VALLEY Parade's largest crowd for a fourth-tier game were frustrated as City were held to a goalless start to the season by Doncaster.

T&A chief sports writer SIMON PARKER was at the League Two curtain-raiser and provides the match stats and his player ratings.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Romoney Crichlow looks a class act as centre half, comfortable on the ball but also defended with discipline. Visibly shocked by Emmanuel Osadebe’s injury but not put off his stride.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

You won’t see a more ridiculous red card all season than the way Lee Tomlin got himself sent off.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

Referee Bobby Madden should have sent off Liam Ravenhill for the foul on Osadebe – and didn’t punish Doncaster’s timewasting tactics enough.

TACTICS

Mark Hughes handed out eight starting debuts on opening day – only Liam Ridehalgh, Lee Angol and Jamie Walker had played for City previously. For keeper Harry Lewis, it was also his EFL debut – his league experience had been in Scotland on loan at Dundee United.

Jake Young was the man to miss out on the bench with the other absentees all coming back injury and illness.

REFEREE: Bobby Madden (East Kilbride)

BOOKINGS: Ravenhill, Hurst, Mitchell (Doncaster)

SENT OFF: Harratt (City), Tomlin (Doncaster)

ATTENDANCE: 19,368

SHOTS ON TARGET: City 2 Doncaster 1

SHOTS OFF TARGET: City 20 Doncaster 2

CORNERS: City 7 Doncaster 6

FOULS: City 11 Doncaster 9

PLAYER RATINGS

CITY: Lewis 7, Halliday 7 (Chapman 68min), Platt 7, Crichlow 8, Ridehalgh 6, Smallwood 7, East 6 (Cook 81min), Osadebe n/a (Sutton 14min, 6), Walker 7, Angol 6 (Harratt 68min), Oliver 6. Subs (not used): Songo’o, Foulds, Doyle.

DONCASTER: Mitchell 7, Knoyle, Olowu 8, Williams 7, Maxwell 6, Clayton 7, Ravenhill 1 (Degruchy 15min, 5; Andrews 46min, 5), Hurst 6 (Anderson 82min), Biggins 6 (Long 90min), Miller 6, Tomlin 3. Subs (not used): Agard, Faulkner, Jones.