Doncaster Rovers' youth team progressed into the second round of the FA Youth Cup with a comfortable victory over the Bolton-based Daisy Hill. However, their passage into the next round was aided by the home side having two players sent off in the second half - the first when a defender handled the ball on the line, followed in the 56th minute when Farrell was sent off for a second bookable offence.
The Rovers goals were scored by Bythway (3) and Matthews, and the team go on to play against Carlisle United next Tuesday in the second round.

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Tarkan Mustafa has joined Ryman League Premier Division side Billericay Town on a month's loan from Aldershot after struggling to hold down a regular place in the Shots' starting eleven this season. Mustafa, who has also played for Hornchurch, Kingstonian, Kettering Town and Rushden & Diamonds, played five games for Rovers in the 2002/03 season whilst on loan from Rushden. He was offered a full transfer by Rovers, but elected to join Dagenham & Redbridge instead, and ended the season by facing Rovers in the Conference play-off final at Stoke.

Rovers have opened a new club shop in Doncaster's town centre. It is located on Priory Walk, in the new building currently under construction near the Wetherspoons pub. It is reported to carry a full range of stock, and Rovers hope the new location will prove more accessible to Rovers fans in the run-up to Christmas.

Rovers grabbed a valuable three points this afternoon, with the only goal of the game coming from the penalty spot. Lewis Guy was brought down in the penalty area by Latics defender Terrell Forbes, and Michael McIndoe confidently scored from the penalty.
The Oldham goalkeeper had previously made good saves to deny Simon Marples and McIndoe.
The "Man of the Match" voting has now closed. Thank you to everyone who voted. The result will be announced as soon as possible.

We begin this week's review of goals scored by former Rovers players in League One, where Adebayo Akinfenwa scored Swansea's second goal as they won 2-1 at Southend United, a result that takess Swansea back to the top of the league table. We also notice that former Rovers midfielder Ben Muirhead was sent off at the weekend for a second bookable offence.
Dropping down into the Conference, Guy Ipoua scored Hereford United's last goal as they defeated Woking 4-0 at home.
The Nationwide North saw former Rovers youth team player Michael Rankine score Barrow's goal as they lost 2-1 at Worksop Town. Former Rovers striker Robert Gill score Hucknall Town's opening goal as Dean Barrick's men registered a 4-1 home win over Gainsborough Trinity, a result which lifts Hucknall into fourth place.
Finally, north of the border, Colin Cramb scored Stenhousemuir's third goal as they won 3-2 at East Fife, which keeps them in second place in the Scottish Third Division, four points behind leaders Berwick with a game in hand.

Ex-Rovers striker Tristram Whitman has joined Conference side Crawley Town on a two-month loan, after being expected to join Altrincham last week. Despite scoring eleven goals last season, Whitman has fallen down the pecking order at Tamworth this season.

Dave Penney feels that the threat of not playing against Aston Villa at the end of the month in the Carling Cup clash could concentrate the minds of his players to improve their League One form. Whilst claiming that they are not looking ahead to the Villa game, he said: "We are trying to make sure the Villa game is not at the forefront of people's minds. They must focus on each individual game. If they don't, or don't perform, it's simple - they won't be playing against Villa."

Dave Penney is likely to stick to the team that beat Blackpool so convincingly last Sunday. Phil McGuire and Simon Marples are fit again and are available for selection. Steve Roberts and Sean Thornton will have fitness tests today. The partnership of Lewis Guy and Paul Heffernan that has helped Rovers score six goals in their last 100 minutes together is set to continue.

For Oldham, keeper Chris Day faces a late fitness test.

Rovers youth team beat Hartlepool 5-0 yesterday. The goals were scored by Craig Nelthorpe (pictured), Adam Green, Adam Lee, Anthony Griffith and Luke Bythway.

Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote is lining up a list of potential new arrivals to bolster his squad.
The Moss Lane boss has expressed an interest in Tamworth striker Tristram Whitman, 25.He has also had talks with another former Rover, Warren Peyton.

