 |
 |
 |
|
| January
31, 2007 |
Crewe
3 Rovers 3 |
 |
Rovers
should go into the second leg of the Northern Area final of the Johnstone's
Paint Trophy as favourites to reach the Cardiff final after last night's
3-3 draw at Gresty Road. Rovers roared into a two goal lead in the first
half, but a revitalised Crewe turned things around in the second half,
scoring three times through Darren Moss, Ryan Lowe and Luke Varney. Rovers had gone in front from the penalty spot when Paul Heffernan was felled in the 29th minute. Heffernan converted the spot kick in style, and Rovers went further in front five minutes before the break with a superb strike from Brian Stock. A second from Heffernan in the second half appeared to have given victory before Crewe's late equaliser. The winners of the Northern final will face either Bristol City or Bristol Rovers in the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. |
| January
31, 2007 |
Sean
signs on for more |
 |
Defender
Sean McDaid has signed an extension to his Rovers contract, which means
he is contracted to Doncaster Rovers until June 2009. Sean has recently
returned to training after suffering damage to his medial ligament in
the match against Accrington Stanley. |
| January
31, 2007 |
Sale
for Hednesford |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers striker Mark Sale has signed for UniBond Premier League
club Hednesford Town. The 35-year old striker has made over 200 Football
League appearances during his career, which took in Stoke City, Birmingham
City, Torquay United, Preston North End, Mansfield Town, Colchester United
and Plymouth Argyle. He made 15 appearances for Rovers during the 2001/2002 season. |
| January
30, 2007 |
Crewe
v Rovers |
 |
Doncaster
Rovers look likely to make some changes to the side that defeated Rotherham
at the weekend for this evening's Johnstone's Paint Trophy game at Crewe.
Jason Price, James Coppinger and Jonathan Forte picked up knocks on Saturday,
and are expected to miss out. Crewe will definitely be missing strikers Rodney Jack and Nicky Maynard due to injury, with midfielders Gary Roberts and Ben Rix also described as "major doubts". However, they are boosted by news that defender Jon Otsemobor is now fit and may be recalled to this evening's squad. Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll has his eyes on reaching the Cardiff final. Commenting on this evening's match, he said: "It will be a good game between two teams who like to play. We know they won't change their way of playing. If they get it right they are as good as most in our division. I've seen them four times and they never change so we've an idea what to expect tomorrow." Tickets for this evening's match are £10 for adults and £5 for concessions, with under-11's at £3. Children under the age of 16 can get a free ticket when bought with a full priced adult ticket. Tickets must be bought before 4.30pm - please note that Crewe's website says that it is all-ticket for Rovers fans this evening, so make sure you buy a ticket before travelling. |
| January
30, 2007 |
Voting
results |
 |
The
clear winner of the voting for the "Man of the Match" for the
Rotherham United game on Saturday was Paul Heffernan, receiving over half
of the votes cast. Discounting a blatant attempt at multiple voting (but
voting for everyone nullifies the effect!), nine players received nominations,
with those receiving the most votes being as follows: 1 Paul Heffernan (54.36%) 2 James Coppinger (27.18%) 3 Jason Price (8.74%) Thank you to everyone who took part in the voting. The next poll will open following this evening's away game at Crewe Alexandra. |
| January
30, 2007 |
Chris
scores the winner |
 |
Former
Rovers striker Chris Beardsley, on loan at Rushden & Diamonds from
Mansfield Town, scored the only goal of the game in their Conference game
at Oxford United last night. The result extends second-placed Oxford's
winless sequence to twelve games, but pulls Rushden away from the relegation
places, with last night's three points seeing them rise to 15th place. |
| January
30, 2007 |
Johnson
joins Wycombe - then changes his mind |
 |
At
the weekend, it was reported that former Doncaster Rovers striker Simon
Johnson had joined Wycombe Wanderers from Darlington for an undisclosed
fee. The move had been agreed by Darlington as he had not been a regular
in the side and was out of contract in the summer. However, yesterday
news emerged that, despite agreeing terms with Wycombe, Johnson discussed
the deal with his family and has decided to remain at Darlington. Dave
Penney confirmed that he has returned to training with the Quakers and
will be considered for selection for their mtach at Macclesfield Town
on Saturday. |
| January
30, 2007 |
Reserves
can play on |
 |
The
Pontin's Holidays League have confirmed that Rovers have permission to
play their reserves match on the second pitch at the Keepmoat Stadium
for the rest of the season. Doubts had surfaced after the referee at last
week's reserve match against Darlington had expressed reservations about
the arrangements at the pitch, which is surrounded by an athletics track. The next reserve team game is tomorrow, 31st January, when Rovers are at home to Grimsby Town (kick-off 2pm) |
| January
29, 2007 |
Boss
praises Rovers win |
 |
Rovers
boss Sean O'Driscoll praised his players following Saturday's 3-2 triumph
over relegation-threatened local rivals Rotherham United on Saturday.
The win, which takes them within touching distance of the promotion places,
sees Rovers undefeated in the league during January, with the Rovers boss
surely in with a chance of winning the "Manager of the Month"
for January. O'Driscoll said of Saturday's game: "It was a good game with some cracking goals - but you have to credit Rotherham for coming here and having a go. There's no reason why we can't keep our run going, but football has a habit of proving you wrong." |
| January
29, 2007 |
Nelly
scores again |
 |
Craig
Nelthorpe kept his goal-scoring spree at UniBond side Gateshead going
on Saturday, scoring their second goal in the 3-2 defeat at Prescot Cables. |
| January
29, 2007 |
Crewe
tickets |
.jpg){kind=small} |
Tickets
for tomorrow's away game at Crewe Alexandra are now on sale from the stadium
ticket office - as for previous matches in this tournament, adult tickets
are £10 and concessions £5. You can get a free under-16's
ticket with each adult ticket bought in advance. Tickets for Saturday's home game against Carlisle United are now on sale from the ticket office. |
| January
29, 2007 |
Hawkins
signs for Sky Blues |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers central defender Colin Hawkins has signed for Coventry
City, with the Sky Blues eager to bolster their injury-hit defence. He
was been at the club on trials for the last week, signing for the club
last Friday after impressing caretaker boss Adrian Heath. Hawkins had
been a free agent since his previous club, Irish champions Shelbourne,
defaulted on wages payments, which has resulted in virtually all of the
squad leaving the financially-stricken club. Hawkins had been interesting a number of clubs, including Irish club Derry City and Scottish Premier League club Dunfermline Athletic, but he has returned to the club that he previously played for ten years ago as a teenager. Hawkins said of the move: “It’s very exciting to be here again. It’s ten years since I left the City so it’s a great opportunity for me and I’m delighted to be here. I arrived over for a two-day trial and I was obviously impressed by the stadium, Adrian Heath and the whole coaching staff so it was up to me to show what I could do on the pitch and luckily everything’s worked out and I’m delighted that I signed an 18-month contract. Hawkins is set to make his debut for the club in tomorrow night's game against Luton Town. |
| January
27, 2007 |
Rovers
3 Rotherham 2 |
| |
Two
more goals from leading scorer Paul Heffernan, and another majestic header
from skipper Graeme Lee sent Rovers on the way to another victory at the
Keepmoat Stadium this afternoon. Rotherham took the lead in the first
half after the Rovers defence had looked a little uncertain against a
Rotherham side that were playing better than their league position suggested.
Richie Partridge's shot from the edge of the box sneaked inside the Rovers
post, out of the reach of the diving Ben Smith - but Rovers roared back,
equalising through Paul Heffernan within two minutes, heading home from
close range. Whilst Rotherham may have shaded the first half, there was
no mistake that Rovers were in control in the second half. Two goals in
the first quarter hour after the break - Lee heading home from a corner,
then a second from Heffernan, could have been more, with Heffernan and
Price also having goals disallowed, and a further shot from Forte flashing
across the face of the goal to strike the bottom of the far post. Rotherham gave themselves a lifeline when a superb strike from Wood, with a shot that flew into the back of the net from 25 yards, but Rovers were not seriously threatened for the remaining 20 minutes and registered another victory which takes them up to eighth place - just six points behind an automatic promotion place. The result of the "Man of the Match" voting will be confirmed on Tuesday morning. |
| January
28, 2007 |
Youth
team 1 Boston United 0 |
 |
Doncaster
Rovers' youth team beat Boston United 1-0 yesterday morning in their league
match at Cantley Park. Apart from the fact that the Rovers goal was scored
a minute before half time, we have no further details at the moment. The
two sides meet again in the return fixture next Saturday. |
| January
28, 2007 |
Griffiths
goes out on loan |
 |
Doncaster Rovers midfielder Antony Griffith has gone to Conference National side Stafford Rangers on a month's loan. He only recently returned to the club after being on loan at Darlington for a month. |
| January
28, 2007 |
Wilson
extends stay |
 |
Midfielder
Mark Wilson has signed an 18-month contract after impressing Rovers boss
Sean O'Driscoll during his short-term contract at the club. Wilson returned
to England late last year after playing in America, having previously
played for Manchester United and Middlesbrough - as well as a short stay
at Rovers in the 2004/05 season. |
| January
28, 2007 |
Norbury's
six-year ban reduced |
 |
Former Doncaster
Rovers striker Micky Norbury has appealed against his six-year ban from
football which was imposed after being charged with two offences of
abusing match officials last November. |
| January
27, 2007 |
Rovers
v Rotherham team news |
 |
Mark
McCammon faces a fitness test before Sean O'Driscoll names his side for
this afternoon's South Yorkshire derby against Rotherham United. Mark
has been suffering from a heel injury, which has kept him out of the side
in recent games. With results and performances going well, the Rovers
side looks likely to be virtually unchanged from the one that faced Scunthorpe
last weekend. With Ben Smith assured of starting in goal, following the
departure of Andy Warrington and Alan Blayney, and the loan move of Jan
Budtz, goalkeeper/coach Barry Richardson may be named on the bench this
afternoon. Rotherham are without Justin Cochrane (suspended), Colin Murdock (thigh injury) and Paul Hurst (knee injury), but welcome back Michael Keane, with Pablo Mills and Gregor Robertson also likely to be available. Their results have deteriorated of late, particularly since the departure of Lee Williamson and Will Hoskins to Watford earlier this month, and are again battling against relegation. With Tranmere's defeat last night, Rovers can climb a place in the League One table if they can win this afternoon. |
| January
27, 2007 |
Another
five-figure crowd assured |
 |
The
attendance at today's match against Rotherham United is guaranteed to
be another impressive one, with around 11,000 tickets sold by close yesteray.
Rotherham have now sold the majority of their allocation, with just a
few hundred remaining. There are still tickets for all stands, with the South and West stands now close to being sold out - most of the remaining seats for Rovers fans are in the East Stand. Tickets WILL be on sale today to Doncaster Rovers supporters at the ticket office today - but if you are planning on buying a ticket before the match, please leave yourself plenty of time. |
| January
27, 2007 |
Hawkins
set for return to England |
| |
Former
Rovers defender Colin Hawkins looks likely to be about to return to English
football, following news that he has been training with Championship side
Coventry City. He has recently become a free agent following the non-payment
of wages by Irish club Shelbourne in a crisis that has seen virtually
their entire side leave the club. Hawkins has also been attracting attention
from Derry city and Dunfermline Athletic. |
| January
27, 2007 |
Rigo
signs for Rovers |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers midfielder Adriano Rigoglioso has signed for Conference
side Forest Green Rovers after leaving Morecambe last week. Morecambe
boss explained that Adriano had been allowed to leave as his squad strengthening
plans may have meant that his first team opportunites would be limited.
The move means that he is reunited with former Morecambe boss Jim Harvey
at The New Lawn, with his new contract keeping him at the club until the
end of the 2007/08 season. |
| January
26, 2007 |
And
then there was one.... |
 |
Following
the departure of goalkeepers Andy Warrington (to Bury) and Alan Blayney
(released) within the last week, news emerged yesterday that Jan Budtz
has been allowed to go out on loan to Championship side Wolverhampton
Wanderers for the period of one month. The depature of Budtz means that
currently young Ben Smith is the only recognised goalkeeper on the Rovers'
books, with coach Barry Richardson for cover. |
| January
26, 2007 |
The
Wall of Fame |
| |
Work
began yesterday on installing the commemorative bricks in the Rovers Wall
of Fame (located at the south west corner of the stadium). The two special
"Rovers Till We Die" plaques which will go in the centre of
each half of the walls have not yet been manufactured so there will just
be a space left for them at present. Over 300 bricks have now been sold
to Rovers fans - they can also be ordered from the shop at the stadium,
or from the South Stand Reception, and cost £40 each. You can have
two lines with up to 15 characters per line (including spaces). |
| January
26, 2007 |
Finlay
gets new job |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers centre half Gary Finley has been appointed as the new
manager of Colwyn Bay. He takes over at the UniBond First Division side
following Peter Davenport's departure earlier this month to join Southport. Finley previously was manager at Conference North club Lancaster City, with his departure being for financial reasons. Finley has a wealth of non-league playing experience, having turned out for Marine, Vauxhall Motors, Warrington Town and Hyde United at UniBond level, as well as with Aberystwyth and Colwyn Bay. He made six appearances for Doncaster Rovers during the doomed 1997/98 season. |
| January
26, 2007 |
Junior
Rovers update |
| |
Whilst
not a permanent base for match days, the Junior Rovers will be using the
classroom area in the West Stand for the near future. This room can be
found by the external stadium door marked "M", by the sign for
"Sports Development Offices" - go in through that outside door
and take the first door on the left. The office will be open between around
1.30pm and 2.45 on match day afternoons, and will be open for new members
to join, to collect membership packs and answer any enquiries about the
Junior Rovers scheme. They can also be contacted at juniorrovers@doncasterroversfc.co.uk |
| January
25, 2007 |
Blayney
leaves Rovers |
 |
Doncaster
Rovers have announced that they have parted company with goalkeeper Alan
Blayney, stating that his contract has been cancelled by mutual consent
"for personal reasons". Blayney has not featured since September when he picked up an elbow injury, being forced off during Rovers' away game at Huddersfield Town. He made his Rovers debut a year ago in the FA Cup third round match against Port Vale, arriving from Southampton. |
| January
25, 2007 |
Reserves
1 Darlington 2 |
| |
Rovers
went down to a 2-1 defeat against Darlingotn on Tuesday afternoon, going
behind in the 9th minute, although they equalised in the 24th minute when
Pacey stabbed the ball home from close range following a corner. Rovers
started strongly in the second half, but it took until the 83rd minute
for the winning goal, when a 25-yard shot from Darlington's Ngoma gave
the visitors victory. Rovers: Jan Budtz, Antony Griffith, Rob Pacey, Steve Roberts, Gareth Roberts, Lewis Guy, Sean Thornton, Mark Wilson, Craig Nelthorpe, Bruce Dyer, Jon-Paul Pittman. Substiutes: Liam Nelthorpe (for Craig Nelthorpe, 73), Wade Fairhurst (for Pittman, 73), Gerard Alonso (for Pacey, 73), Michael Guilliatt |
| January
25, 2007 |
Rotherham
ticket information |
 |
By midday on Wednesday,
there were still 4,500 ticket remaining in Doncaster Rovers areas for
Saturday's home game against Rotherham United. The ticket office will
be open until 8pm this evening - tickets will also be on sale on the
day of the game to Doncaster Rovers supporters only. |
| January
25, 2007 |
Maamria
looks for move |
 |
Former
Rovers striker Dino Maamria looks to have played his last game for Conference
National side Southport, but his club look to be holding out for an improved
offer from Rushden & Diamonds before allowing their top scorer to
go. Maamria is wanting to develop his coaching career with Rushden & Diamonds. Southport's Chief Executive, Haydn Preece said: "Dino hasn't fallen out with us, but he's adamant he wants to develop his coaching career with Graham Westley. But Rushden will want to use Dino as a player and he has a contract until the summer, that's the state of play." Maamria missed Southport's game against Morecambe and has indicated that he does not expect to play for the club again. |
| January
23, 2007 |
Jason
is the winner! |
 |
Jason
Price was the clear winner of the "Man of the Match" voting
for Saturday's home match against Scunthorpe. Jason got nearly two in
every three votes cast, with the other eight nominated players trailing
way behind. The players receiving the most votes were as follows: 1 Jason Price (63.30%) 2 James Coppinger (9.17%) 3 Jonathan Forte (8.26%) Thanks go to the many people who took part in the voting - the next vote will open following Saturday's home game against Rotherham United. |
| January
23, 2007 |
Reserves
v Darlington |
| |
Rovers
will play their first reserve team game at home since the move to the
Keepmoat Stadium. Reserve team games will take place on the second pitch,
which is surrounded by the athletics track, and is located adjacent to
the main stadium. The match, against Darlington, will kick off at 2pm. |
| January
23, 2007 |
Dene
sees red on his debut |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers striker Dene Shields had the misfortune to be sent off
on his debut for Ross County in their game at Clyde on Saturday. The striker's
challenge on Robert Harris was reported to be worthy of no more than a
booking, but his dismissal led to an onslaught from the home team, but
County held on to a 4-2 away victory. County boss Scott Leitch said: "Dene's dismissal is the only negative to take from the game. He's upset and says there was nothing in the challenge but I can't make a decision until I've seen it on TV." |
| January
22, 2007 |
Forest
match rearranged |
| |
Nottingham
Forest's official web site has announced that their match agains Doncaster
Rovers has been rearranged for Tuesday, 6th March, with the match having
a 7.45pm kick-off. The match was originally scheduled for 27th January, but was postponed owing to Nottingham Forest having an FA Cup tie on that date. |
| January
22, 2007 |
Ricky's
free transfer |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers midfielder Ricky Ravenhill's move from Grimsby Town to
Darlington has now been confirmed as a permanent transfer. Ravenhill initially
moved to Darlington on Tuesday ahead of their away game at Bury, but along
with Tommy Wright (not the former Rover!), Dave Penney has now confirmed
the moves are permanent. Penney said :“We had to take them on loan to have a good look at them to obviously see if they liked us and they did so we’ve got it sorted. Tommy (Wright) has moved for a small fee and we’ve take Ricky (Ravenhill) on a free transfer. They will be great additions to the squad.” “Ricky is twenty-six and he was one of the fittest players in the squad at Doncaster. He likes to tackle but can play as well. Tommy Wright has been about, he has had a stop start time but he is another boy who will put his head in. It was great for him to set off on Tuesday with a goal on his debut.” |
| January
22, 2007 |
Rotherham
tickets |
||||||||||||||||
| |
Tickets
for Saturday's home game against Rotherham United are now on sale from
the ticket office at the Keepmoat Stadium, as are tickets for the following
Saturday's home game against Carlisle United. Ticket prices for both matches are:
|
| January
22, 2007 |
Andy
aims to stay a Shaker |
 |
Andy
Warrington, who ended a seven year stay at Doncaster Rovers last week
when he moved to Bury, has said that he hopes to do well enough this season
to earn a longer deal at Gigg Lane. At the moment, his contract runs until
the end of this season, but he aims to be their first choice keeper for
years to come. "There's a lot more to come, I'm sure," he said. I want to push on, get some games under my belt and earn a long-term contract here. I felt a bit rusty because I haven't played for six weeks, and although I have been training, there haven't been anything but first team games at Doncaster. But the fact that I'd been here before was a big plus for me. I know they are a great set of lads, so it was much easier to settle in here." |
| January
20, 2007 |
Rovers
2 Scunthorpe 2 |
| |
Rovers
roared back from a two goal deficit in this afternoon's local derby against
League One leaders Scunthorpe to consider themselves unlucky not to have
grabbed all three points. Overall, a point each was perhaps fair, with
Rovers going behind in the 15th minute when they backed off as Andy Keogh
surged through midfield before unleasihg a superb shot from the edge of
the penalty ara that gave Smith no chance. A rather lucky second goal
in the 23rd minute came as Talbot's shot was saved by Smith, but the Rovers
keeper couldn't hold the shot and the rebound hit Talbot to go into the
net. What must have been an inpsiring half time team talk saw Rovers take the game to Scunthorpe after the break, and two goals in three minutes - a header from Lee following a corner, and a volley from Price - saw the table toppers on the rack as Rovers surged forwards. Were it not for a Forte cross/shot that crashed against the crossbar, Rovers could have been in front shortly afterwards. Both sides then had chances in a most entertaining second half. The"Man of the Match" voting is now closed. Thank you to the many who took the trouble to vote. The result will be confirmed on Tuesday morning. |
| January
21, 2007 |
Goals
review |
 |
Starting
north of the border for a change, the currently prolific Richard Offiong
scored again yesterday to give Hamilton Academical a 2-1 over Partick
Thistle yesterday - a win that sees them climb up to fourth in the Scottish
First Division. Back in England, Darlington registered a 1-0 win at Grimsby. David Wheater conceded a penalty in injury time of the first half, whcih the goalkeeper saved, but they won thanks to a 83rd minute goal from ex-Rover Tim Ryan. No prizes for guessing that it was a 23 yard rocket-shot! Also in League Two, ex-Rover Richie Barker scored his first goal for Hartlepool United after his recent move from Mansfield Town, enabling his side to draw 1-1 at Wrexham. League Two also so JJ Melligan equalising for Cheltenham Town at home to Gillingham, and Kevin McIntyre scored the opening goal of the game for Macclesfield Town from the penalty spot as they beat Hereford United 3-0 - the resurgent Town are now up to 20th in the table after being marooned at the bottom of the table for the first half of the season. Looking a little lower in the league pyramid, Steve Brodie put Stalybridge ahead in their game at Leigh RMI in the Conference North - ex-Rover Mark Hume scored their third goal in a 3-1 win. Duane Darby scored the only goal of the game as Nuneaton Borough won 1-0 at home to Redditch, and Ben Sauders scored Worksop Town's second goal in their 2-2 draw at home to Farsley Celtic. Finally, in the UniBond First Division, Danny Hudson scored for Belper Town in their 2-1 win over Shephed Dynamo. |
| January
21, 2007 |
Beardsley
becomes a Diamond |
| |
Former
Rovers striker Chris Beardsley has signed for Conference strugglers Rushden
& Diamonds on a month's loan from Mansfield Town after struggling
to make the Stags' first team this season. Beardsley missed most of last
season with a leg injury, but after regaining fitness during the summer,
has not managed to force his way bakc into the side. Of the move to Rushden,
Chris said:: "I was too far down the pecking order at Mansfield and
you can quickly lose fitness if you are not playing regular football.
I am glad to be able to go to a club where I will be able to start playing
again." |
| January
20, 2007 |
Rovers
v Scunthorpe team news |
| |
Doncaster
Rovers face League One leaders Scunthorpe United at the Keepmoat Stadium
this afternoon, aiming to continue their current run of good form. Rovers are boosted by the return of Gareth Roberts, who has completed a three match suspension following his red card against Huddersfield. Steve Roberts will also be considered after reporting no ill effects after his return to action, with Lewis Guy also pressing for a place after a good 45 minute performance against Scunthorpe's reserves on Wednesday. Striker Mark McCammon has overcome his neck injury and will be included in the squad. On the other hand, visitors Scunthorpe United will arrive in Doncaster with a side missing a number of first choice players, either due to suspension or injury. League One's leading goalscorer, Billy Sharp, is suspended due to receiving five bookings this season, as is defender Cliff Byrne, who was sent off last Saturday. Midfielder Ian Baraclough and defender Marcus Williams will miss the match due to injuries sustained in Tuesday's game at Cheltenham. With Keogh the only fully fit striker on the books, on-loan Drew Talbot (from Sheffield Wednesday) is likely to be his strike partner, with new loan signing Jermaine Beckford (from Leeds) also in contention. |
| January
20, 2007 |
Hawkins
heads to Scotland |
| |
Former Doncaster
Rovers defender Colin Hawkins is travelling to Scotland to have talks
with Dunfermline Athletic after he was one of three players declared
as free agents. The move followed his current club, Shelbourne, not
having paid the trio's wages for a number of weeks - they took their
case to an employment tribunal, who have ruled that they are now free
agents. |
| January
20, 2007 |
Yeovil
ticket update |
| |
The
Doncaster Rovers official site has reported a change in the situation
regarding those who have bought tickets for the original Yeovil home match
in December. Those who have season tickets for the Keepmoat Stadium are
asked to take your Keepmoat Stadium season ticket book with them to the
turnstiles, using Voucher M to gain access, and you will be able to use
your normal seats. Those who just bought tickets for the match will need to exchange their ticket for a Keepmoat Stadium ticket at any time from Monday, 5th February. Anyone exchanging a Belle Vue seating ticket will be entitled to a "Category A" ticket, and anyone with a ticket for the standing areas at Belle Vue will be able to exchange their ticket for a Category B area. |
| January
19, 2007 |
Forte
