This season saw the end of Tommy Keetley's goalscoring exploits in a Doncaster shirt, and 40 league goals in his last season as a Rovers player lifted his team to a final placing of fifth in the old Third Division (North).

Keetley opened his account for the season in the first game, a 3-1 victory at Rochdale, and the first home game also delivered a win, this time over Southport, with Keetley registering a hat-trick. Although the next two games were lost, the Rovers were soon back on the winning trail and Keetley continued his remarkable start to the season with nine goals in the first six fixtures.

Keetley's amazing goal scoring exploits over the previous five seasons had attracted the interests of other parties and only a guarantee of a benefit had encouraged him to sign on again during the previous close season. The seeds of discontent had been sown, however, and after further arguments with the Rovers board, Keetley was place on the transfer list at his own request with the season less than two months old.

Whatever was happening off the field failed to shake Keetley's resolve on it, and by Christmas 1928, the Rovers centre-forward had amassed 20 league goals in just 16 appearances and, although he missed the holiday games through injury, he was soon on the mark again as the New Year progressed.

The New Year began with a high-scoring draw at Southport, followed by a run of five wins in seven games. The highlight of these was an amazing 7-4 victory at snowbound Portland Park, the home of Ashington. Despite the scoreline, the result was in doubt until the last few minutes and Tommy Keetley weighed in with a small matter of SIX goals - all this before a 'gate' of just 729!

March produced the Rovers' worst defeat of the season with a six -goal hammering at lowly Accrington Stanley, but the next three games produced a trio of victories with Keetley notching nine goals in that time.

As the season drew to a close, the Rovers failed to win their last five matches. Keetley was out injured for three of them, his last goal coming in the home game with Tranmere Rovers in early April.

The FA Cup provided little in the way of entertainment for the Rovers, as they went out in the first round following a 4-1 defeat at Bradford City who, incidentally, would go on to win the Third Division (North) Championship at the end of the season. Any guesses at the Rovers' goalscorer? Tommy Keetley - who else?

Leading scorers: Keetley 40, Tippett 10

Division Three (North)
 1928-1929
 
P
W
D
L
F
A
Points
Bradford City
42
27
9
6
128
43
63
Stockport County
42
28
6
8
111
58
62
Wrexham
42
21
10
11
91
69
52
Wigan Borough
42
21
9
12
82
49
51
DONCASTER ROVERS
42
20
10
12
76
66
50
Lincoln City
42
21
6
15
91
67
48
Tranmere Rovers
42
22
3
17
79
77
47
Carlisle United
42
19
8
15
86
77
46
Crewe Alexandra
42
18
8
16
80
68
44
South Shields
42
18
8
16
83
74
44
Chesterfield
42
18
5
19
71
77
41
Southport
42
16
8
18
75
85
40
Halifax Town
42
13
13
16
63
62
39
New Brighton
42
15
9
18
64
71
39
Nelson
42
17
5
20
77
90
39
Rotherham United
42
15
9
18
60
77
39
Rochdale
42
13
10
19
79
96
36
Accrington Stanley
42
13
8
21
68
82
34
Darlington
42
13
7
22
64
88
33
Barrow
42
10
8
24
64
93
28
Hartlepool United
42
10
6
26
59
112
26
Ashington
42
8
7
27
45
115
23