Last season’s play-off rivals Doncaster and Crewe could not be separated as they battled out a 1-1 draw at the Eco-Power Stadium.
Crewe had the edge when the two sides met in May’s play-off semi-final as they progressed to Wembley via a penalty shootout and they took the lead on this renewal through Max Conway’s fine individual effort.
But Doncaster drew level through substitute Kyle Hurst, who finished off a rapid counterattack on 73 minutes.
Rovers were largely in control of a first half of few chances. Kian Breckin pulled a volley off target for Crewe while Billy Sharp had the ball in the back of the net only to be denied by the offside flag.
Conway raced through the middle before firing Crewe ahead on 56 minutes.
Rovers switched formation and piled men forward in search of the equaliser, which came when Hurst showed excellent composure to finish the counter.
Sharp twice headed over from good positions as Rovers looked the more likely to win the game but the spoils were shared.
