Dave Penney has consulted Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren to try and plan how Rovers can defeat Premiership side Arsenal, who visit Belle Vue next week for the Carling Cup quarter-final.
In an interview issued on www.worldfootballers.com, Penney said: "Steve is a good pal and he has been there and done it which is why his advice on Arsenal will be very welcome and potentially crucial. I'm not saying he can guarantee we beat Arsenal, but he can give me an insight into some of the things the camera sometimes misses and which can prove crucial."

A couple of former Rovers players scored goals in Tuesday's LDV Vans Trophy action. Kevin Sandwith scored Macclesfield Town's third goal to help his side to a 4-2 victory over Cambridge United in the northern section of the competition. In the southern half of the draw, Adebayo scored twice in extra time to give Swansea City a 3-1 win against Peterborough United. Both sides are now through to the regional semi-finals.

Rovers' reserve team game in the Pontins Holidays League, due to be played on 10th January, has been postponed. No new date has yet been arranged.

Hull City's Jason Price has confirmed that he almost moved to Belle Vue ahead of last month's loan transfer deadline. He said: "Doncaster were very interested and at one stage, I think I was a couple of hours from going there. I never wanted to leave and the gaffer decided he didn't want me to go. He told me he wanted me to stay and fight for a place and I'm glad I did. I'm really happy here.'
He indicated that the loan move could have led to an £80,000 full transfer in the New Year.

Former Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Stuart Jones has re-signed for Nationwide South club Weston-Super-Mare to act as cover for the injured Ryan Northmore. Jones was released by Southern League Premier side Mangotsfield United last week.

Doncaster Rovers are holding their "Grand Christmas Draw" tomorrow night, Thursday, 15th December, at 7.30pm in the Rovers Return. The night is open to all lottery agents and Rovers fans, and will include a cabaret and buffet. Many prizes are to be won, including a holiday to Tenerife. Also appearing is Yorkshire band "Psycho Slinkies".
The event is free to all!

Former Rovers striker Martin Paul has handed in a transfer list to Southern Premier Division club Bath City. Paul, now 30 years old, asked for a move after being frustrated about a lack of first team opportunites this season, despite being the club's top goal-scorer in their history. Paul has scored 104 goals in over 200 appearances.
He signed for Rovers in the mid-90's, when Rovers signed many players, but left the club without making a first team appearance.

Whilst accepting that Rovers' victory was "very special", Rovers defender still considers that his New Zealand international debut in June 2002 was the pinnacle of his career so far. He said: "Beating Villa was very special, of course. We thoroughly deserved it and don't forget about the players they had on the field. Milan Baros cost £6.5m and Juan Pablo Angel nearly £10m, so that puts the result into perspective."
"The pinnacle so far was making my New Zealand debut in June 2002 against the China Olympic squad. That was a very proud moment and it's something I'll never forget. I just wish the All Whites could play more often, although I believe Ricki Herbert is going to try and sort something out soon.

Former Rovers midfielder and skipper Gary Brabin is the latest name to be linked with the vacancy as manager at UniBond Northern club Barrow. Rumours in footballing circles suggest that Brabin is interested in the position. Based in the north-west, Brabin started the season at Conference side Halifax Town, but was handed a "long ban" by the FA in October. As well as Rovers, "Sumo" has also played for Runcorn, Boston United, Chester City, Bury, Hull and Blackpool, as well as being a semi-professional England international.

With Rovers on the back foot for much of Saturday's away game at Milton Keynes Dons, it is perhaps no surprise that three of the top four players in the voting were defenders. Goalkeeper Jan Budtz was the clear leader, with almost a third of the votes. With nine players receiving nominations, the leading votes were cast as follows:
1 Jan Budtz (31.82%)
2 Steve Roberts (18.18%)
3 Nick Fenton, Paul Heffernan (13.64% each)
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. The next poll will open following Saturday's home game against Swansea City.

Doncaster Rovers' defender Dave Mulligan has won the voting on TheFA.com web site to find the "Player of the Round" for his performance at Boston United. In a keen contest, which saw the FA having to discount thousands of multiple votes, Mulligan finished the voting on 33% of the votes, with Chester's Ryan Lowe on 22%, and former Rover Richie Barker on 21%.
Dave wins the guarantee of attending the FA Cup final at the end of the season, along with £1,000 of football kit for a local school of his choice.

