Looking to the future

The big news came four hours before kick-off when Marc Bridge Wilkinson penned a two-year deal.

City made sure there would be no summer bunfight for their man of the moment by signing him outright.

It may prove to be the canniest bit of business Colin Todd has pulled off so far.

With the formalities done, Bridge-Wilkinson carried on against Doncaster where he had left off during his month's loan. He churned out another sparkling performance and this time there was a first City goal to ice the cake.

Any lingering play-off hopes have surely evaporated after a draw that did nothing for either side. But perhaps last night should be judged as the start of the next chapter.

With the ink on Bridge-Wilkinson's new contract still drying, nine of Todd's line-up are signed up for next season.

The exceptions are Paul Henderson - who the manager seems hopeful will stay - and Paul Tierney - again a player that Todd would like to keep.

There was no Nicky Summerbee, who did not even make the squad. Having turned down his deal, the winger is on the way out and it is questionable if he will feature again.

Peter Atherton was also relegated to the bench as Todd recalled fit-again full backs Tierney and Darren Holloway as well as Lee Crooks in centre midfield.

If Todd gets his way, Bridge-Wilkinson is only the first of six additions he wants before pre-season kicks off on July 1.

It is fair to say that the team he sent out at the Earth Stadium will form the bulk of that squad.

As dress rehearsals go, this went okay. The Yorkshire rivalry ensured there was never a chance of that end of season feeling creeping into a match between two sides in mid-table.

The tackles flew in, some far meatier than others, although the serious injury to Donny winger Jermaine McSporran was triggered by an awkward twist and fall rather than a nasty contact.

But it wasn't all blood and thunder and the very open first half was full of chances.

City got off to a flyer with Bridge-Wilkinson striking after six minutes. Dean Windass cleverly knocked down Tierney's lofted pass and the midfielder did the rest with a neat turn and shot which he drilled between the legs of keeper Andy Warrington.

For a few minutes it was all City and Bridge-Wilkinson turned provider with a low cross for Windass but the ball bobbled up and the 21-goal hitman could not keep his effort down.

Then Windass again got a flick-on, this time from Steve Schumacher, and Andy Cooke tested Warrington's reflexes to the full.

Cooke sent a volley wide on the turn before Owen Morrison was booked for diving as he crumpled on the edge of the box under a John Doolan challenge.

City felt they had a case and the sense of injustice increased when the home side's equaliser panned out from the free-kick.

Gregg Blundell's drive across goal just eluded the sliding Neil Roberts. But the danger was far from clear as McSporran drilled the ball back into the goal-mouth, where Mark Bower could not avoid turning it into his own net.

Bizarrely it was the fifth time this season that Doncaster have cashed in on an own goal, although the defender knew little about it.

The action was hotting up and so were tempers as Tierney and Roberts clashed with the former City loan man claiming he was kicked while on the floor.

Bridge-Wilkinson was booked for a foul on McSporran but that was nothing compared with Doolan's crunching challenge on Crooks. Windass led an angry City deputation to referee Phil Crossley but he refused to show a yellow card.

Doncaster finished the half with the bit between their teeth, Blundell shooting just wide and Roberts seeing another effort deflected away after Holloway was caught in possession.

The right back made a similar blunder within seconds of the re-start but again the Welshman failed to hit the target. From that point, Holloway tightened up his act.

So did the midfield, who were giving Doncaster much less space to exploit than before the break. But the tackles were still pretty tasty and Tierney could have no complaints for his booking for clattering McSporran, although Crooks didn't need to follow suit for his complaints.

The home fans, who weren't the most friendly bunch, were incensed when Crooks flew into a tackle with Roberts. But the moans soon stopped as the ball ran for Doolan whose first-time shot was palmed away by Paul Henderson.

Windass, to his credit, had refused to get caught up in some of the tussles going on and he showed real restraint not to react after being dumped on the floor by Tim Ryan. The fear of missing the impending Hull game with another yellow card is a powerful deterent.

The striker provided a deep cross which Bridge-Wilkinson could not convert before the game was brought to a standstill by a sickening injury to McSporran.

It was nearly five minutes before he could be taken away on a stretcher with his left leg in a brace. He looked in agony and initial reports suggested it could be a broken knee-cap.

The delay drew some of the sting from proceedings although the busy Bridge-Wilkinson twice burst from the halfway line but could not find the right finish.

Roberts, having his best game since Doncaster swiped him from under City's noses in October, went a lot closer with six minutes left. There seemed little danger from a long hopeful punt forward but the striker hit it superbly across Henderson and against the far post.

If Doncaster thought they were hard done by, so did the visitors right on full-time.

As the fourth official prepared to put up six extra minutes on the board, there was a wild scramble in the Doncaster box.

Windass started it with a fierce cross-shot which Cooke tried to force home from close range. He made no contact but the ball ran to sub Lewis Emanuel who slammed it straight back into the mix. Warrington got off the floor to parry it and amid the bodies piling in, Windass tried to knee it past the keeper, only to see a red shirt block on the line.

City had one last chance to claim their third double but Emanuel took the wrong option in a good position and went for a weak shot with his right foot rather than whipping a cross into the packed six-yard box with his left.