July 31, 2007

Pacey scores for Harriers

Rob Pacey, who was released by the Rovers at the end of last season, scored for Kidderminster Harriers from a corner at the weekend whilst he was on trials at the club. Kidderminster won the match against AFC Telford 2-0, but despite scoring the goal, Kidderminster boss Mark Yates has not offered Pacey a deal.

July 31, 2007

Blundell on target

Former Rovers striker Gregg Blundell scored one of Darlington's goals in their 6-0 win over local non-league side Horden . The match also saw the return from injury of ex-Rovers pair Tim Ryan and Steve Foster, who both played 60 minutes of the match.

July 31, 2007

Morley out

Dave Morley, the former Doncaster Rovers central defender, will be out of action for another three or four weeks as he continues to recover from a recent ankle operation.
"The ankle was causing a lot of pain for the best part of last season, but given our circumstances, I didn't want to go under the knife as we were battling to avoid relegation. All being well I won't miss too many games, but in delaying the operation I would have made the situation worse."

July 31, 2007

Player of the season

July 30, 2007

Hereford check out Johnson

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Simon Johnson has gone on a trial to Hereford United after being released by Darlington at the end of last season. Johnson played in last Tuesday's pre-season game against Bath City and particuarly caught the eye of Hereford boss Graham Turner.
Johnson joins former Rovers goalkeeper Adam Collin at the club - Collin is reaching the end of his two-week trial at Edgar Street. Whether he stays is another thing; he has impressed so far at Hereford, but his current club, Workington Reds, will require a transfer fee if he eventually makes the move.

July 30, 2007

Crichton joins Brighton

Ex-Rovers keeper Paul Crichton has left Kings Lynn to join Brighton & Hove Albion as their new goalkeeping coach. Crichton impressed during a spell on Albion's training ground and is now in charge of all goalkeepers at the club, from first team to schoolboys.
Whilst Paul insists that his playing days are now over, he was named as a substitute goalkeeper on Saturday when Brighton faced Billericay after the scheduled reserve keeper was injured in the pre-match warm-up.
Brighton are hoping that Crichton's connections will help them bring in another goalkeeper before the season starts, with teenage Norwich City keeper Joe Lewis set to move to the club on loan.

July 30, 2007

Forte on target

Former Rovers striker Jonathan Forte scored his first goal for Scunthorpe United on Saturday as they drew 2-2 in a pre-season game against Chesterfield. Forte returned to Bramall Lane from Rovers at the end of last season, but moved to Scunthorpe shortly afterwards as part of the deal that took Billy Sharp to Bramall Lane.

July 29, 2007

Rovers 1 Hull City 1

With another sparse crowd in the Keepmoat Stadium for the latest pre-season game, Rovers included a trialist, Lawrence Yiga, in their squad for the game.
Rovers started well, but after a good period of possession went behind after Sam Hird handled the ball seemingly rather needlessly when going up to head the ball, giving Hull a penalty in the 7th minute. Veteran striker Dean Windass put the ball away comfortably to give Hull the lead. Rovers returned to the attack, being in the Hull half for much of the time, and equalised in the 27th minute as Dyer won possession out on the right, passing the ball inside to Woods, who side-footed the ball into the Hull net. The rest of the first half became more even, and without any clear-cut goal scoring chances, the sides went in at half time level at 1-1.
Rovers made four changes at half time, and took a little time to get back into their stride. McDaid went close in the 64th minute after getting on the end of a through-ball by Coppinger. Hull could have gone in front in the last ten minutes when Michael Bridges had a shot from the edge of the penalty area strike the crossbar.
Rovers: Neil Sullivan, James O'Connor, Sam Hird, Gordon Greer, Adam Lockwood, Sean McDaid, Richie Wellens, Mark Wilson, Martin Woods, Bruce Dyer, James Coppinger
Substitutes: Gareth Roberts (for Greer, 46), James Hayter (for Dyer, 46), Paul Green (for O'Connor, 46), Craig Nelthorpe (for Woods, 46), Paul Heffernan (for Coppinger, 64), Antony Griffith (for Wellens, 73), Lawrence Yiga (for Lockwood, 73), Matt Noble (for McDaid, 78), Ben Smith (for Sullivan, 83)

July 29, 2007

Green heads to Boston

Boston United have announced that they have signed Liam Green, who was releasedy by Doncaster Rovers at the end of last season. Green was one of seven players signed over the weekend, as Boston manager Tommy Taylor has to speedily reassemble a squad that had been decimated after going into administration, and then losing most of their players due to a long saga surrounding a take-over bid for the club.
Green had progressed up from the youth team at Rovers, and was awarded his first contract as a professional last summer.