Exeter City manager Alex Inglethorpe is keen to sign former Rovers midfielder John McGrath, who has recently left Irish Premier club Limerick, his hometown. Inglethorpe tried to sign the player in the summer, but had no money left in his budget to finance the deal, but now says: "He wants to join Exeter City, which says a lot about him and a lot about the club. He can't sign for anyone during December and we will keep a close eye on the situation. I have kept in touch with John and to his credit he turned down Weymouth and York."

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Tristram Whitman is keen to extend his stay at Conference National side Crawley Town after doing well in his first few matches at the club, which has coincided with the club starting to pull away from the relegation places. He scored a valuable draw at in-form Halifax Town on Saturday, earning new boss John Hollins his first point in charge.

All tickets for Rovers' home game against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup have now been sold. The remaining 1,600 tickets went on general sale yesterday morning, and sold out by the time the ticket office closed shortly after 2pm. Some fans began queuing the previous evening - with the line of fans having a maximum length of approximately 1,500.
Due to the Rovers imposing the condition that you had to buy a Swansea ticket if you wanted to buy an Arsenal ticket, this Saturday's home game against Swansea is almost a sell-out for Rovers fans - there are only about 100 tickets left this morning.

Doncaster Rovers' boss Dave Penney praised the commitment of his players during Saturday's 3-2 win against MK Dons after they were outplayed for long periods in the match. He said: "It's nice to get back to winning ways. It wasn't pretty and we had to dig in, but it's a big win. We made a great start from two set-pieces and that's always pleasing when you work on them all week in training. The Dons threw everything at us and dominated but I'll settle for that. To win 3-2 away from home and not create many chances is okay for me. Ugly performances sometimes count and I can't complain. It sets us up nicely for the match against Swansea next week. Swansea are flying at the top of the table and it's my old club. It should be a great game."

We begin this week's review of the weekend action in League Two, with Kevin Sandwith opening the scoring for Macclesfield in their game at Cheltenham. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Dropping into the Nationwide Conference, Steve Burton scored twice for Crawley Town as they won 3-0 at home to Tamworth, which was their first victory since ex-Chelsea player John Hollins became their manager. The victory moves Crawley out of the relegation places - but leaves Tamworth deep in trouble in 20th place.
One level further down in Conference North, Neil Grayson hit leaders Stafford Rangers' second goal as they won 2-0 at Harrogate Town, Brian Quailey scored the only goal of the game as Nuneaton Borough won at Hinckley United, and finally Glenn Kirkwood scored Worksop Town's equaliser as they drew 1-1 at Worcester.

The Rovers' youth team registered another good win on Saturday morning when they faced Notts Coutny at Cantley Park. They won the game 2-1, with a goal in each half, scored by Lee and Walton.
The Rovers side was: Cockerham, Ireland, L Green, Matthews, Pacey, A Green, Brown, Griffith, Lee, M Walton, Flint
Substitutes: Snodin, Brittain, Sutton, Alonso, Guilliatt

Doncaster Rovers are being linked with Lincoln City's Northern Ireland international defender Gareth McAuley, who is out of contract at the end of the season. Imps manager Keith Alexander commented: "We have been trying to get discussions going with him and his people. They have decided they don't want to talk to us because it is obvious he has been tapped by other people. He has played for the Irish national team they want to wait and see what other offers he gets at the end of his contract. If that is the case we will try and move him on in the window."

Former Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Neville Southall has left his job as manager of Rymans League side Hastings Town. Southall has been in charge at Pilot Field for almost twelve months, and leaves his side in eighth place in the table - a three place improvement on their final position last season. It is understood that the reason for Southall's departure is a breakdown of the working relationship with chairman Dave Walters, with the two having disagreed on an increasing number of issues. Along with Southall, assistant manager Vince Moorton and reserve team manager Alan Green have also resigned.

The remaining tickets for the Carling Cup tie against Arsenal a week on Wednesday will go on general sale this morning. The queue of season ticket holders stretched back to ASDA at times last week, with it taking over four hours to be served from joining the queue.
It is not known how many tickets remain unsold - but one of the conditions of buying an Arsenal ticket is that you buy a ticket for Saturday's home game against Swansea City.

