The manner by which Doncaster Rovers won the Third Division (North) Championship in 1946/47 gave them understandable confidence with which to face Second Division opposition during the following campaign. However, if the spirit was willing, the flesh was decidedly weak, and the Rovers made a quick return to the third division after finishing next to bottom with only Millwall below them in the table.

The season opened without a new signing in the side, such was the expectation that the old guard would be able to hold its own in the higher sphere, and, to be fair, the team did reasonably well in the early encounters. However, a terrible run of just one point from seven games during which the team failed to register a single goal, shot them down the league table, and the run consequently meant changes within the side. Old favourites found themselves out of the team as the management fought to retain the Rovers position.

The signing from Preston North End of Alf Calverley for a club record fee heralded a brief upturn in the Rovers' fortunes, but this proved to be a false dawn. Goalkeeper Archie Ferguson was so badly injured at Southampton in December that he never played for the first team again, and whilst the team beat Nottingham Forest at Belle Vue on Boxing Day, they lost the return game, twenty four hours later, and the relegation gloom was as deep as ever.

By February 1948, the Rovers team was in the throes of change, and only Paul Todd remained from the starting lineup on the opening day of the season. Clarrie Jordan, the leading scorer of the previous season, was then transferred to Sheffield Wednesday, and although new players were brought in, little could be done to arrest the Rovers descent.

The remaining portion of the season fortunately saw an end to the heavy scores against the Rovers, although their inability in front of goal remained unchanged. Indeed, the last fourteen fixtures showed only seven defeats, but only two victories as well, and this was just not good enough to get the Rovers away from the danger zone. One of the victories was a remarkable 3-1 away success at West Bromwich Albion, who were well above them in the Division, but it was too little too late, and by the end of the season, the Rovers were five points adrift of next placed Bury. The Rovers final goals for tally of just forty told its own sad story, a total beaten only once previously in a forty two match season.

The FA Cup did not provide any sort of respite from the misery of the league programme, with fellow second division side Fulham beating the Rovers by two goals to nil in a Third Round tie at Craven Cottage.

Leading scorers: Todd 8, Bennett 7