July 29, 2007

Nelly bound for Chesterfield?

Winger Craig Nelthorpe looks set to join Chesterfield on loan in the near future after impressing Spireites boss Lee Richardson during their pre-season game against Sheffield Wednesday last Tuesday. Although giving little away after Nelthorpe's 35-minute performance, Richardson commented " I`ll be speaking to Sean (O'Driscoll the Doncaster Rovers manager) before I say too much about Craig but I was happy that he played and it`s nice to see him up and close."
Last week, Richard O'Kelly commented that Rovers would probably be willing to let the 20-year old go out on loan to gain first team experience at League Two level, admitting that Nelthorpe was unlikely to be included in the first team in the immediate future. He continued: "They have kept tabs on Craig last year and enquired about a loan deal this year. If Craig is happy and getting first team football for 90 minutes week-in-week out and we don`t need him, then hopefully the experience will make him a better player for Doncaster Rovers when we call him back."

July 29, 2007

Goals time

A rasping 20-yard angled strike from former Rovers winger Matt Caudwell gave Worksop the lead in their pre-season game against Blue Square North hosts Alfreton Town yesterday - Worksop were surprising 2-1 winners after the Reds pulled back a goal from the penalty spot in the 67th minute.
Ex-Rover Chris Beardsley scored the only goal of the game for York City in their home game against Bradford City, to give the Minster Men a surprising victory over the League Two club.

July 28, 2007

Rovers v Hull City

Doncaster Rovers are waiting to see if striker Paul Heffernan will be fit to play in this afternoon's pre-season game against Hull City at the Keepmoat Stadium. Heffernan has a "dead leg" and has been receiving treatment, with physio John Dickens rating his chances at 50-50. Even if Heffernan is not fit to play today, he will train on Mondy and be available to face Manchester United next Friday.
James O'Connor has not suffered any adverse reactions to his first run-out of the season; he is expected to start this afternoon's match. James Coppinger is also fit to play after successfully coming through his first appearance of the season when playing 19 mintues at the end of Wednesday's match against Wolves.

July 28, 2007

No alcohol at stadium today

The Keepmoat Stadium have announced that there will be no alcohol on sale in the public concourse areas at today's match. A statement from the stadium says: "In conjunction with Trading Standards and South Yorkshire Police, we have identified a number of areas for the improvement surrounding the sale of alcohol at the stadium."
"As a result, we have decided to temporarily suspend alcohol sales in public areas for tomorrow afternoon's game against Hull City whilst we review all procedures and ensure the extra steps we are bringing in are effective and address these issues."

July 28, 2007

Player of the season

Continuing on our 'countdown' of the "Players of the Season" from last season, we reach the players between positions 11 and 15 - the top ten will be revealed next week.
With record numbers of votes received last season, those just missing out on a top ten place are:
11 Lewis Guy (3.03%)
12 Jonathan Forte (2.83%)
13 Mark Wilson (2.52%)
14 Sean McDaid (2.21%)
15 Danny Cadamarteri (2.13%)
Those outside the top 15 are:
Neil Sullivan (1.93%), Ben Smith (1.71%), Steve Roberts (1.51%), Theo Streete (1.34%), Gareth Roberts (1.29%). Bruce Dyer (1.06%), Jan Budtz (0.70%), Craig Nelthorpe (0.62%), Harry Worley (0.34%), Antony Griffith (0.31%), Alan Blayney (0.28%), Peter Gilbert (0.25%), Sam Hird (0.25%), John Filan (0.22%), Alan Wright 0.17%), Kevin Horlock (0.14%), Liam Green (0.03%).
The results were compiled from the "Man of the Match" votes for every competitive first team match last season.

July 27, 2007

Danny Bergara

We regret to announce the death of former Doncaster Rovers manager Danny Bergara. Danny died yesterday morning following a short illness at the age of 64. Bergara was perhaps more widely known as being manager at Stockport, where he enjoyed success in the six years at the club, guiding the club into the second tier of English football.
Born in Montevideo, Bergara was the first Uruguayan to be manager of an English club, and besides Stockport, he also managed Rochdale and Rovers. His time at Rovers was during the turbulent times of the 1990's, and was in charge for some of the infamous 1997/98 relegation season.
We would like to pass on our sympathy to his family at this sad time.