Former Doncaster Rovers midfielder Mark Wilson has signed for FC Dallas, who play in the Western Conference in the MLS. Wilson, 26, played for Rovers on loan from Middlesbrough - he began his career at Manchester United, befroe further loan moves to Wrexham, Stoke City, Swansea City, Sheffield Wednesday and Livingston.

Doncaster Rovers will be without defender David Mulligan, who has failed to recover from a knock received during Tuesday night's defeat at Gillingham. Michael McIndoe is also a doubt for the game, but some reports suggest that he has trained this week and is available for selection.
Goalkeeper Jan Budtz has recovered from the knock picked up during the Gillingham game, and is expected to play this afternoon.
Other than the above, we expect it to be a very similar squad named for today's game to that which played on Tuesday.

Dons midfielder Wade Small and striker Clive Platt are doubtful after picking up ankle injuries, but Milton Keynes could be boosted by news that on-loan defender Pablo Mills is available after missing out on their midweek draw with Huddersfield Town. There is little other team news available, and we also expect that MK Dons will name a very similar squad to that named for their midweek game.

Former Rovers youth team striker Michael Rankine has been released by Scunthorpe United, and has gone on trials to Lincoln City. The young striker would have been out of contract at the end of this month, but he has failed to break into the first team this season. He joined Barrow when released by Rovers, but impressed Scunthorpe after going on loan for a while - although he has since spent two loan spells back at Barrow this season.
The 20-year old is training with the Imps as Keith Alexander looks to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.

Yesterday marked the first day of tickets being on sale for the forthcoming Carling Cup quarter final against Arsenal, with season ticket holders queuing for up to four hours to get their tickets. Tickets are on sale to season ticket holders for today and tomorrow - the ticket office at Belle Vue will be open until 7pm this evening, and from 9am to 2pm on Saturday.
Please note that the availability of tickets is guaranteed to season ticket holders - as is the ability to buy an extra Arsenal ticket (as long as you buy a Swansea ticket at the same time), so you will be able to buy your ticket at any time until the ticket office closes on Saturday.
We would also remind fans that instead of queuing, you can order tickets by telephone on 0845 4506250.
With approximately 3,200 season ticket holders, and an allocation of 2,500 to Arsenal, if the maximum number of extra tickets were purchased by season ticket holders, there will be approximately 1,600 tickets available to go on open sale on Sunday.

Rovers manager Dave Penney accepted that his Rovers side had been below-par for their midweek away game at Gillingham. With a hectic fixture schedule, the Rovers boss felt that fatigue played a part in their downfall - combined with Gillingham having a ten day break before the game. Penney said: "It was a little bit harsh to play Sunday and Tuesday and Gillingham have had 10 days off, and naturally at times that showed. But we had a host of chances in the first half and Lewis Guy really should have taken one. It is a disappointing result and we weren't as ruthless as we've been in recent weeks - maybe we weren't as sharp as usual. But I can't be harsh on the lads. If we'd got the goal we would have had a spring in our step and I'm in no doubt we'd have gone on to win."

Doncaster Rovers Belles are hoping a festive flavour will draw in the Christmas crowds for their FA Nationwide Women’s Premier League Cup Semi-Final clash against Charlton Athletic at Earth Stadium, Belle Vue on Sunday (11th December).
Belles are pulling out all the stops to make Sunday’s game, which kick’s off at 1.00pm, a real crowd pleaser, with a host of festive entertainment set to accompany the main action on the pitch. Families will be well catered for with free entry for all children under 16 and adults tickets at just £2. Donny the Dog and the Vikettes will help to lift the spirits and there is even a special visit from Santa Claus.
Doncaster will have to overcome the league leaders Charlton, however, if they are to book a spot in the final and a showdown against either Arsenal or Everton, who play in the other semi-final this weekend.
Belles manager, John Buckley, will have an almost full strength squad to choose from, although doubts still hang over Vanessa Leek (left midfield/defender) and Kelly Bevan (defender), who are both struggling with ligament trouble.
Buckley, said: “We are hoping for a big crowd at Belle Vue to help cheer us on to the final. We’ve got lots of festive entertainment lined up for all the spectators and I’d urge all of Doncaster’s football fans to forget about the Christmas shopping for one afternoon and bring their families down to Belle Vue.
“Charlton are a great side and we know what they are capable of but Belle Vue is a difficult place to come and perform and you don’t get a second chance in cup football,” added, Buckley. “With a good crowd behind us we could really create an upset and book ourselves a spot in the final.”
Tickets for the match are priced at just £2.00 for adults and children under 16 get in free.

