Dean Keates also missed a good chance two minutes into the second half, dragging it wide when a rebound left him with a free shot on goal.
Michael McIndoe looked like Doncaster's most threatening player, and shot just wide from 20 yards out with 69 minutes on the clock. That was the closest the home side came to threatening Michel Kuipers, making his debut for City, and the Dutchman didn't have a save to make.
There were few clearcut chances in this match - which was given a big build-up due to the presence of the Sky Sports cameras - and so City's first visit to Doncaster in five years ended in a stalemate.
City line-up (4-4-2): Kuipers; Hinds, Whittle, Delaney, Dawson; Green, Ashbee, Keates, Elliott (Price 62); Allsopp, Burgess (Webb 82).
Un-used subs: Musselwhite, Holt, Forrester.