Tyreeq Bakinson’s first goal for Town saw the Blues to a 1-0 victory over bottom side Doncaster Rovers at the Eco-Power Stadium and to within six points of the play-offs. Bakinson tapped in from close range on 39 after Macauley Bonne’s header had been palmed out by home keeper Jonathan Mitchell as Town dominated from start to finish without being able to add to their lead.
Boss Kieran McKenna made three changes from the team which beat Gillingham 1-0 on Saturday.
Bonne started as the out-and-out striker with Joe Pigott left out of the 18, while Bersant Celina came in for James Norwood, who was among the subs, playing behind the on-loan QPR man along with Conor Chaplin.
Bakinson returned to the centre of the midfield for Tom Carroll, who was also not in the squad. Sone Aluko and Idris El Mizouni were back on the bench having been left out of the 18 at the weekend.
Doncaster named the same side that beat Sunderland 2-1 at the weekend with Reo Griffiths and Ben Jackson making their home debuts.
Boss McKenna’s former Manchester United colleagues Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick were watching from the stands.
Town, in their white and black away kit, took a knee prior to kick-off as the Rovers players linked arms on the edge of the centre circle in a similar anti-racism gesture applause from both sets of fans.
The Blues should have gone in front in the second minute. Celina crossed from the right and Bonne got ahead of his man but the ball flicked off his head and flew wide, the strong wind perhaps having brought it onto him quicker than he was anticipating.
Town dominated possession in the early stages and, following a long spell of passing, Chaplin hit a shot through to Mitchell in the sixth minute.
As was the case on Saturday, the Blues had a sloppy spell in which a number of passes went astray and Doncaster created their first opening in the 13th minute.
Charlie Seaman broke away down the right and sent in a low cross for Griffiths, who shot behind with George Edmundson, stand-in skipper for the last time before Sam Morsy returns, and Luke Woolfenden both slid in to block.
But Town quickly regained their composure and started creating chances frequently. First, Bakinson’s first touch let him down after he was found in the box by Burns, then the on-loan Bristol City man teed-up Chaplin but his low shot was gathered by Mitchell at the second attempt.
Almost immediately, Celina chased a ball down the left and cut it back to Burns, but a defender got across to thwart the Blues wing-back.
On 22, a long spell of Town possession ended with Dominic Thompson sending over a ball from the left which Bonne nodded over when he will feel he should have hit the target. Two minutes later, Bakinson was booked for a foul on Josh Martin.
Woolfenden headed over under pressure at the far post from an Evans corner in the 27th minute.
A minute later, Edmundson played a great ball from the back which saw Chaplin in on goal but the forward inadvertently played it on to his hand as he took it down.
Town were continuing to dominate and in the 32nd minute Thompson superbly kept the ball in on the left and found Celina, who crossed low for Chaplin, who couldn’t find room to shoot and was forced out wide to the left.
Doncaster had rarely had the ball let along a shot at goal but in the 35th minute Edmundson fouled Martin 25 yards out. Martin took the free-kick himself but it struck the Town wall and looped over.
But the half had been almost all Town and in the 39th minute they finally got their noses in front.
Following yet another long spell of possession, Thompson crossed from the left, Chaplin flicked on to the far post from where Bonne nodded back towards the corner of the net, keeper Mitchell got a hand to it and Bakinson added the final touch from close range to claim his first goal for the club.
Soon after the goal, Bonne was flagged offside as he broke towards goal from the left and there were no other chances before referee Ollie Yates blew the half-time whistle.
Town had dominated the first half and really ought to have scored prior to Bakinson’s goal with Bonne having had two headed chances the striker will feel he should have taken.
Doncaster made two changes ahead of the second half with Dan Gardner and Kyle Knoyle replacing skipper Tommy Rowe, the brother of former Blues winger Danny, and Ro-Shaun Williams.
Woolfenden headed the half’s first chance over the bar from a corner on the right in the 50th minute with the Blues quickly gaining the control they had in the first half.
On 54, Celina beat his man and broke into the Rovers half before laying off to Bonne. The striker’s cross was overhit but Burns managed to get it back from beyond the far post but Chaplin was crowded out.
Just after the hour, Celina feinted away from his man on the left before sending over a brilliant cross for Bonne but Mitchell tipped his header over. From the resultant corner, Bonne stabbed the ball out to Thompson but the Brentford loanee’s shot was blocked.
Town continued to have all the ball and prod and probe for a second. In the 63rd minute Chaplin tried an over-head kick which was blocked and Bonne was flagged offside as he tried to get on to the loose ball.
Janoi Donacien wasn’t far away from the second in the 69th minute when he looped a header over and on to the roof of the net after Thompson had hooked back in a corner from the right which had been overhit.
Doncaster had hardly threatened at all in the second half but in the 70th minute they won a corner from which the Blues saw Joseph Olowu’s header out for a goal-kick after not looking entirely comfortable.
Town swapped goalscorer Bakinson for El Mizouni, who had been waiting on the sidelines for the change for several minutes with the ball not having gone out of play for a long spell, in the 76th minute. Two minutes later, Bonne was replaced by Norwood.
Donacien was booked for kicking the ball away having been flagged offside in the 83rd minute.
A minute later, the Blues broke quickly after winning the ball on halfway and Celina fed Norwood breaking to his left but the striker scuffed his shot into the side-netting.
Doncaster swapped Seaman for Aidan Barlow in the 84th minute, then three minutes later Town swapped Chaplin for Aluko.
Soon after, Walton, who hadn’t been forced to make a save all evening, was quickly off his line to claim ahead of Mipo Odubeko.
Deep in four minutes of injury time, Burns was sent away on the right. His shot was blocked, as was Aluko’s follow-up.
Town saw out the remaining minutes of added-on time - in the final moments of which home keeper Mitchell came up for a corner - to record manager McKenna’s sixth win in his eight games in charge and the fifth clean sheet in that time.
The Blues dominated from beginning to end against a poor if determined Doncaster side with the three points never really looking in any doubt, although the margin of victory should have been much more comfortable.
Town, still ninth but now six points from the play-offs, next face a much stiffer test when they travel to face MK Dons, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Fleetwood this evening, on Saturday.
Doncaster: Mitchell, Younger, Olowu, Williams (Knoyle 46), Rowe (c) (Gardner 46), Jackson, Smith, Seaman (Barlow 84), Martin, Odubeko, Griffiths. Unused: Jones, Clayton, Dodoo, Agard.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson (c), Burns, Evans, Bakinson (El Mizouni 76), Thompson, Celina, Chaplin (Aluko 87), Bonne (Norwood 78). Unused: Hladky, Burgess, Vincent-Young, Jackson. Referee: Ollie Yates (Staffordshire). Att: 6,383 (Town: 1,026).