Doncaster Rovers' defender Dave Mulligan is in the running to become the "FA Cup player of the round" for his two magnificent free kicks in the game against Boston United on Sunday. The vote is being run on the FA's web site - www.TheFA.com, with the voting closing at 9am on Monday, December 12th.
Why not visit the web site and do your bit to win the vote for Dave?
If he receives the most votes, he will also win £1,000 worth of UMBRO football kit for a local school, club or organisation of his choice. the winner will become the sixth player to join The FA's Team of The FA Cup, guaranteeing him VIP attendance at the 125th FA Cup final at the new Wembley stadium, on May 13 2006. He would also be guaranteed the chance-of-a-lifetime introduction to The FA Cup final crowd, pitch side at half time.
Sir Trevor Brooking, The FA's Director of Football Development, said: "Dave thoroughly deserves to be nominated for The FA Cup Player of the Round award after his two stunning free kicks helped to maintain Doncaster's cup winning ways.
To take part in the voting, just click on the FA Cup logo to the left.

After a suggestion from several Rovers fans, a focus group has been set up to develop some ideas which potentially will benefit the Rovers' administration and marketing. An initial meeting will be held at the Rovers' Return tomorrow evening, Friday 9th December, starting at 7.30pm. Following this meeting, a smaller group of five fans will be selected, and they will visit John at his home in Cheshire to discuss the findings on behalf of the whole group.
A number of fans have expressed an interest in joining the group, but if any other fans are interested they are welcome to do so. For anyone who is unable to attend the meeting, you can send your suggestions to Mark Button, a public relations and marketing expert, who will compile the ideas for discussion at the meeting. His email address is mark@positio.com.
This is a great opportunity for your ideas to be heard - please make the most of it!

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Martin Paul may be forced to ask for a move if his first team opportunities at Southern League Premier Division club Bath City continue to be limited under new manager John Relish. Paul has become the first player for a considerable time to reach the 100 goal mark for the club, but has started just one game so far this season. He did miss pre-season with a calf injury, but feels he has not been given a fair chance to win a place in the side since then.
He said: "If the three in front of me were scoring loads of league goals I could understand it a bit more, but the statistics speak for themselves. I'm fourth choice at the moment and that is absolutely fine. It's John and Adie's Britton prerogative and, after all, they inherited me from Gary Owers. But, at 30, you just want to play football and, if I can't play it at Bath City, I would probably look to play elsewhere. I wouldn't hold the club to ransom."
Interestingly, Bath's manager stated: "Martin Paul is not for sale. His injury meant he didn't really have a pre-season and he's been unlucky. He is a proven goalscorer and I've got four good strikers. I'd like to keep them all happy, but know I can't."

Just days after the news that former Rovers winger Ian Miller had left Blackpool along with boss Colin Hendry, comes news that Miller has a new job. He has been appointed as assistant manager at League Two club Bury, and has started his new job with immediate effect. Bury boss Chris Casper said:"I'm delighted that Ian has agreed to join me. I'm looking forward to working with him."
Miller is a former Bury player, having played for the club in the 1973/74 season - he played at Rovers for three seasons, making over 120 appearances between 1975 and 1978.

Despite second half pressure which saw Jonathan Forte's deflected shot hit the woodwork, Rovers went down to a 1-0 defeat against Gillingham. On a ground where Rovers have a very poor record, Gillingham went in front in the 18th minute when Flynn fired home with a powerful shot after Ravenhill had blocked a shot by Harris. Rovers' cause was not helped a little earlier when Mulligan was injured, with the home side exploiting his lack of mobility in the build-up to the goal. With Michael McIndoe missing with an ankle injury, Rovers brought in Sean McDaid on the left of midfield, with Mulligan retaining his place at left back.
However, it was a much poorer Rovers performance than has been seen in recent matches - perhaps the result of having played against Aston Villa last week and Boston on Sunday, whereas Gillingham have had a ten day break.

