, he’s been ‘doing bits’ for Donny on loan from Leeds this season. He nearly was named, mind: he had been booked twice in the competition which should trigger a ban, but according to the Doncaster Free Press the club were sent a list of suspended players and he wasn’t on it.However, they had a rummage through the rule books and said “Erm, are you absolutely sure about that?”, to which the authorities replied “oh yeah ur right he is banned soz lol.” I’m paraphrasing, but it would have been extremely interesting to see what would’ve happened had they relied on the initial reassurance and picked him. 3.19pm GMT Martin Brown sounds like he approves of the Palace line-up and, unless that’s a typo, the Palace manager too. He writes: “Godson has chosen Meyer which is a real fans choice. After the last game his link play with the forwards was ace. Good call. You should be aware big Palace Ultras turnout today. Palace allocation sold out btw. Good for the FA Cup.” 3.06pm GMT A pretty strong XI for Palace, then. A few changes, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Mamadou Sakho given the afternoon off, Wayne Hennessey back in nets while of course Wilf Zaha is suspended, but other than that it’s more or less the best team Roy Hodgson could have picked, beyond some Benteke/Batshuayi-related hair-splitting. 3.02pm GMT Marosi; Blair, Downing, Anderson, Andrew; Whiteman, Kane, Crawford; May, Marquis, Coppinger. Subs: Jones, Wright, Butler, Rowe, Sadlier, Boocock, Lewis. 1.22pm GMT What were you doing in 1956? I would wager that for many of you, not only were you not alive, but perhaps your parents were still twinkles too. But if you were around back then, you might be able to remember the last time Doncaster Rovers were at this stage of the FA Cup. Simply by showing up Grant McCann’s side have equalled their best ever performance in the old cup, last achieved back in a bygone era. That time they were a second tier team whereas now they’re in the third, but just like 63 years ago they face a top division team. Today, it’s Crystal Palace. Then, it was Tottenham, Danny Blanchflower and all, who would go on to lose in the semi-final to eventual winners Manchester City, in the Bert Trautmann final. Back then rotation wasn’t really a thing, even the finest teams treating lower league sides with due caution. But now there are bigger, more financially onerous imperatives, so the Premier League’s finest tend to stick shadow teams out when they have to lower themselves to the scruffy lot. Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian