Matty Blair gave the hosts some hope ahead of their trip to The Valley Two quickfire first-half goals put Charlton in control of their League One play-off semi-final against Doncaster as they won the first leg 2-1. Lyle Taylor and Joe Aribo both scored in the space of three minutes to quash a bright start by hosts Doncaster. getty 1 Lee Bowyer’s side take a one-goal lead back to the Valley Lee Bowyer’s side looked to be taking a healthy advantage back to The Valley until Matty Blair grabbed a late goal back for Doncaster, giving them hope for Friday night’s second leg. Prior to the Charlton goals it had been a energetic and competitive affair, with Doncaster looking the more threatening over the opening half-hour. The game was played at an electric pace, with both sides determined to press high and hard from the very start. But Charlton’s comfortable lead changed the complexion of the contest, with the visitors allowing Doncaster to take the initiative and attempt to break them down. Josh Parker thought he had given Charlton an early lead after slotting through Marko Marosi’s legs only for play to be pulled back for a foul on Andy Butler in the build-up. Doncaster soon began to enjoy the better of the attacking play, with James Coppinger curling narrowly wide from 20 yards. 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Kane volleyed over from 25 yards for Doncaster before Coppinger drew a smart save from Dillon Phillips with a shot on the turn. Danny Andrew cracked the crossbar with a free-kick from close to 35 yards out as Doncaster grew in confidence. But the game quickly turned in favour of the hosts. First Josh Cullen stopped the ball on the byline, with Doncaster appealing in vain for offside, and drilled back across goal where, after a pinball effect, Taylor headed in from close range on 32 minutes. LIVE ON talkSPORT talkSPORT is your home of live football! Here's what's coming up on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2... Tottenham vs Everton (Sunday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2 Mansfield vs Newport (Sunday, 6pm) – talkSPORT 2 Before Doncaster had time to regroup, they found themselves two goals down. Taylor took advantage of a half clearance and slid a pass into the box for Aribo, who smashed across goal and through the hands of Marosi into the far corner. Doncaster almost pulled a goal back early in the second half when Butler powered in an effort from a corner only for Cullen to block on the goal line. Doncaster saw plenty of the ball after the break but struggled to break down a resolute Charlton side who increasingly bolstered their defensive options as the half wore on. And the visitors took advantage of Doncaster’s search for a way back in with Parker, Purrington and Cullen all drawing good saves from Marosi. But Doncaster’s search was eventually rewarded when Blair nodded in a Mallik Wilks cross from close range on 87 minutes.<doc-sep>The Addicks had led 2-0 until the 87th minute when Blair rose highest at the far post to meet a cross with his chest, scrappily forcing the ball home from close range. Until then, things had looked bleak for Doncaster having conceded twice in the space of as many minutes in the first half. Lyle Taylor grabbed the first in a goulthmouth scramble on 32 minutes, and on 34 minutes, Donny goalkeeper Marko Marosi failed to keep out a weak shot from Joe Aribo as Lee Bowyer's side took a firm grip of the tie. But Blair's late strike will give Doncaster hope it can get a result at The Valley next Saturday (AEST), and play either Sunderland or Portsmouth in the final for a place in the Championship next season.<doc-sep>Doncaster Rovers v Charlton Athletic Sunday 12:15 Live on Sky Sports Football Rovers worth the final spot - and history is on their side Not many pundits and journalists are giving Doncaster a chance, and neither are the Betfair layers - with Rovers chalked up as the 6.6011/2 outsiders in the Promotion market. That moved ever-so-slightly from the 6.806/1 on offer in midweek. But according to that price, they are up against it. Manager Grant McCann has done an excellent job, though, and one must wonder how Peterborough fans will be feeling with their former boss making a success of things at the Keepmoat. McCann's team like to play a neat pass-and-move game, and they must be credited for holding their position for a large chunk of the season. They never dipped below sixth since January 12th. And consistency isn't the easiest in this division. And sixth has been the lucky position to finish in the playoffs recently - with two teams earning promotion from that position in the last three seasons. The feeling with Doncaster was that they were generally a decent side at home, and their record backs that up, but easier to get at away. They lost only once in their last 15 home league games, and that home form certainly needed to be addressed from previous campaigns. However, they did finish 15 points inferior