July 27, 2007

Rovers top agents fees list

Doncaster Rovers were the highest-spenders in League One for agents fees during the last six months. The latest figures published by the Football League reveal that Rovers spent £41,000 between 1st January and 30th June, coming ahead of promoted Bristol City, who spent just over £35,000. However Bristol City were top when taking the last twelve months with £163,000 paid over to agents - Rovers paid £44,000, meaning the first six months saw just £3,000 go to players' agents.
Overall, the amount paid to agents has fallen by 25% compared with the same period in the 2005/06 season.

July 27, 2007

Akinfenwa "no gamble"

Former Rovers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa still insists that he will be back in action within the next few weeks, despite Swindon Town's specialists opinion that it will take until November for him to recover from a broken leg.
Akinfenwa's transfer to Swindon collapsed following the news after a one-year deal had been agreed.
The big striker said: "It is all going well. I am running on the treadmill now and am just trying to get fit as soon as possible. I guess I understand why Swindon did not sign me on but there were certain things going on at the club that were a little bit funny."
"This new consortium coming in all happened at the wrong time for me. There are so many things going on there at the moment that it made my situation very difficult. I have heard that they said I would not be back until well into November. They never said that to me though and I know it won't take me that long to get fit."
"You never say never," said Akinfenwa. "Once I am back fit and if Swindon want me maybe we could talk again and sort something out. What is god's will will happen. I have no bitterness towards Swindon Town, or Paul Sturrock. It was just the wrong place at the right time I suppose."

July 26, 2007

Rovers 1 Wolves 0

A James Hayter penalty early in the first half proved to be the only goal of the game as Doncaster Rovers picked up a great win over Championship promotion hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers last night.
Rovers included James O'Connor for the first time this summer, who played the first 25 minutes and looked to be playing well before a scheduled substitution. The new Rovers midfield of Stock, Wilson, Wellens and Woods ooked to have great promise, and the defence did well after coming under pressure as the vistors dominated possession
For a change the rest of the substitutions did not come until after an hour of play, with James Coppinger coming on to play the last 19 minutes of the game, with Bruce Dyer again looking as if he could feature much more this season, as he showed some very useful touches.
The performance must have given boss Sean O'Driscoll some pleasure as his side held out against a strong Wolves side, although he particularly praised his defence."I think that we defended particularly well, but we were no slouches going forward too. We took the lead and I thought we may have added to it, but we had the goal disallowed. Beyond that, not only did we play well, but the players went out there and changed things around for the better too and every player acted well to the responsibility those changes required."
Rovers: Neil Sullivan, James O'Connor, Gordon Greer, Adam Lockwood, Gareth Roberts, Mark Wilson, Brian Stock, Richie Wellens, Martin Woods, Lewis Guy, James Hayter
Substitutes: Paul Green (for O'Connor, 27), Bruce Dyer (for Hayter, 64), Sean McDaid (for Wilson, 64), Craig Nelthorpe (for Roberts, 71), James Coppinger (for Guy, 71), Sam Hird (for Stock, 71), Antony Griffith (for Woods, 77), Matt Noble (for Wellens, 80), Ben Smith

July 26, 2007

Almedia goes home

Trialist defender Marco Almedia has returned home to Portugal after turning his ankle during training on Monday. With Rovers needing to see him in action further before making a decision on him, his future with Rovers looks uncertain.
Sean O'Driscoll said: "I was looking forward to seeing him again against Wolves but he turned his ankle in training. We will monitor the injury. We will have to wait and see whether or not we will pursue our interest. There was no point him spending three weeks in a strange country so he has gone back home."

July 26, 2007

Goals review

Former Rovers striker Neil Roberts scored Wrexham's second goal as his side defeated Irish club Cliftonville 2-1 in the first of two friendly fixtures in Northern Ireland.
Michael McIndoe scored his first goal for Bristol City, but his new club still went down to a 2-1 defeat at Torquay United, although boss Gary Johnson was full of praise for the ex-Rovers winger, saying: "It was a typical Macca goal really and when he gets in those positions he's a superb striker of the ball."

