Match-winning Doncaster striker Rob Street hailed a “perfect day” as Rovers were crowned League Two champions after beating Notts County 2-1 at Meadow Lane.
Street’s brace before the break was enough for Rovers to take all three points and in turn finish four points clear of Port Vale at the summit.
“t was a perfect day. It’s what I set out to do, from the minute I walked in the building, and I’m delighted we could achieve that today and enjoy it with the fans,” said Street.
Street struck twice in the space of 10 minutes midway through the first half, first being on hand to fire home after Jordan Gibson saw a shot blocked.
He then displayed an impressive piece of skill to bring Jamie Sterry’s aerial ball under control and dink a cool finish over home keeper Alex Bass, taking the 23-year-old’s Rovers tally to 12 goals since joining on loan from Lincoln in January.
“The first goal was maybe a bit of luck, but you’ve got to be there to put it in the back of the net, and I’m happy I anticipated it early to follow up on the rebound,” said Street.
“The second one, a great ball in from Stez (Sterry), and I was really happy with the finish over the keeper.
“It means the world to send those fans home happy,” said Street. “I love this club, I love the fanbase, I love everything about it.
Rovers had defended their lead resolutely until Alassana Jatta netted the latest of consolations, scrambling home inside the post in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
“We got the job done today,” added Rovers manager Grant McCann. “I was disappointed to concede the goal so late on, but we were League Two champions 40 seconds later, so it’s by the by.”
County had earlier chances to spoil Rovers’ title party as Charlie Whitaker also went close seconds after Street had given the visitors the lead, but his header sailed just over the bar.
“They’re a top team, and we congratulate them on their promotion,” said County manager Stuart Maynard.
“They deserve it, they’ve been the best team this season, but one thing we don’t want to happen again at our stadium is a team celebrating when they’ve beaten us.
“In the big games like this, it’s always very small margins, and if you give the top teams in this division half a chance, they take it, and they punish you.”
Rovers will make a return to League One for the first time in three years next season, while County must now face AFC Wimbledon in the play-offs after the defeat saw them finish sixth.
“We’ve bounced back before, and by sticking together, we can bounce back again,” said Maynard. “We will go into those play-offs with full focus and we want to win the game.”
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