The decade of the 1920's proved to be a monumental period in the history of Doncaster Rovers. The club was re-formed following the horrors of the First World War, and Belle Vue was opened two years later, in August 1922. What was needed now was re-election back into the Football League, and this duly arrived during the summer of 1923, when the league decided to increase the number of clubs in the old Third Division (North).

In these days, the fixtures were generally played back to back, with teams facing the same opposition a week after their first meeting. The Rovers first game was a home fixture with Wigan Borough, and, whilst the match ended in a goalless draw, it did raise a 'gate' over almost eleven thousand, which was encouraging.

Unfortunately, the attendances diminished as the Rovers made a poor start to the new campaign, where only four of the first eighteen games yielded both points. Defensively, the team was in reasonably good shape, but goals were proving hard to find, and the Rovers appeared to be well on the road to a very poor first season back in the league.

However the month of December saw the Rovers lost just twice in seven games, and suddenly the Rovers were beginning to look a much more competent outfit. Two excellent home wins over Southport and Walsall in early January compounded that belief, and, whilst the team lost heavily in the return game against the "Saddlers", the stage had already been set for a much brighter future.

Main striker, Tommy Keetley, was beginning to show signs of his goal scoring prowess as the season progressed, and the Rovers began to climb the table. They lost narrowly at Wolverhampton, who would go on to be the Champions at the end of the season, but they enjoyed a 7-0 home victory at the expense of Halifax Town. Keetley and Sammy Cown both scored hat-tricks in the game - the only time that two Rovers players ever scored three goals each in the same game.

The season drew to a close with the Rovers taking three wins from their last four fixtures, ending the campaign in a highly respectable ninth place in the old Third Division (North), averaging a point a game from their forty two matches. True, only two away games had been won, there was at least something to work with, and the Rovers looked forward with some confidence.

The Rovers did not play in the FA Cup proper during 1923/24.

Division Three (North)
 1923-1924
 
P
W
D
L
F
A
Points
Wolverhampton Wanderers
42
24
15
3
76
27
63
Rochdale
42
25
12
5
60
26
62
Chesterfield
42
22
10
10
70
39
54
Rotherham County
42
23
6
13
70
43
52
Bradford Park Avenue
42
21
10
11
69
43
52
Darlington
42
20
8
14
70
53
48
Southport
42
16
14
12
44
42
46
Ashington
42
18
8
16
59
61
44
DONCASTER ROVERS
42
15
12
15
59
53
42
Wigan Borough
42
14
14
14
55
53
42
Grimsby Town
42
14
13
15
49
47
41
Tranmere Rovers
42
13
15
14
51
60
41
Accrington Stanley
42
16
8
18
48
61
40
Halifax Town
42
15
10
17
42
59
40
Durham City
42
15
9
18
59
60
39
Wrexham
42
10
18
14
37
44
38
Walsall
42
14
8
20
44
59
36
New Brighton
42
11
13
18
40
53
35
Lincoln City
42
10
12
20
48
59
32
Crewe Alexandra
42
7
13
22
32
58
27
Hartlepool United
42
7
11
24
33
70
25
Barrow
42
8
9
25
35
80
25