Sean Thornton is a doubt for the game against Oldham tomorrow. he picked up a groin strain in midweek and is rated at 50/50 for the game. Less promising are the chances of defender Steve Roberts who has been suffering with a virus. If he doesn't make it, Dave Penney is likely to stick with the defensive partnership of Nick Fenton alongside captain Steve Foster.

Young striker Ben Saunders has had his loan spell at Worksop Town extended for another month according to the Worksop Town official site.

Bad news if you haven't got a ticket for the Carling Cup game later this month at Belle Vue, but great news for Rovers. The club have completely sold out all their allocation for the game. There is no indication so far on whether Villa have sold their tickets.

Tickets for this Sunday's game against Oldham are available in advance from Belle Vue or on the day at Oldham. The tickets are £1 cheaper if bought in advance

Prices
Adult: £21 (£22 on day)
Senior: £11 (65+) (£12 on day)
U16: £11 £(12 on day)
U12: £3 (£4 on day)

John Ryan has told Dave Penney that more money will be made available to him for players if Penney feels that they are required in the January transfer window. He told the Doncaster Star that they are looking at a player now and that they will assess the situation when the window re-opens.

Goalkeeper Stuart Jones, who appeared for Rovers last season, has signed for Southern League Premier Division club Mangotsfield United. Jones signed for Accrington Stanley during the summer but has been troubled by an ankle injury that has restricted the number of games that he has been available for.

Despite a lower than usual crowd, the Viking Supporters Co-operative have reported that they raised a total of £359.55 for their "Coin Trail Appeal", with almost £190 raised in the Viking Bar, the remainder inside the ground. They are now 0.8km along the 2km trail which links Belle Vue with the new Community Stadium, with all money raised being contributed to the cost of running the Rovers youth team.

Rovers chairman John Ryan has insisted that his priority for this season is success in League One, with promotion to the Championship remaining his goal for the campaign. He said: "The cup games have been great and the gates have also been very beneficial - although it's a pity gates weren't higher in the league. The league is the most important thing this season and promotion is very much the aim. We are only seven points off the play-offs and the fine-line nature of the division means we are very much still in the hunt."
Intriguingly, he also hinted that he would back further signings in the transfer window to achieve that aim, saying: "You never say never in this game, and we'll just have to see how we're doing around the turn of the New Year. But we need to start becoming more consistent in the league, that's for certain."

As often reflects a healthy victory, the number of people voting in the "Man of the Match" was higher than of late, for which we thank everyone who took part. Rovers winger Michael McIndoe ended up being the clear winner, with a little over 40% of all votes cast. With nine Rovers players receiving nominations, the players receiving the most votes were:
1 Michael McIndoe (41.49%)
2 Sean McDaid (23.91%)
3 Paul Heffernan (13.10%)
Thank you to everyone who voted. The next voting will open on Sunday evening following the away game at Oldham Athletic.

Everton goalkeeper Iain Turner has joined Wycombe Wanderers on a month's loan. Turner, who spent the latter part of last season on loan at Belle Vue deputising for Andy Warrington, who was suffering from a hernia at the time, will stay at the Causeway until 10th December. He also spent time at Chester City on loan last season, which earned him a new long-term contract at Goodison Park.

Jonathon Forte, who Rovers had on loan earlier this season, and are expected to get back again shortly, scored four for Sheffield United reserves on Monday night. the Blades beat Darlington 10-1 and Forte was substituted after 65 minutes having jsut scored his fourth. Carlisle's official site reported that they had enquired about taking Forte on a month's loan, but were told that he was probably going to a Championship club by Neil Warnock.

Steve Roberts has been told to keep away from the rest of the Rovers playing staff by coach Mickey Walker. Welsh international, Roberts missed the game last Sunday with a cold virus and the coaching staff are worried that he could pass it on to his fellow players. However he is expected back in order to come into content6ion for the game at Oldham this Sunday. Simon Marples who also missed the game was expected to train with the first team again today.

Former Rovers, Sheffield United, Leeds and Benfica striker Brian Deane has announced that he has terminated his contract with Australian side, Perth Glory. He damaged a hamstring in a game against Melbourne Victory on October 23rd and hasn't played since.

