David McGoldrick scored twice and Luke Chambers once as Town got the festive fixtures off to a winning start and briefly moved into the play-off places with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Doncaster. McGoldrick and Chambers headed home corners in the 24th and 30th minutes, then the Blues top scorer added the third six minutes after the break.
Town boss Mick McCarthy named the same side for the fourth successive game with the Blues in their now familiar 4-3-3 formation.
McCarthy’s side started brightly and went close in the fourth minute when Daryl Murphy, who had started the move, forced Ross Turnbull to block his left-foot shot from inside the area after a neat interchange between Luke Hyam and Ryan Tunnicliffe had created the opening.
Dean Gerken had little trouble with Theo Robinson’s eighth-minute strike for the home side with little between the teams in a scrappy opening spell.
On 16 McGoldrick nodded a Tunnicliffe header to Turnbull, then two minutes later Frank Nouble screwed a cross behind when he should have done better after McGoldrick’s flick had sent him away on the right.
Town went ahead in the 24th minute after Murphy had forced the first corner of the game on the left. Aaron Cresswell whipped the ball over and McGoldrick rose ahead of Murphy to power the ball to Turnbull’s right. It was the Blues’ top scorer’s 10th goal of the season, although only his second away from home.
Nouble headed wide from a Chambers cross in the 28th minute as Town looked to add to their lead. A minute later, Tunnicliffe fed McGoldrick, who returned the ball to the on-loan Manchester United man with a superb flick, but the midfielder’s cross was stabbed behind ahead of the waiting Murphy.
But from the resultant corner, Town’s second of the match, the Blues did make it 2-0. Tunnicliffe sent the ball over from the right and skipper Chambers powered his near post header to Turnbull’s left and into the net for his second goal of the season.
Blues keeper Gerken did superbly to retain the two-goal lead in the 39th minute after Cole Skuse had fouled Mark Duffy five yards outside the area. The Rovers midfielder took the freekick himself and his curling shot looked goalbound until Gerken got across to his left to tip it onto the bar.
On 42 Robinson hit a low effort wide as the home side looked to get back into the game before the break.
But, after the Blues had wasted their third corner of the half, Tunnicliffe playing the ball short to Nouble, who lost out to Robinson much to McCarthy’s obvious annoyance, referee Tony Harrington blew his whistle to confirm a 2-0 Town lead at half-time.
The Blues deserved to be ahead having had the better of the game’s opportunities with the home side unable to defend the two corners from which Town scored their goals.
Doncaster’s only serious chance was the freekick which Gerken brilliantly kept out towards the end of the half, the latest in a succession of important saves made by the Blues keeper.
Six minutes into the second half, Town made it 3-0. Tunnicliffe sent Murphy away in space on the left and the Irishman cut the ball back across the area to McGoldrick, who took a touch before slamming his 11th goal of the season past Turnbull.
With the game already looking lost, Doncaster boss Paul Dickov — whose side had now conceded three goals in four successive games - immediately switched anonymous Manchester United loanee Federico Macheda for young striker Alex Peterson.
Nouble had the ball in the net in the 54th minute but with the linesman having raised his flag. McGoldrick had brought the ball forward down the middle of the ever more shambolic Rovers defence before teeing up Murphy to his left. Turnbull saved the Irish striker’s shot and the loose ball fell to Nouble, who briefly thought he had made it 4-0.
Town were by now looking likely to score every time they attacked. McGoldrick went looking for a hat-trick in the 57th minute, tricking his way past a defender before hitting a low shot which Turnbull saving down to his left with Nouble in space screaming for a pass.
A minute later, McGoldrick played Nouble in down the centre but Turnbull came out quickly to block and the ball cannoned wide off the former West Ham, Chelsea and Wolves man.
Rovers threatened to pull a goal back in the 67th minute, Chambers clearing ahead of sub Peterson from Wellens’s cutback from the right. Moments later, Peterson flicked a header wide from a left-wing cross.
A lengthy spell of Town possession in the 74th minute came to an end when the outstanding McGoldrick lashed well wide from Murphy’s chest into his path. While the home side prepared to take the resultant throw-in on-loan Aston Villa winger Jordan Graham took over from the lively Nouble.
McGoldrick scuffed another strike to Turnbull as he slipped in the 75th minute, before a conga briefly broke out amongst the 936-strong Blues travelling support.
On 81 Rovers defender Paul Quinn was booked for comments made to a linesman, prior to Peterson heading wide.
The again excellent McGoldrick was replaced by Paul Taylor for the final seven minutes, the Town support warmly applauding off the Blues’ top scorer.
With a minute of scheduled time remaining Chambers almost netted a brilliant second of the game, exchanging passes with the impressive Tunnicliffe before taking the ball past a defender with his thigh and shooting just wide.
The Town victory was never in doubt once they had gone in front with Doncaster poor at the back and little threat going forward.
After McGoldrick had added the third after the break there was a spell in which the Blues could have added further to their lead and in the end the 3-0 scoreline if anything flattered the home side.
The result saw the Blues break into the play-off places for the first time this season, moving from ninth to fifth before dropping back to seventh following the evening fixtures, ahead of Sunday's game at AFC Bournemouth and the New Year's Day home game against Charlton.
Doncaster: Turnbull, Quinn, Wakfield, McCullough, Yun, Wellens (c), Furman, Duffy, Forrester (Cotterill 70), Macheda (Peterson 53), Robinson (Bennett 74). Unused: Maxted, Stevens, Woods, De Val.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Hyam, Skuse, Tunnicliffe, Nouble (Graham 74), McGoldrick (Taylor 83), Murphy (Anderson 90). Unused: Loach, Mings, Tabb, Edwards. Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland). Att: 7,753 (Town: 936).