July 26, 2007

Dino on trial at Vics

July 25, 2007

Rovers v Wolves

Doncaster Rovers face Wolverhampton Wanderers in their latest pre-season fixture at the Keepmoat Stadium this evening, with the match starting at 7.30pm.
Rovers are likely to give trialist Marco Almeda a further run-out for part of the match before making a decision on him by the end of the week.
The injured players who have missed games so far this summer are again likely to miss out - Jason Price, Graeme Lee, Steve Roberts, James Coppinger and Mark McCammon - but James O'Connor has resumed training and may play part of the game today.

July 25, 2007

Chesterfield loan deal for Nelthorpe?

Rovers winger Craig Nelthorpe played for Chesterfield last night as a 'trialist' in their pre-season game against Sheffield Wednesday. The intention is that, if he impresses Chesterfield sufficiently, he will go to the League Two club to gain some first team experience.
Chesterfield had previously asked about taking Nelthorpe on loan earlier in the year, with assistant manager Richard O'Kelly confirming: "Chesterfield are in the market for a left-sided player. They have kept tabs on Craig last year and enquired about a loan deal this year. We are sending him down there tonight, where he'll play half a game and then he will come back to play for us against Wolves tomorrow night."

July 25, 2007

Penney's concern for Ryan

Ex-Rovers defender Tim Ryan is causing Darlington boss Dave Penney some concern after being sidelined for longer than expected with medial knee ligament damage. The original prognosis suggested he would be out of action for 12 weeks, but Ryan is still not ready for a return to playing after 18 weeks, despite having had an injection to try and cure the problem.
Penney said: "He's running OK but he's not ready to play yet so he's going to need to see a specialist if he doesn't improve. It's frustrating because I really wanted my team in place before the season started but it hasn't happened yet."

July 25, 2007

Hawkins scores for Sky Blues

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Colin Hawkins scored for Coventry City in their latest pre-season match, against Northern Ireland side Glentoran as City pulled back from being a goal behind to win 2-1.

July 24, 2007

Greer signs two year deal

Doncaster Rovers have finally confirmed that defender Gordon Greer has signed a two year contract with the club after impressing during the pre-season period. Greer rejected a new contract with Kilmarnock, where he has been for four seasons, to move south. Aged 26, he is a Scotland 'B' international and arrives at the club at a time when central defenders Stephen Roberts and Graeme Lee are sidelined through injury.

July 24, 2007

Rovers extend trial for Marco

Doncaster Rovers have extended the trial period of Portuguese defender Marco Almeda, but will probably make a decision on whether to retain his services by the end of the week. Almeda played in Saturday's 4-3 win at York City after being recommended to the club by Cardiff City manager Dave Jones.
Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll said: "Marco came to us at the recommendation of Cardiff's Dave Jones. He has done enough since he has been with us to take another look at him and we will probably make a decision on him by the end of this week."

July 24, 2007

Man United tickets still on sale

The Rovers official site have reported that there are still some tickets for the pre-season game against Manchester United, which will be played on Friday, 3rd August. However, the tickets are only available for Manchester United supporters - to obtain tickets you will need to phone Manchester United's ticket office on 0870 442 1999.

July 23, 2007

Rovers Open Meeting

A public open meeting for Rovers' fans will be held at the Dome on Saturday, 4 August, starting at 11.00 am. Supporters' will be able to ask questions of a fantastic panel comprising John Ryan, Mickey Walker, Dave Morris, Sean O'Driscoll, and Richard O'Kelly. The meeting will double as the Viking Supporters' Co-operative AGM, but the business associated with that will only take a few minutes, after which fans will be able to hear all bout the plans for the new season and the new players, indeed anything they need to know. Although all fans are welcome to attend, voting in the elections for the VSC board will only be open to members. Members will also be able to renew their £10 annual subscriptions, due as of 1 August, at the meeting.
Following on from the Manchester United match the previous night, this will be a great way to continue the build up to the first match of the new season the following Saturday. It's an occasion not to be missed, do your best to be there!

