After helping to win a point at Swindon Town on Saturday, Callum Hendry was rewarded with a first start since September and his return from injury, and Callum Morton also came back into the starting line-up with Conor McAleny and Kelly Nmai both amongst the substitutes. With drizzle teeming down Salford controlled the game from the opening exchanges but without creating any particularly clear-cut chances.

In the eighth minute Junior Luamba showed good strength to hold off Jack Senior and get a cross in from Ryan Watson's pass, but the arriving Morton could only flick his header beyond the far post.

Against the run of play though Donny took the lead, and needed a hand off the so-far impressive Ammies. Luke Molyneux was able to create himself a couple of yards of space on the left and fired a low cross in that bounced off Curtis Tilt, and into the near post. Unfortunate for the centre-back who knew so little about it, but as we've come to expect Salford responded excellently and within a minute were level. Luamba was the key again on the right, surging forward with purpose before delivering his own cross that Hendry came across to meet at the near post, and flicked beyond Thimothée Lo-Tutala for his second goal in two games.

Salford continued to control the game with Morton having another good effort in the 23rd minute, but his glancing touch from Luke Garbutt's cross flew across goal and wide of the far post. A couple of minutes later Luamba was attacking from the right, cutting in to shoot low but Lo-Tutala was positioned well to make the save.

In the closing stages of a first half that was becoming increasingly frictious, with Senior lucky to avoid even a booking after catching Luamba on the shin with a sliding challenge, Hendry had a good chance to put the Ammies in front. Luamba picked him out on the right-hand side of the area, but his effort was deflected over and out for a corner that Donny dealt with.

For a long while the second half was as scrappy and physical as it was allowed to be with flash points all over the pitch, but a momentary lapse in concentration from Salford allowed Doncaster to re-take the lead in the 72nd minute. Hakeeb Adelakun had been the visitors' main threat, and was clinical when possession came to him in the area from the left, taking a controlling touch before firing across Alex Cairns and into the far post. A second goal in two for the 27-year-old, and it really should have been three - or even four - a few minutes later, after Lo-Tutala had denied Ryan Watson who took a powerful shot from 25 yards out.

Firstly the Lincoln loanee found himself one-on-one with Cairns after bruising his way past Ethan Ingram onto a through ball, but the Salford stopper did well to close him down. Then a minute later he was played in down the left, cut in across the top of the box, but shot narrowly wide of the post after carrying the ball a long way. In the 85th minute Adelakun overhit a free-kick from the right that Harrison Biggins kept in on the left and returned a cross towards the near post; Cairns saved that but only as far as Richard Wood a couple of yards out who redirected the ball into the back of the gaping net, but as he lapped up the excitement of the away end the celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.

They were just the moments of luck that Salford needed, and provided a wake-up call for the hosts. Looking more lively with fresh legs on in the form of Nmai and Dan Chesters, the Ammies went on the hunt for the minimum point they deserved and got their opportunity in the 89th minute after Wood and another visiting defender blocked Nmai's run through on goal. Right of centre and with maybe 25 yards to play with, Garbutt took responsibility for the free-kick and curled a stunning effort round the wall and out of Lo-Tutala's reach to net both the equaliser, and his first goal for the club.

Having had a rough night of wrestling with Tom Anderson, Matt Smith came close to having the final say with a glancing header in the third of five minutes added time, but Lo-Tutala dived to his left to save and hang on for a share of the points.

Quality Garbutt free-kick earns deserved point against Doncaster