to Charlton. Confident Bowyer always backs his players In theory, I should really be a Charlton fan instead of a West Ham one. The first ever match I attended in my life was in 1982 at The Valley. The opponents were Cambridge, and I remember the matchday programme quite well with goalkeeper Nicky Johns on the cover. I'm fairly sure that former European Footballer Of The Year Allan Simonsen played that day too. Well I'm hoping he did. Incidentally, Simonsen joined from Barcelona as he couldn't get into the team at the Nou Camp due to the rule allowing only two foreign players to play. The two ahead of him weren't bad in Diego Maradona and Bernd Schuster. The latter didn't lack for confidence by the way. Twelve months ago I wasn't so confident about Charlton's chances in the playoffs, as they were exposed by Shrewsbury with two 1-0 reverses. The Shrews played to their strengths and done a "bit of a number" on the Addicks over the 180 minutes, but Lee Bowyer's team are so much better these days. Indeed, 88 points with a third-place finish was impressive - especially given their thin squad at the start of the year. I've mentioned on plenty of occasions this season how I like Bowyer's style with how he backs his players no matter what. He recently said his team have "everything" and that "no one would want to play them". Whether that assessment is true is open to debate, but he is certainly correct in saying his team "don't lose many games". They only lost two at The Valley all season. Their 3,700 allocation has also sold out for Sunday. Visitors look over-priced - so seek out the DNB This is the game Doncaster need to win. It's an obvious statement I know, but I give them little chance of beating Charlton in the return game. I'm fairly sure this need for success has influenced the prices here with the hosts at 2.608/5 and Charlton at 3.259/4. I must admit, the latter is quite decent. Backing the outsider of the two in League One is something you should never shy away from, and I'm still learning after all these years. The head-to-head for these two was 1-1 at the Keepmoat, a 2-0 Charlton home win and a Doncaster FA Cup success against a much-changed Addicks' line-up. The 1-1 was a blistering, high-tempo game earlier in the season in Yorkshire. Bowyer's men got off to a quicksilver start and flew at Rovers, although in the end, McCann's side had chances to win it. Historically the Londoners have enjoyed a good record against Donny too. Since the start of last season, they have lost only once in five games to Doncaster, winning two and drawing two. The 3.259/4 is certainly large enough to consider heading for the Draw No Bet, especially as the hosts only beat four top-half teams from their 20 victories. I like the dynamic nature of Charlton's team and they've got a real togetherness. They also have the momentum by winning ten of their last 13 matches compared to Rovers - who finished with five wins from their last 15 games. Donny sweating on fitness of one player Bowyer utilised his preferred 4-4-2 diamond in the away game earlier in the season and his team played at a high tempo. His strikers like to get behind the centre-backs and attack the spaces - although this was more prevalent in the match at The Valley. The visitors have a fully-fit squad to choose from bar Igor Vetokele (thigh). Jonny Williams and Jake Forster-Caskey are fit again. The home team have one injury doubt, although all we know is that it's a "big player". Team news shrouded in mystery is never a good thing for a preview, which reminds me of a story once that a player was linked to a football club. They wouldn't reveal the position, name or what club he was from. Apart from that, it was a good story! Under 2.5 price too short for Sunday I was not in the least bit surprised that the Under 2.5 Goals was priced-up so short. I was hoping for 1.855/6, and I saw 1.684/6 on Friday evening. That's far too low for me to recommend and back, but I can see why the price has contracted. Doncaster only conceded 21 at home all season and kept nine clean sheets. My gut feeling is that Charlton will be feeling fairly confident about getting a result back on home soil, so they'll need to take something from this game or reduce the risks. They are certainly capable on the "shutout" front themselves - as they ended with seven clean sheets from their last nine matches.<doc-sep>CHARLTON ATHLETIC will be heavy favourites to reach the League One play-off final, after narrowly missing out on automatic promotion. They travel to Doncaster Rovers for the first leg of this semi-final, with the Addicks finishing 15 points ahead of the Keepmoat Stadium outfit during the regular season. 