Doncaster Rover 1 PNE 3
Goals from full backs Jack King and Scott Laird and one from Stuart Beavon gave North End a fantastic win at the Keepmoat Stadium.The Lilywhites put in a fantastic display to pick up the three points against Dean Saunders' men in South Yorkshire.
King headed home powerfully from Byrom’s outswinging corner just after the half hour mark before David Cotterill’s free kick was unfortunately flicked into the net by Joel Byrom just before the interval.
It was Byrom's delivery again on the hour mark that brought the Lilywhites' second as Scott Laird's near post flick beat Gary Woods to give the team the lead for the second time, before Stuart Beavon added a third with a 25 yard arrow on 72 minutes to wrap up the points.
Manager Graham Westley made three changes from the side that overcame Yeovil, with Keith Keane suspended. Jack King came in at right back and was joined in the starting XI by David Buchanan and David Amoo, replacing Hayhurst and Monakana.
The changes did not affect North End’s fluency, in fact the only thing they were battling in the early stages was the conditions, with a strong wind in their faces and on and off strong rain as well.
But they started the game on the front foot, winning a corner in the opening 30 seconds, from which Scott Laird saw a goalbound flick narrowly nudged wide and then from the second corner an outswinger from Byrom was headed over the bar at the back post by Bailey Wright.
The home side were a threat from set pieces, including some probing long throws into the box by Tommy Spurr, but it was North End who were creating the better openings and Jack King showed his intent to cause problems on nine minutes with a 40 yard strike that beat Woods all ends up but crashed against the cross bar and over the tp.
The best chances for the home side continued to be free kicks and corners withRob Jones heading into the arms of Stuckmann, but it was from a corner of their own that North End broke the deadlock.
Buchanan won the corner out on the left and Byrom fired over a cross right into the six yard box that Jack King rose highest to meet, with a powerful header into the roof of the net.
Headers continued to be the home side’s major threat with former North Enders Chris Brown and Jamie McCombe both going close, but it was from the head of a current PNE player that they levelled things up.
No.4 Paul Huntington was harshly adjudged to have fouled Paynter 25 yards out in a left hand channel and David Cotterill drilled the ball in, flicking off the head of Joel Byrom and ending up in the top right hand corner.
Huntington, who took a big blow from Tommy Spurr in the first half, was replaced at the interval by Shane Cansdell-Sherriff at the back.
The aerial threat of the big centre halves of Jones and McCombe continued to be a major outlet in the second half for Donny, skipper Jones heading over the bar from Cotterill's cross on 54 minutes.
A deflection from a Scott Laird right foot effort came off McCombe and looped out for a corner on the hour mark and from the corner Laird made sure this time he would not be denied, making a run across the near post and powering a header home from Byrom's corner once again.
And it was 3-1 on 72 minutes as Stuart Beavon buried a 25 yard strike into the bottom right hand corner after Beardsley had done brilliantly to hold the ball up from Cansdell-Sherriff's long ball forward, and then chest it into the path of the No.29 to arrow a shot into the bottom left hand corner.
Another Cotterill free kick was headed over by Bailey Wright on 76 minutes as a treble of corners for the home side caused more problems in the North End penalty area, but the defence was getting bodies in the way for the cause.
Billy Paynter then raced clean through one-on-one with Stuckmann, but could only find the middle of the cross bar with the big German closing the angle down.
Five minutes times was added on by the official and during that skipper Rob Jones should have been sent off for taking out Bailey Wright in mid air, but having already been booked the referee was over lenient for the terrible foul by the former Scunthorpe man.
But North End ran down the stoppage time in consumate fashion and held on for three more excellent npower League One points.