With the change of the Swansea City fixture from Sunday to Saturday 17th December, the Junior Rovers party has had to be moved to Sunday 18th December. They have asked us to let you know of the following details:
Sunday 18th December
11am – 2pm
The Rovers Return Social Club
Warm clothing and trainers required
Raffle prizes very welcome
No food donations – thank you
RSVP by post or email only to the below address:
Junior Rovers, 26 Vine Road, Tickhill, Doncaster, DN11 9EP - or by email to martin@jillmartin4.wanadoo.co.uk

The Viking Supporters' Co-operative's Coin Trail edged up by £66.21 at Sunday's away game at Boston United, which takes the new total to £41,398.04.

Dave Mulligan was the clear winner of the latest "Man of the Match" voting for the away game in the FA Cup at Boston United, winning almost three quarters of all the votes cast. With seven players nominated, the leading votes were cast as follows:
1 Dave Mulligan (73.61%)
2 Sean Thornton (11.11%)
3 Lewis Guy (5.56%)
Thank you to everyone who took part. The next vote, for the away game at Gillingham, is now open.

The reserves' Pontins Holidays League game due to be played against Sheffield United on 13th December has been postponed, and will now be played on March 1st 2006, kick-off 7pm.
The youth team game that was due to be played on Saturday on December 3rd has been postponed, but no new date has yet been arranged.

It has been announced that the quarter final of the Carling Cup against Arsenal will be played on Wednesday, 21st December. Rovers have now announced details of ticket sales for the game.
Season tickets can buy one ticket per season ticket book. They can buy an extra Arsenal match ticket, but that must be bought in conjuction with buying a Swansea City match ticket. Tickets go on sale to season ticket holders on Thursday morning.
For general sales, Arsenal match tickets must be bought with Swansea tickets as a package, with only one ticket package per person. Tickets for the Arsenal match will go on general sale on Sunday, 11th December at 10am.
Both games are "category A", with the following prices applying:
Seating: Adults £18.00, Concessoins £12.00
Standing: Adults £15.00, Concessions £8.00
Ticket office opening times:
Season ticket holders:
Thursday 8th December - 10am to 7pm
Friday 9th December - 10am to 7pm
Saturday 10th December - 9am to 2pm
General sale:
Sunday 11th December - 10am to 4pm
Monday 12th December - 10am to 4pm

Doncaster Rovers look set to name a virtually unchanged side for this evening's away game at Gillingham, although Dave Penney has confirmed that he will look at his squad today for injuries following Sunday's FA Cup game at Boston United. He said: "I have a big squad, which allows me to change things if I feel it needs it after the weekend".
Jan Budtz is likely to continue in goal, with on-loan Dino Seremet having to settle for a place on the bench, as will young on-loan defender Sam Oji. Jonathan Forte may return to the squad after being refused permission to play in the FA Cup game by his club, Sheffield United.

Gillingham have a number of injury worries ahead of their game against Rovers this evening. Definitely missing the game are Chris Hope, Brent Sancho, Steve Hislop, Alan Pouton and Paul Shields with injuries, but loan signing Mark Corneille is available to play.
Striker Darren Byfield is also very unlikely to play after a reoccurrence of his knee injury in their last game against Colchester United.

Boston United boss Steve Evans conceded that his side were deservedly eliminated from the FA Cup by Doncaster Rovers on Sunday, saying: "We've got no complaints about the result. Over the 90 minutes Doncaster proved what we already knew – that they are a good side.It's disappointing to have lost and perhaps we might have given ourselves some sort of shout if we had taken one or two of the chances which came our way in the second-half. But we were beaten by a better team, it's as simple as that."''

Doncaster Rovers progressed safely through to the third round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory at York Street this afternoon. Both the Rovers goals were scored by Dave Mulligan, and both were scored direct from free kicks. The first came in the 29th minute after James Coppinger had been fouled 25 yards from goal. The second followed in the second half when Mulligan curled the ball over Boston's defensive wall from 20 yards.
Former Rover Ben Futcher pulled back a late consolation goal deep into injury time.
The "Man of the Match" voting has now closed. Thank you to everyone who voted. The result will be published on Wednesday morning.

Doncaster Rovers have half-season tickets on sale now, which will begin with the Brentford match just after Christmas. Whilst cup matches are not included in your season ticket, cup tickets will go on sale to season ticket holders first - so this is the way to guarantee your ticket for the visit of Premiership club Arsenal in the week before Christmas.
Half season tickets are on sale now at the Rovers ticket office at Belle Vue - prices are as follows:
Seating: Adults £165, Concessions £85
Standing: Adults £135, Concessions £65
Further ticket information for the Arsenal fixture will be announced on this web site as soon as possible - we published all the information currently available on the web site on Saturday afternoon.