Having been the victim of a cruel piece of journalism in the new publication "The League Paper" on Sunday, John Ryan has explained via supporters director Andy Liney the comment he was said to have made in the article. He said that in discussions with the journalist Colin Mafham he was asked about the forthcoming cup tie with Aston Villa. He expressed his disappointment that the league form had not matched that shown in the various cups by Rovers this season. There was reference to the point that if changes had to be made that the club would do them in order to turn the situation around with regards the league form. He wishes to point out that he doesn't expect any changes to be necessary and that changes would certainly not be to the management of the club.

The youth team game against Daisy Hill in the FA Youth Cup today was called off. With Rovers having called off yesterday's reserve game against Scarborough because of it the cup tie was a victim of the poor weather.

Swansea's former Rovers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa has a stress fracture of the shin. Despite the injury, he is seen as so important to the team that manager Kenny Jacket is still hoping that he will be fit for the top of the table clash with Southend this weekend

Explaining his reasoning behind the changes made for yesterday's cup game, it has emerged that Steve Roberts and Simon Marples were unavailable through injury. Dave Penney also said that he thought that Paul Green, James Coppinger, Mark Albrighton and Neil Roberts looked jaded. Penney was also keen to get captain Steve Foster back in the side as he felt that the team didn't have any leaders in the game against Tranmere. He added that he thought that the players he brought inwill be looking to stay in the side to face Oldham next Sunday.

The reserve game against Scarborough scheduled for tomorrow night has been called off. No reason has been given for this yet, and no new date for the fixture has been arranged.

Ex-Rover, Tarkan Mustafa currently at Aldershot has joined Billericay Town on a month's loan. The defender who joined Aldershot from Hornchurch has been available since 9th October. Mustafa played for Rovers in the Conference and scored for Dagenham against Rovers in the Conference play-off final.

The way that Rovers set off for this game, it was perhaps a surprise that it took until the 18th minute before they took the lead against a disappointing Blackpool side. With virtually a shot a minute for the opening ten minutes of the game, Blackpool perhaps feared the worst as some gilt-edged opportunities went without Rovers finding the net.
Two from Paul Heffernan and two penalties from Michael McIndoe in two minutes period saw Rovers home, with only a very dubious penalty decision in the very last minute of the game blotting the Rovers copybook.
The "Man of the Match has now closed. Thank you to everyone who has voted. The result will be announced on Wednesday evening.

Doncaster Rovers were handed an away draw in the second round of the FA Cup this afternoon. They will travel to the winners of the replay between Swindon Town and Boston United, with the match being played on the weekend of December 3rd.
With Swindon adrift at the bottom of League One, and Boston in ninth place in League Two, this should be seen as a "winnable" match which should see Rovers progress into round three.

The prices for admission to the Rovers' LDV Vans Trophy second round game at Cambridge United have been announced. The prices will be £10 for adults, £5 for OAP's and students, and £2 for children.
The match will be played at the Abbey Stadium on Tuesday, 22nd November, with a 7.45pm kick-off.

Whilst Dave Penney is concerned that Rovers' cup exploits may be distracting his players from their League One campaign, he will send his side out tomorrow afternoon to win the game. He said: "The lads will go out and be 100% committed, just like they are during every game. The league will always be our number one objective, but we go out to try and win every game we play and that will be no different on Sunday against Blackpool."

Former Doncaster Rovers midfielder Steve Hawes has signed for UniBond League side Stocksbridge Park Steels - the club he left to join Altrincham for in the summer. Hawes had been released by Altrincham a week ago despite being their captain and an ever-present player this season, due to budgetary problems.

The Supporters Club are running buses to the away game in the LDV Vans Trophy at Cambridge United on Tuesday, 22nd November.
Coaches will depart from Retford at 3.30pm, Bawtry 3.45pm, Hare & Tortoise 3.50pm, Punches 3.55pm, Infirmary 4.00pm, Belle Vue 4.15pm, Harworth 3.40pm, Rossington Styrrup 3.45pm
Fares will beMembers: £10.00, OAP’s: £9.00, U16’s: £8.00
Non-members: £12.00, U16’s: £10.00
The North Doncaster branch coach leaves Carcroft Club at 4.30pm, Bentley Pavillion: 4.35pm, Don Valley (Jossey Lane): 4.40pm,
Woodlands (opp. Cooplands) 4.45pm
The fare for that coach will be £9 per seat.
If you want to book a place on the coaches, please contact Len South (01302 817347), Paul Mayfield (01427 880154 or mobile 077404 53066), Warren Hanson (North Doncaster) 01302 337303 or 07787 926809.