July 23, 2007

Volunteers still required

July 23, 2007

Mulligan gets call-up

Former Rovers defender David Mulligan has been named in New Zealand's squad for their match against Wales on 31st July. Kiwis boss Ricky Herbert has named a 19-man squad for the game, which includes only three other UK based players.
New Zealand squad: M Paston, G Moss (Wellington Phoenix), A Boyens (Toronto FC), T Lochhead, S Old (Wellington Phoenix), D Oughton (Columbus Crew), J Pritchett (Auckland City), A Barron (Canterbury United), T Brown (Wellington Phoenix), J Campbell (Waitakere United), J Christie (unattached), D Mulligan (Scunthorpe United), I Vicelich (RKC Waalwijk), L Bertos (Perth Glory), J Brockie (Unattached), C James (Fulham), C Killen (Hibernian), S Smeltz (Halifax), J Smith (unattached)

July 23, 2007

Cambridge check out Burton

Cambridge United have given former Rovers striker Steve Burton a trial at the club after he was deemed surplus to requirements at Kettering Town - despite only joining them last month. Kettering have six strikers on their books, and are prepared to let him leave.
Burton made his Cambridge debut on Saturday in their home game against Plymouth Argyle, which Cambridge lost 2-1, but he had a reasonable game, judging by the match reports, and is likely to have his loan at the U's extended.

July 22, 2007

York City 3 Rovers 4

A typical "game of two halves" saw Rovers cruise into a healthy 3-0 half time lead, thanks to goals by Dyer, Nelthorpe and Guy, but after numerous changes of personnel by both sides at half time, York wiped out the deficit, with the deciding goal of the game being provided by Paul Heffernan, who scored from ten yards out from a left wing cross by Sam Hird.
Rovers included trialist Portuguese defender Marco Almeida for most of the match, who has already been on trials at Cardiff City this summer, but the Bluebirds decided not to sign him. Sean O'Driscoll is likely to give him another chance to impress before making a decision on whether to retain his services.
Rovers: Neil Sullivan, Sam Hird, Gordon Greer, Marco Almeda, Sean McDaid, Lewis Guy, Brian Stock, Mark Wilson, Craig Nelthorpe, James Hayter, Bruce Dyer
Substitutes: Ben Smith (for Sullivan 46), Adam Lockwood (for Hird, 46), Richie Wellens (for Nelthorpe, 46), Paul Heffernan (for Dyer, 46), s; Paul Green (for Guy, 46), Sam Hird (for McDaid, 56), Antony Griffith (for Greer, 65), Wade Fairhurst (for Hayter, 78), Jason Hardy (for Wilson, 78), Andrew Boyce (for Almeda, 78), Matt Noble (for Stock, 81)

July 22, 2007

Goals check

Former Rovers striker Ross McCormack scored for Motherwell yesterday with a diving header as they drew 1-1 at home to Millwall, who only equalised late in the second half after both sides made numerous substitutions.
Tristram Whitman scored one of Blue Square Conference Premier Farsley Celtic's goals as they defeated Grimsby Town 2-0 at Throstle Nest.
A strong Huddersfield Town crushed Bridlington Town 6-1, with former Rover Danny Cadamarteri scoring twice.
Finally, ex-Rover Chris Beardsley scored for York City in yesterday's game against Doncaster Rovers at the Kit Kat Crescent.

July 22, 2007

Sam bound for Southend

Birmingham central defender Sam Oji has gone to Southend United on trial for the next four weeks, with boss Steve Tilson keen to strengthen his central defensive positions. Oji, who came on loan to Rovers for a month a couple of seasons ago, has struggled to make Birmingham's first team squad, with his only first team appearance coming in the 2005/06 season, in an FA Cup tie against Reading.

July 21, 2007

York City v Rovers

Doncaster Rovers are due to travel to York City this afternoon for the lastest in their pre-season fixtures, with the match at the Kit Kat Crescent kicking off at 3pm.
York had an impressive goalless draw against troubled Leeds United last weekend, and beat non-league club Newcastle Benfield on Wednesday.
Rovers are expected to give an unnamed Portuguese central defender a chance to impress, with the player coming in to the club on trials - he is also understood to be interesting other clubs, including some in the Championship.
Admission prices for the match are £10 for adults, and £5 for concessions.

July 21, 2007

Rankine on target

Former Rovers youth team player Michael Rankine scored in Rushden & Diamonds' 1-1 "behind closed doors" friendly fixture against Leicester City last week. Another ex-Rover, Leo Fortune-West, did not play. He has been transfer listed by new manager Garry Hill and is unlikely to play for the club, although he has reported back for pre-season training.

July 21, 2007

Will joins Retford

Retford United have announced that Rovers' youth team striker Will McGhie has signed for them after being released by Rovers. McGhee signed for Retford after impressing in their pre-season game against Rovers last week.