stays |
 |
On-loan striker Jonathan Forte will stay at Doncaster Rovers until the end of the season, after Sheffield United agreed to his loan being extended. The 20-year old has already made 35 appearances for Rovers this season, and has played an influential part in Rovers' climb up the League One table. |
| January
19, 2007 |
Wind
raises the roof! |
| |
The
gale force winds of yesterday caused chaos around the Doncaster area,
with many roads being closed. Bawtry Road was closed for a while as the
whole roof blew off the "Rovers Return" at Belle Vue, with debris
being spread over the road. Click on the logo to the left to see a picture
of the damage from the BBC web site. |
| January
19, 2007 |
Plenty
of tickets left! |
||||||||||||||||
| |
At
5pm yesterday, there were still over 3,000 tickets available for tomorrow's
home game against Scunthorpe United. Please remember that the ticket office
will be open until 8pm this evening - and will be open from 9am until
kick-off tomorrow. To avoid the long queues seen before the Darlington
game, we urge any fans who still need to buy a ticket to do so in advance,
or to order tickets by telephone on (01302) 762576. We understand that
ticket collections will be made from a separate point in the hope that
this will reduce queues to the ticket office. Ticket prices for the match are as follows:
|
| January
18, 2007 |
Scunthorpe
1 Reserves 2 |
| |
Doncaster
Rovers picked up a win at Glanford Park last night in their first reserve
team game since mid-November. They got off to a good start, with Craig
Nelthorpe putting Rovers ahead in the 12th minute, chipping the keeper
to put the ball into the far top corner of the net. The lead was doubled
five minutes later with Nelthorpe's second goal of the game - this time
a 30-yard shot that saw the Scunthorpe keeper rooted to the spot. An improved performance by the home side in the second half resulted in the deficit being reduced in the 72nd minute when Smith tapped in from a corner. More worrying was to see new striker Jon-Paul Pittman fall awkwardly with two minutes to go - it appeared that he has injured his shoulder or arm. Since Rovers had made three substitutions at half time, they had to play out the last couple of minutes with ten men. Rovers: Jan Budtz, Andrew Hawksworth, Steve Roberts, Rob Pacey, Gareth Roberts, Lewis Guy, Antony Griffith, Sean Thornton, Craig Nelthorpe, Bruce Dyer, Jon-Paul Pittman Substitutes: Andrew Boyce (for Steve Roberts, 46), Wade Fairhurst (for Lewis Guy, 46), Liam Nelthorpe (for Thornton, 46), Michael Guilliatt |
| January
18, 2007 |
Ticket
update |
||||||||||||||||
| |
Doncaster
Rovers reported yesterday that there were 3,500 tickets still available
for Saturday's home game against Scunthorpe United. The ticket office
at the Keepmoat Stadium is opening until 8pm this evening and tomorrow
evening to give as many people as possible the opportunity to buy tickets
in advance. After long queues experienced before the Darlington match,
when many people turned up without buying a ticket in advance, we recommend
that, if possible, you buy a ticket before match day. If that is not possible,
consider ordering tickets by telephone on 01302 762576. If you have to
buy tickets on match day, please make sure that you leave plenty of time
in case the length of the queues delays your entry into the stadium.
|
| January
18, 2007 |
Crewe
ticket info |
| |
Tickets
for next Saturday's home game against Rotherham United are also on sale,
as are tickets for the Carlisle home game a week later. It has been announced that tickets for the home leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy northern area final will go on sale to season ticket holders on Monday, 22nd January, and on general sale a week later. Sales to season ticket holders are limited to two adult tickets per season ticket, although as with the Darlington game, you can get a free under-16's ticket with every adult ticket bought in advance. Tickets are again at the discounted rate of £10 for adults, and £5 for concessions. |
| January
18, 2007 |
Football
League Fan of the Year |
 |
The Football League
Awards for 2007 are again incorporating FourFourTwo magazine's search
for the "Fan of the Year", with the category being a great
success last season, with the winner being Jeff Hall, a fanatical Chesterfield
supporter. The closing date for nominations is 31st January, with the
organizers asking for nominations, saying "We're looking for fans
that really contribute to their club and we would like to encourage
anybody who knows someone who deserves this award to nominate them,
and give that person the chance to receive the recognition they deserve
for their efforts.". You can vote by visiting www.FourFourTwo.com. |
| January
17, 2007 |
Ravenhill
joins Quakers |
| |
Another
former Rovers player has joined Darlington - midfielder Ricky Ravenhill
has joined the Quakers on a month's loan with a view to a permanent transfer.