Doncaster Rovers have reported that someone took one of the corner flags after the Aston Villa game last Tuesday. Rovers urgently need its return, as it is needed for the next home match. If anyone has any information as to its whereabouts, please let us know.

Following last week's confirmation that Colin Hendry has left Blackpool, it now emerges that his assistant, former Rovers winger Ian Miller, who was the first team coach, has also left the club. Hendry was removed from his post two weeks ago, with senior player Simon Grayson taking charge for their home game against Scunthorpe, but an agreement has now been confirmed between the club and Hendry.

Former Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Stuart Jones has signed for Southern Premier League club Mangotsfield United after recovering from an ankle injury. The 28-year old keeper, who left Rovers in the summer, started the season with Conference side Accrington Stanley, but played just two games before an ankle injury led to him misisng a number of games, and to his departure from the club.
His previous clubs include Weston-super-Mare (twice, Sheffield Wednesday, Torquay United, Barry Town and Chester City.

Unsurprisingly, Rovers were drawn away in the third round of the FA Cup this afternoon. In the last four years, all but one FA Cup tie has been away from home, with the home game against Blackpool earlier this season being the only exception. Rovers will travel to the winners of the Port Vale v Bristol Rovers replay, with the third round due to be played on Saturday, 7th January. Whilst the draw is not against one of the "big" clubs, Rovers fans may view the draw as a realistic chance of reaching the fourth round for the first time since 1985, when a third round victory over Queens Park Rangers earned Rovers a trip to Everton in the fourth round. It is also the first time since the 1984/85 season that Rovers have reached the third round!

Dave Penney is set to name an unchanged side from Tuesday's Carling Cup match for this afternoon's FA Cup second round match at Boston United. Left back Sean McDaid is fit again after an ankle injury kept him out of the Aston Villa game, but Dave Mulligan will keep his place in the side. Jan Budtz will again have to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench, with on-loan Dino Seremet cleared to play in the match by Luton Town. However, Jonathan Forte will definitely not feature in today's match after Sheffield United refused permission as they do not want him to be cup-tied.
Rovers expect to be up against a determined opposition this afternoon as the League Two side will want to prove themselves against Rovers. Penney said: "I'm sure all the Boston players also watched the game on television and they will be up for it. We've got the players to compete with Boston."
Please remember that the match is all-ticket, so do not travel if you have not already bought a ticket. The match will be broadcast "live" on BBC Radio Sheffield, and the game begins at 2pm.
The draw for the third round will be made later this afternoon and it will be covered live on the BBC, Sky Sports and Radio Five Live.

On-loan goalkeeper Michel Kuipers will be missing for Boston this afternoonn, as Brighton & Hove Albion have denied permission for him to play in FA Cup matches. This means that Boston will hand teenage goalkeeper Chris Wright his first team debut. Boston will also be without on-loan striker Francis Green, who is ineligible, Simon Rusk is serving a suspension. Noel Whelan, who has missed a number of games recently with a hernia, could return for today's match.
With the above absences, boss Steve Evans will name the rest of his first team squad for duty this afternoon. He said: "Sunday is all about the players we have available and the huge task we face. I need us to come out of the trenches fighting and we need to turn this into a full old-fashioned cup tie. We all know that to progress will be very difficult, given the quality Doncaster Rovers have in their squad but it's the FA Cup and to a degree, that competition does produce the unexpected. As long as my boys give us everything they have in terms of effort and commitment, I cannot ask for any more."

Former Rovers striker Brian Quailey earned Nuneaton Borough an FA Cup replay yesterday afternoon as he equalised from the penalty spot in the 51st minute to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Histon. The FA Cup match between Mansfield Town and Grays Athletic on Friday evening saw a brace of goals by ex-Rover Richie Barker, as the League Two side sink Conference club Grays Athletic 3-0 to progress through to the second round.
Back in league action the Nationwide Conference game at the Shay between Halifax and Crawley Town witnessed a late equaliser by Tristram Whitman earn a rather undeserved draw for Crawley, with his shot from close range coming just nine minutes from the end of the game.
In the Conference North, ex-Rovers youth team player Scott Willis scored for Vauxhall Motors as they went down 2-1 at Moor Green, and Neil Grayson hit Stafford Rangers' third goal as they won 3-0 at home against Gainsborough Trinity.
On-loan Rovers player Craig Nelthorpe scored twice in Hucknall Town's 4-0 home win over strugglers Redditch United.
Finally, in Scotland, Colin Cramb scored again. This time he got Stenhousemuir's second goal as they impressively won 2-0 against previous Division Three leaders Berwick, after setting up the first goal for Craig Coyle in the first half. The win puts Stenhousemuir top of the league table, albeit only on goal difference.