July 20, 2007

Armthorpe Welfare 2 Youth Team 3

Doncaster Rovers' youth team put in a good passing display yesterday evening as they beat Armthorpe Welfare 3-2 last night as part of their preparation for the new season.

July 20, 2007

Saunders to Hucknall

Ben Saunders, the former Rovers striker, has signed for Blue Square North club Hucknall Town after leaving Worksop Town during the summer. SAudners has also played for Southwell City, Rovers and Bury.

July 20, 2007

Player of the season

Earlier in the summer, we began to let you know the outcome of the "Player of the Season" voting. Today we update you on the next few positions, which will leave the top 15, which will be announced during the next week. All the votes have been compiled during the season as part of the "Man of the Match" voting.
Players finishing in positions 16 to 20 are as follows:
16 Neil Sullivan 1.93%
17 Ben Smith 1.71%
18 Steve Roberts 1.51%
19 Theo Streete 1.34%
20 Gareth Roberts 1.29%
Since it's a while since we published a list of the players who finished outside of the top 20, the list is: Bruce Dyer (1.06%), Jan Budtz (0.70%), Craig Nelthorpe (0.62%), Harry Worley (0.34%), Antony Griffith (0.31%), Alan Blayney (0.28%), Peter Gilbert (0.25%), Sam Hird (0.25%), John Filan (0.22%), Alan Wright 0.17%), Kevin Horlock (0.14%), Liam Green (0.03%)

July 19, 2007

R'Sonists at Worldnet

The R'Sonists, a team made up of Doncaster Rovers fans, once again competed in the annual Worldnet competition at the weekend, which was again held in Leeds. The team had a successful Saturday, winning all three group matches, which meant that they qualified for the knock-out stages on Sunday. Not only that, they didn't concede a goal, with a 4-0 win over Birmingham City, 2-0 win over Oxford United and a 1-0 victory over Motherwell.
After a welcome victory over Nottingham Forest in the first round of the knock-out stages, the R'Sonists eventually went out of the tournament in the second round, losing 4-2 on penalties after the match finished in a 1-1 draw.

July 19, 2007

Leo's back for training

Ex-Rovers striker Leo Fortune-West has rejoined Rushden & Diamonds for pre-season training, despite being transfer listed. The 36-year old striker made only six first team appearances for the Diamonds last season, and spent time out at League Two club Shrewsbury Town.
However, despite being listed, Fortune-West still has a year left on his Nene Park contract, with boss Garry Hill commenting: “Fortune-West has been made aware by myself and the chairman Keith Cousins that he is free to go. However, nobody has come in for him at all, so it's purely a case of him coming back here for pre-season and getting on with his job.”

July 19, 2007

Fanzine articles needed

The next edition of the award-winning Popular Stand fanzine will be on sale for the first League match of the season, against Millwall. If you would like to contribute any articles, cartoons etc. for inclusion, please send them by email to nbatchelor@sky.com by no later than the day of the Manchester United game (3rd August).

July 17, 2007

Brian on target

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Brian Quailey scored one of Nuneaton Borough's goals in their 3-1 victory over last season's runaway Nationwide South champions Histon on Saturday.

July 18, 2007

Rovers to sign Greer

Doncaster Rovers have confirmed that they are to sign central defender Gordon Greer, subject to a medical, following his performances in training and the pre-season games so far. Greer has spent the last three seasons with Kilmarnock, but is expected to turn down their offer of a new contract to sign a two-year deal at Rovers.
Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll is keen to bring in some defensive cover with both Graeme Lee and Stephen Roberts missing the start of the new season due to injury.

July 18, 2007

Lee to miss start of season

Rovers captain Graeme Lee will miss the start of the new season due to injury, which is understood to be a bulging cervical disc. The problem may respond to rest, or may require surgery - but he will be out for few weeks, whichever option is followed.

July 18, 2007

Season tickets break the 5,000 mark!

The 5,000th season ticket for the 2007/2008 season has now been sold - a superb statistic, bearing in mind last season 4,300 were sold (which included the half-season ticket offer). With chairman John Ryan hoping for 6,000 this season, with another three weeks until the start of the season, and the prospect of half-season tickets being available again this year, there is every chance of the challenge being met.
This news means that Rovers should have a good chance of reaching five figures for a number of home games in the forthcoming season.