Ravenhill moves to Darlington from Grimsby Town, where he signed a three
year contract only last August. He made his Darlington debut last night
in their 1-1 draw at Bury as a 65th minute substitute - and no, he didn't
get booked! The match also marked Andy Warrington's first match for Bury after his transfer from Rovers 24 hours earlier. |
| January
17, 2007 |
O'Driscoll
- transfer window activity |
| |
Doncaster
Rovers manager Sean O'Driscoll is finding it hard to bring new players
in during the transfer window - due to the good form of the Rovers squad.
The Rovers boss will only bring in players who will improve the squad,
but says: "We want to improve what we've got but the lads here are
making it difficult to get players better than them without spending silly
money. We've got an opportunity to bring players into the club with the
transfer window but I've told the players that their form is making it
difficult for me to get players better than them at a price we can afford." The only players to arrive at the club during January have been Peter Gilbert, on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, and Jon-Paul Pittman, who has joined on a short-term contract. Whilst Rovers remain keen to bring players in, O'Driscoll continued: "I'm not going to buy a player just for the sake of it. There are a lot of players out there but it's getting the right player which is the difference." |
| January
17, 2007 |
Liam
stays for second month |
 |
Doncaster
Rovers defender Liam Green has had his loan at UniBond Premier League
side Guiseley extended for his second month, after impressing during his
first month with the club. |
| January
17 2007 |
Belles
record crowd for new stadium debut |
 |
Doncaster
Rovers Belles played their first match at the Keepmoat Stadium on Sunday,
with 1,797 watching their match against Yorkshire rivals Leeds United.
Their average attendance at the previous ground was around 250, and illustrate
the potential benefits of the ground move. Sadly for the Rovers Belles,
the result went against them - Leeds won the game 5-2. |
| January
16, 2007 |
Andy
goes to Bury |
| |
Doncaster
Rovers goalkeeper Andy Warrington has signed for League Two club Bury,
and goes straight into the squad for Tuesday's match, which is against
Dave Penney's Darlington. Warrington has been out of action for over a
year, with a combination of a broken leg (sustained against Manchester
City) and an ankle injury suffered in the pre-season game against Gainsborough
Trinity. Andy spent a month on loan at Bury in December, but his time at Gigg Lane was curtailed by a thigh injury. He is one of six goalkeepers to have been used by Bury this season, and will replace Alan Fettis on Tuesday - Fettis is suspended. Until his departure, Andy was the longest serving player on the Rovers' books, having signed for Rovers in 1999 - his nearest rival was Paul Green, who made his debut for Rovers in 2001. We would like to wish Andy well for his future footballing career, and thank him very much for his time at Doncaster Rovers. |
| January
16, 2007 |
Hynes
moves on |
 |
Former
Rovers striker Peter Hynes has signed for Northern Ireland club Newry
City, which becomes his first club since he was sacked from Dundalk in
November for a "breach of club discipline". He got his career at Newry off to a good start though, with his first goal for the club coming after 35 minutes - he also set up Newry's third goal in their 4-0 win over Ballynure. |
| January
16, 2007 |
Voting
result v Gillingham |
 |
There
was a large number of opinions as to who the "man of the match"
was for Saturday's away win at Gillingham, with ten players receiving
nominations. In the end, there was a tie for first place, with Jason Price
and Adam Lockwood between them receiving nearly half of all votes cast.
The players receiving most votes were as follows: 1 Adam Lockwood (22.22%) 1 Jason Price (22.22%) 3 James Coppinger (14.29%) 4 Ben Smith (11.43%) Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. The next vote will open on Saturday evening following the home game against Scunthorpe United. |
| January
16, 2007 |
Ticket
office opening late this week |
| |
The ticket office at the Keepmoat Stadium will remain open until 8pm on Thursday and Friday of this week (18th and 19th January). They will also be open on Saturday for advance ticket sales between 9am and 10.30am and from 10.30 until kick-off for Scunthorpe match tickets. Please note that they will only accept cash transactions on match days. |