Season ticket holders will be entitled to one ticket for themselves, plus a second ticket which they can buy only in conjunction with a Swansea ticket. When season ticket sales are over, general sales will require the purchase of both the Arsenal and Swansea tickets as a package.
Half season tickets purchased in time will entitle the holder to the same deal as full season tickets.
There will be NO price rises, normal Category "A" will apply.
Sponsorships packages such as unallocated executive boxes, will, however, double. This price policy rewards loyalty for both regular fans and regular box holders, whose fixed annual price will include this match.
The date of the tie and of ticket sales will be announced as soon as they are known.

Rovers' incredible luck in getting home draws in the Carling Cup continued this morning when they were drawn at home again - this time to the mighy Arsenal. The match is due to be played in the week commencing Monday, 19th December, with the final date being confirmed once Sky Sports have confirmed which matches are being broadcast "live".
The full draw for the quarter finals is:
Wigan v Bolton Wanderers
Doncaster Rovers v Arsenal
Birmingham City v Manchester Utd
Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers

The quarter finals of the Carling Cup will be drawn at approximately 12.20pm this lunchtime, joining Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal and Birmingham City in the draw. The draw may be slightly delayed due to the funeral of George Best taking place in Belfast this morning.
The Rovers Return will be open this morning, with a full recording of Tuesday's victory over Aston Villa being shown, as well as the draw. Sky Sports will be filming at the Rovers Return to capture the reaction of the Rovers fans to whoever we are drawn against.

Doncaster Rovers were awarded the "Performance of the Week" award this week for their victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday. The award is voted for by the League Managers Association, with the panel comprising Howard Wilkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Dave Bassett and Barry Fry.
Rovers manager Dave Penney will be attending the Rovers Return this lunch time to receive the award just prior to the draw for the quarter finals of the Carling Cup. A number of players are also expected to attend the event.

Rovers midfielder Sean Thornton was the clear winner of the leates "man of the match" voting for the Carling Cup game against Aston Villa on Tuesday evening. Thornton won his third vote of the season - with two of those coming in the last three matches - with well over half of the votes cast. With the highest number of votes received so far this season, marginally ahead of the Manchester City game, nine players received nominations, with the leading votes being cast as follows:
1 Sean Thornton (57.14%
2 Michael McIndoe (21.43%)
3 Paul Heffernan (5.19%)
3 Dave Mulligan (5.19%)
Thank you to everyone who took part. The next vote will open on Sunday evening following the FA Cup game at Boston United.

Swansea City's official web site has announced that the Rovers v Swansea game, originally scheduled for Saturday, 17th December, but then moved back to Sunday, 18th December, has now been moved back to Saturday, 17th December. The match will now kick-off at 3pm. The latest change to this fixture has been caused by Rovers' continued involvement in the Carling Cup, with the next round being scheduled for the week commencing Monday, 19th December.
The draw for the quarter-finals will be made tomorrow, Saturday 3rd December at approximately 12.20pm.

The Rovers Return will be open on Saturday for the live coverage of the Carling Cup Fifth Round draw. Prior to the draw, we will also be showing the full Aston Villa match recording to relive those great moments and build up the tension as we go into the hat, with seven Premiership clubs, as the only representatives of the entire Football League.
Sky TV are coming to film fans' reaction live as we see which big club we have got! Please do your best to attend instead of watching at home or in the pub, as we want the viewing millions to see a big turnout!.
Doors open at 11.00 am, and the match replay will start soon after. The timing of the draw remains uncertain as it will be delayed by George Best's funeral, but is expected around the 12.30 to 1.00 pm time, and is guaranteed to be completed by 1.30 pm. This may work well, as it could allow us to complete the showing of the Villa game before the draw coverage commences.
So why not come on down, and live the moment as Rovers remarkable Carling Cup run takes us into the Quarter Final pot for the first time in 30 years!