The Supporters Club are running coaches to the forthcoming away game at Oldham Athletic, which will be played on Sunday, 13th October with a 2pm kick-off.
Coaches will leave Retford at 11.00am, Bawtry 11.15am, Hare & Tortoise 11.20am, Punches 11.25am, Doncaster Royal Infirmary 11.30am, Belle Vue 11.45am, Harworth 11.15am, Rossington Styrrup 11.10am.
The North Doncaster branch coach will leave Carcroft Club at 10.30am, Bentley Pavillion: 10.40am, Don Valley (Jossey Lane): 10.50am and
Woodlands (opp. Cooplands) 11.00am
The fares are:
Members: £9.00, OAP’s: £8.00, U16’s: £7.00
Non-members: £11.00, U16’s: £8.00
To book a place, please contact Len South (01302 817347), Paul Mayfield (01427 880154 or mobile 077404 53066), Warren Hanson (North Doncaster) 01302 337303 or 07787 926809.

Dave Penney has spoken of his frustration that Rovers have proved to be highly inconsistent in their league matches, yet are doing well in cup competitions this season, with a mouthwatering Carling Cup tie against Aston Villa later this month.
With the next match, on Sunday, being in the FA Cup, Penney has said that the players will be taking "one game at a time".
He continued: "In seasons gone by we've done well in the league but not in the cup. This year we're doing well in the cup but not so well in the league. We're getting a little bit distracted by the cup so our aim is just to take one game at a time and try and win every game we play."

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Sam Kitchen has completed a transfer from Bedlington Terriers to fellow UniBond League club Gateshead. His latest move is his third spell at the club.
Born in Germany, Kitchen joined Rovers early in 1994, making 21 starts for the club before joining Gateshead for the first time.

Ex-Rover Neil Redfearn, placed in the hot seat at Conference side Scarborough earlier in the week, has confirmed that, despite his extra duties, he will not be hanging up his boots, and will continue to play for at least the rest of this season. Approaching his 1,000th senior game,
Speaking of his new appointment, Neil said: "One of the main bonuses of the Scarborough job is that I have got Eric here as well. He has got tremendous experience, has done every job in football and is an excellent coach. With the good side we had at Barnsley he was 80% of everything that happened on the pitch with his organisation and style of play. He's also fantastic with young players, like Andy Liddell, Nicky Eaden and Dave Watson at Barnsley, and we have got good kids here who will benefit. We were together for eight years when I was club captain and he was coach and we understand each other. He knows what I want on the football side and we will rub off on each other."

Rovers have agred with Sheffield United that teenage striker Jonathan Forte will rejoin Doncaster Rovers on loan from November 22nd. The deal will run until the end of the year, which will then give Rovers the optionto sign him on loan for the rest of the season, sign him on a full transfer or allow him to return to Sheffield United.
Forte has interested a number of clubs including Boston United, but has turned down a number of moves so that he can rejoin Rovers.

Doncaster Rovers were held to a goalless draw in last night's Pontins Holiday League match against Hull City which was played at North Ferriby. Rovers defender Dave Mulligan was substituted late on in the game after suffering concussion following a clash of heads, and his condition will be assessed today.

Former Doncaster Rovers midfielder Neil Redfearn has been appointed as the new manager at Conference side Scarborough. Redfearn had been placed in temporary charge following the dismissal of Nick Henry just over a week ago, and was caretaker manager for last weekend's 2-2 draw against Aldershot.
Redfearn will be assisted by Eric Winstanley, who was, of course, in charge of the Rovers youth team last season.
Scarborough's chairman, Malcolm Reynolds, said: "We're convinced Neil is the right man for the job. Hopefully he can get us away from the bottom of the table by Christmas. We think this will be a good combination with a hungry young manager and experienced assistant coach"

Doncaster Rovers' youth team will play Daisy Hill in the first round of the FA Youth Cup, with the match due to be played on Tuesday, 8th November at 7.45pm.

