Luke Molyneux on his Doncaster Rovers target, his season so far and social media critics
Doncaster Rovers may have already found perfect solution to fix Ben Close problem
The midfielder is not necessarily renowned for his goal output but it’s the nuts and bolts of his game that many felt would be missed. The breaking-up of play, an ability to keep things ticking over and picking out key passes. The statistics show Close averages 1.4 per game in the latter category – the highest of anyone in the squad.
But as big a blow as it was to lose the former Portsmouth man for the run-in, manager Grant McCann insisted that it represented an opportunity for someone else to showcase themselves.
Step forward Matty Craig.
After slowly being integrated into the group the Tottenham Hotspur loanee has made a big impression in his last two starts. Assured on the ball but not afraid to put his foot in either, the 20-year-old is making encouraging progress in what is his first taste of life away from the relative security of Premier League surroundings.
He secured his first assist midweek, with a clever pick-out to tee up fellow loanee Hakeeb Adelakun for Rovers’ second in the 2-2 draw at Salford. As well as being singled out by many fans on Tuesday, the numbers also back up the theory.
The stats show Craig has made incremental improvements across his three league starts (He also started home games with Newport and Tranmere). Touches of the ball are becoming more prominent – only Jamie Sterry had more at Salford – and he’s also getting stuck in. He registered three tackles combined against Newport and Tranmere, before racking up five alone against the Ammies. He’s also winning Rovers more free-kicks, with only the perennially-fouled Joe Ironside ahead of him in the last two games. That’s allowed McCann’s men to take the heat out of situations and restart. Whichever way you slice it Craig is quickly acclimatising to his new environment – and thriving.
We shouldn’t really be surprised though should we? After all, the midfielder comes from a rich footballing heritage. His twin brother Michael is on the books at Reading, their father David played non-league and their grandfather Ron Still represented both Notts County and Brentford in the 1960s.