1 Lee Bowyer's Charlton will be heavy favourites to beat Doncaster and reach the League One play-off final where Sunderland or Portsmouth will be waiting Credit: PA:Empics Sport What time does Doncaster vs Charlton kick off? This League One semi-final play-off first leg will take place on Sunday, May 12. It will kick off at 12.15pm. The match will be held at the Keepmoat Stadium. The second leg will played on Friday, May 17 at The Valley. What TV channel is it on and can I live stream it? Doncaster vs Charlton will be shown live on Sky Sports Football, with coverage from 12noon. Sky Sports customers can live stream this match via the app on their computer, tablet and mobile device. If not, you can purchase a Sky Sports Day Pass from NowTV for £8.99. What is the team news? TEAM | Manager Grant McCann names an unchanged side for our @SkyBetLeagueOne play-off semi-final first leg tie against @CAFCofficial - kick-off is at 12:15pm. #DRFC #DONCHA pic.twitter.com/70LqwD2wec — Doncaster Rovers FC (@drfc_official) May 12, 2019<doc-sep>
Charlton come into the second leg with a one-goal lead after Doncaster failed to put away a significant amount of chances on target in the first leg Doncaster Rovers will travel to Charlton Athletic in their League One play-off semi-final second leg, with the South Yorkshire side trailing on aggregate 2-1. In the first leg, Charlton's Lyle Taylor was instrumental in his side's win, scoring their first and assisting their second, with Doncaster's Matty Blair scoring to get his side back into the tie in the 87th minute of the game. Both teams have it all to play for in this match, and the winners will face Sunderland at Wembley for a place in the Championship. Game Charlton Athletic vs Doncaster Rovers Date Friday, May 17 Time 7:45pm BST / 2:45pm ET TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here! In the United States (US), the match can be watched on ESPN+. US TV channel Online stream N/A ESPN+ In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Football. It can be streamed via SKY GO Extra. UK TV channel Online stream Sky Sports Football SKY GO Extra Squads & Team News Position Charlton squad Goalkeepers Phillips, Maxwell Defenders Purrington, Sarr, Bauer, Bielik, Dijksteel, Page, Pearce, Solly, Midfielders Aribo, Cullen, Morgan, Marshall, Forster-Caskey, Fosu-Henry, Reeves, Pratley, Williams, Lapslie Forwards Parker, Taylor, Vetokele, Igor Vetekele is a doubt to start as he struggles with a thigh injury, but other than him, Charlton have a fully-fit squad. Possible Charlton starting XI: Phillips, Purrington, Sarr, Bauer, Bielik, Djiksteel, Aribo, Cullen, Morgan, Parker, Taylor Position Doncaster squad Goalkeepers Lawler, Marosi, Jones Defenders Andrew, Wright, Butler, Anderson, Amos,Blaney, Downing, Lewis Midfielders Whiteman, Rowe, Rawford, Beestin, Kane, Blair, Sadlier, Coppinger, Forwards Wilks, Marquis, May. Smith Doncaster manager Grant McCann has a fully-fit squad, with midfielders Alfie Beestin and Ben Whiteman both returning from injury. Possible Doncaster starting XI: Marosi, Blair, Downing, Butler, Andrew, Whiteman, Kane, Wilks, Coppinger, Rowe, Marquis Betting & Match Odds Charlton are odds-on favourites at 19/20 on Bet365 , while Doncaster can be backed at 3/1 and the draw is priced at 12/5 For goal scorer, both teams to score and other markets, click here. Match Preview With home advantage, and one-goal lead, it’s no surprise Charlton are the favourites to reach the final, and the stats and recent form back up that status, too. Doncaster have only won one of their last 10 away games - a 1-0 victory over Bradford City, who finished at the bottom of the league - and Charlton have beaten Rovers five times in their last six meetings at The Valley, while the Addicks' forward Taylor has been involved in 13 goals in his last 11 league games, including an assist and a goal for himself in the first leg. McCann's side do have a glimmer of hope, though, as they demonstrated they are an attacking threat in the first leg, although they will need to improve on just two shots on target from 16 attempts. Speaking ahead of the second leg, the Addicks' manager Lee Bowyer told the official Charlton website : "We’ve got a one-goal lead going into the home leg, so we’re in a good position especially with our home record this season. "But we have to respect Doncaster, they’re a good side. "They’ve got players that can hurt you and they’re good from set pieces. We just have to be professional and have the right attitude and not take our foot off the pedal, which I doubt will happen anyway because the group that we have has been exceptional all season." Doncaster centre-back Andy Butler told Doncaster Rovers' official website : “It was a tough game back at our place, but the late goal really does change things for us, at two goals down it can be a mountain to climb, but we really showed what we could do with the second-half performance and we’ll be looking to draw on that. Article continues below “People say that it’s half-time, if we hold anything back then it’s too late, we go there full of confidence and we want to go out and put on a good show, we’ve seen so many comebacks over the last week and you can’t write anyone off, especially us.