Dave Penney enthused over Rovers' superb performance in the Carling Cup on Tuesday evening , which gave the capacity crowd the best performance by a Rovers side in many years. Whilst enjoying the spotlight, he commented:"We had all the elements for us. It was frosty and cold and it made for a great atmosphere and it's fantastic for us to get into the last eight. It doesn't get anywhere near when we got back in the Football League but it is up there. We caused them a lot of problems, we stopped them playing and we passed it well and to keep a clean sheet against a Premiership side is excellent."
Of the draw on Saturday, the answer was: "I'm not bothered whether we get another big home match or whether this time we get a trip to a big team elsewhere."

Aston Villa manager David O'Leary will not quit after their humiliating Carling Cup defeat at Belle Vue on Tuesday, although he did confirm that he takes full responsibility for the result. He said: "I am ashamed about the other night. I take full responsibility for what happened. It was my fault. The buck stops with me. I was ashamed of what happened in the 90 minutes and the same applies to my players. I pick the team. I am responsible for results. I can't quite understand what happened on Tuesday. Some of the team didn't have the same hunger for success that I have. It was a competition we had a chance of winning but we were a mere shadow of ourselves."
Bookmakers William Hill have made O'Leary the next manager to be sacked, with odds of 2-1.

Please remember that Rovers' FA Cup second round game at Boston United is all ticket. Tickets are on sale now from the Belle Vue ticket office - whilst the Rovers Return and the club shop is open tomorrow for the Carling Cup draw, the ticket office will not be open. Tickets will be on sale today between 10am and 4pm.
Tickets will not be on sale on the day of the game, and fans are urged not to travel if they do not have a ticket.

With a 100% success rate in their League One matches in November, Rovers manager Dave Penney was awarded the Coca Cola League One "Manager of the Month" for November. During November, Rovers won at Oldham, followed by home victories against Bristol City and Bournemouth. The only blemish on the copy book was the unexpected LDV Vans Trophy defeat at Cambridge United.
Making the award, Chris Kamara, chairman of the Awards committee, said:"Doncaster have enjoyed a tremendous month in League 1. Their unbeaten run has really pushed them up the league and they are now within striking distance of the Play-Off places. Dave is developing into a superb manager and his club are going from strength-to-strength."

Following on from Tuesday's great performance and result by the team on Tuesday evening, it was made even better with news that another £610.40 was raised by the Viking Supporters' Co-operative for their "Coin Trail", which is raising money towards the cost of running the Rovers' youth team set-up. This means that the running total has now reached £41,331.83 - about £1,300 raised in the last week!

Despite a first team game only the evening before, Rovers' reserves were back in action yesterday afternoon in a rearranged game with Grimsby Town. Rovers took an early lead, with Jonathan Forte scoring after just two minutes. Forte scored a second in the 28th minute. Grimsby had a set back six minutes before the break when Downey was sent off for a foul on Offiong when he was harshly deemed to have been the last man.
Two further Rovers goals followed in the second half, with Neil Roberts and Leo Fortune-West scoring for Rovers.
Rovers: Tonny Nielsen, Adam Hughes, Robert Pacey, Mark Albrighton, Liam Green, Richard Offiong, Uros Predic, Anthony Griffith, Jonathan Forte, Neil Roberts, Leo Fortune-West
Substitutes: Adam Green (for Pacey, 46), Ian Snodin (for Griffith, 70), Adam Lee (for Predic, 75), Lee Cockerham

The Retford branch of the Rovers' Supporters Club are holding a Karaoke night in the Rovers Return this evening, with the doors opening at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome - there will be a small charge of £1.00, but this will include a buffet.

Former Rovers striker Ben Jackson has been reported to have been on a two week trial with Scottish Premier club Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He is currently regaining his fitness after an operation on an ankle injury sustained whilst he was on trials at Halifax Town earlier in the season. He took part in Thistle's reserve team game against Kilmarnock, scoring two of their three goals in a 3-0 win.

Channel 4 TV are looking for families who are passionate about football. If you’re one of Doncaster’s most loyal supporters, if football runs in your veins and you’ve got kids living at home, then they want to hear from you. If you're interested, contact Helen on 020 7013 4280 or email helen.richards@rdfmedia.com