Tickets for the Carling Cup tie against Aston Villa will go on sale this morning to season ticket holders, and will be on sale to season ticket holders ONLY (2 tickets per season ticket) for the remainder of this week, with the ticket office being open as follows:
Today: 10am to 4pm
Thursday: 10am to 7pm
Friday: 10am to 7pm
Saturday: 9.30am to 12 noon
Tickets then go on sale to blue voucher holders (1 ticket per voucher) on Monday (7th November), with the ticket office being open 10am to 7pm on Monday and Tuesday, and 10am to 4pm on Wednesday.
Any remaining tickets will then go on general sale from Thursday, 10th November.
Ticket prices for this game are:
Seating: Adults £18.00, Concessions £12.00
Standing: Adults £15.00, Concessions £8.00

Despite Rovers' progress in both the Carling Cup and LDV Vans Trophy, Rovers boss Dave Penney continues to insist that his priorty is success in League One. He said: "Beating Manchester City and then Gillingham was great, but the league remains our priority. It was at the start of the season and it is now. I don't want to sound like a kill-joy but, as I'm sure any manager would say, league results are what matters most."

Rovers winger Jermaine McSporran is reported to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a ruptured patella tendon, and has been given the go-ahead to step up his training schedule. His training schedule still doesn't include any work with a football, but he is expected to be back in full training within three months.
Andy Warrington continues to make good progress, and he began some work in the pool yesterday, with the prospect of doing some light running in about three weeks time.

The BBC web site has reported that Jonathan Forte and Lincoln's Francis Green have been targeted as potential loan replacements for Noel Whelan, who will be out of action for a month. Evans is reported to have enquired about Forte's availability, but the report makes no mention of any success in his enquiry.
As far as we understand the situation, this news must have surfaced before Dave Penney's comments at the weekend that Forte would be returning to Rovers in about three weeks time to continue his loan, which would then run until the end of the year. That would then give three possible options: Forte returns to Sheffield United, Rovers extend the loan for the rest of the season, or Rovers sign Forte on a full transfer.

Rovers' physio Baz Windle is to get a second opinion after Tim Ryan suffered an adverse reaction to training last week following an Achilles tendon injury. Scans show that the tendon is in a good condition, but Ryan is suffereing pain after his training and ball work sessions last week.
Tim Ryan said:"It is very frustrating. I have had a scan and that shows the tendon is in very good condition. I have tried various treatments but it is no better. Hopefully, the specialist I am going to see will be able to shed some light on the problem and get me playing again."
Windle commented: "I will be advised by what the specialist says, but I will be very surprised if he comes up with anything different to the two alternatives currently on the table. Tim has either got to continue through the pain, or take a complete rest."

Whilst many of the players from Saturday's match against Tranmere received nominations for the "man of the match", it eventually turned out to be a two-horse race between Simon Marples and Steve Roberts, who amassed well over half of all the votes cast. The leading votes were cast as follows:
1 Simon Marples (32.76%)
2 Steve Roberts (27.59%)
3 Paul Heffernan (12.07%)
Thank you to everyone who took part. The next vote will open following Sunday's home game against Blackpool in the FA Cup.

Former Doncaster Rovers midfielder Steve Hawes has been released by Conference side Altrincham, despite being an ever-present so far this season. Altrincham stated that he had been released "as part of a general review of the playing staff and the need to ensure that club remains within financial constraints." Hawes joined Altrincham for the second time during the summer from Stocksbridge Park Steels.
Before joining Rovers back in 1997, Steve had been the youngest plaeyr to play in Sheffield United's first team.

The home FA Cup tie against Blackpool on Sunday is NOT all-ticket, but you may buy your tickets in advance so that you can guarantee being able to get into a specific part of the ground. Tickets are now on sale at the ticket office and via the Rovers official web site.
Admission prices for the game are: Seating: Adults £18.00, Concessions £12.00
Standing: Adults £15.00, Concessions £8.00
We will publish ticket information for the Carling Cup fixture against Aston Villa tomorrow.