Rovers Claim First Win of the Season at Peterborough
| By James Hartley
Doncaster Rovers earned their first Sky Bet League One victory of the 2026/27 campaign with a 2-0 win at Peterborough United on Saturday afternoon. Goals from Alfie May and substitute Isaac Hutchinson at the Weston Homes Stadium lifted Grant McCann’s side off the foot of the early table and ended a six-match wait for three points.
Rovers arrived in Cambridgeshire without a league win from their opening six fixtures, sitting bottom of the division with three points from three draws. Peterborough were only two points better off. Both clubs had endured a difficult start after last season’s contrasting campaigns: Doncaster finished 14th in their first year back in the third tier following promotion, while Posh have struggled to find consistency this autumn.
The visitors scored against the run of play in the 15th minute. A mistake by Peterborough youngster Harley Mills allowed Leon Ayinde to deliver from the right, and May finished neatly to give Rovers the lead. The hosts had begun the brighter side, with Owura Edwards heading wide at the far post in the opening minutes, but Doncaster’s defence stood firm.
Sean Grehan almost doubled the advantage from a Robbie Gotts corner but could not make clean contact. Grehan then blocked a shot from Edwards as Peterborough pressed. After the interval the home side continued to dominate possession — they finished with 63 per cent of the ball and 14 shots — yet they failed to register a shot on target. Doncaster’s back line, with Grehan stepping in after Matty Pearson’s early withdrawal last weekend, repeatedly closed down Carl Johnston, Mills and Harry Leonard.
McCann’s team created little themselves after the break until the closing stages. With two minutes remaining, substitutes Hutchinson and Jordan Thomas combined. Thomas crossed from the right and Hutchinson slid in to tap home, sealing a 2-0 scoreline and Rovers’ first win of the season. Jack Senior was booked late on as the visitors saw the game out.
The result moved Doncaster to 21st place with six points from seven matches (one win, three draws, three defeats) and a goal difference of minus one. Peterborough dropped to 23rd. Reports after the final whistle said Posh had sacked manager Luke Williams following the defeat, ending his 11-month spell in charge.
Summer signings featured prominently. May, who arrived as a forward option, opened the scoring. Hutchinson, signed permanently from Bristol Rovers in July, scored the second. Ayinde provided the first assist and Thomas, another recent addition, set up the second. Manager McCann has rebuilt parts of the squad after last season, adding defenders Neill Byrne and James Husband among others, while captain Owen Bailey signed a new three-year contract in August.
Rovers remain without several injured players, including Jamie Sterry, Tom Nixon, Francis Okoronkwo and James Collins. Next they return to South Yorkshire, with a League One meeting against Burton Albion scheduled for Saturday 10 October. A first win will not transform the table overnight, but it gives McCann’s side a platform after a winless opening month and a much-needed lift heading into the autumn fixtures.