July 18, 2007

North Branch AGM tonight

The Annual General Meeting of the North Branch of the Supporters Club will be held at the Co-op Club, which is at the rear of "The Grange" store on York Road, this evening. The meeting will start at 7.00pm prompt - there will be a finger buffet afterwards, with players and a guest speaker expected to attend.

July 18, 2007

Coaches to York

The Supporters Club are running coaches to the pre-season game at York City on Saturday, at a cost of £7 per person.
Coaches will depart from Retford at 12.15pm, Bawtry 12.30pm, Hare and Tortoise 12.35pm, Doncaster Royal Infirmary 12.50pm and Waterdale 1pm.
To book a place on the coach, please phone Paul Mayfield on 077404 53066 or 01427 880154, or Len South on 01302 817347/
Please do not contact them on any other number but the ones given above.

July 17, 2007

Rovers miss out on Wilson

Doncaster Rovers have missed out on signing Preston North End's highly rated central defender Kelvin Wilson. Preston accepted bids by Rovers and Nottingham Forest, but after talking to both clubs, the defender elected to join Forest - his hometown club. The deal is understood to involve a £300,000 transfer fee; Wilson has signed a four year contract at the City Ground.

July 17, 2007

Gill the goal machine

Another weekend, another goal for former Rovers striker Robert Gill, who has become a truly prolific goal scorer since moving to New Zealand. He scored another goal on Sunday as Gisborne City beat Palmerston North Marist 4-0, wth his strike partner, Pedro Garcias, scoring the other three goals. The win keeps City in with a chance of a top four finish in the Central League; they are in fifth place, just six points behind leaders Western Suburbs and just one point behind third placed Napier City Rovers.
First team coach, Kevin Fallon, said: "It was a top-class team effort today. We didn’t play our best football but it was still a convincing win although we had to grind it out. I had to give Pedro (Garcias) the man-of-the-match. He’s a right, little predator. You don’t see him for quite a while and then all of a sudden he’s in the right place at the right time and the ball is in the net. ill’s goal was the best I’ve seen all season. I’m happy with the whole squad right now."

July 17, 2007

Sam in Irish move?

Sam Oji, who played on loan for Doncaster Rovers a couple of years ago, is reported to be on the verge of signing for Irish club Bohemians on loan for the remainder of the Irish season. Oji, who is still on the books at Birmingham, was also on loan at Bristol Rovers for the latter part of the 2006/07 season.

July 17, 2007

Youth team friendly

Doncaster Rovers are to send a youth team to play at Brigg Town in a pre-season friendly fixture on Tuesday, 7th August. The match will kick-off at 7.30pm.

July 16, 2007

Ryan predicts success

Rovers chairman John Ryan has predicted that Rovers have every chance of gaining promotion this season after Sean O'Driscoll has brought in a number of players which substantially improve the overall quality of the squad.
He said: "I now feel that there is a real strength within the squad with these players that have come to Rovers and I'm convinced we have added a surge of quality as opposed to quantity. I feel that the everything is now in place for what I'm sure will be a very successful season. It's a shame Kevin Horlock has injured himself and unfortunate that we still have Jason Price absent through his injury, but I'm confident when Kevin returns from his injury in October and Jason returns from his in September, it will be as good as having two new signings."
Looking back to last season, when injuries decimated the forward line, which ultimately meant that Rovers fell away from the play-off places, Ryan went on: "It's important that we stay away from injuries this season, because that was a huge factor last season. I believe that if we are able to keep the squad fit and healthy, then we have every chance to finish in one of the top six spots."

July 16, 2007

Nicol leads Revolution to the top

Former Rovers defender Steve Nicol has two reasons to celebrate this weekend. Firstly, his New England Revolution sid beat Red Bull New York on Saturday evening to go top of the Major League Eastern League table, who included former Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel (who has scored 9 goals in 7 games since moving from England) in their side. owever, it is early in the US season, with Nicol commenting: "You don't get any prizes for being in first at this point in the season but we are obviously delighted. We want to stay there."
Nicol has also been named to be in charge of the "MLS All-Stars" who will face Glasgow Celtic in Colorado on July 19. Nicol received the accolade by leading New England Revolution to the best points per game total as of June 25th. The MLS All-Stars are chosen by an on-line fan ballot (25%), MLS coaches and managers (25%) and players (25%). Nicol can select five players, and Commissioner Don Garber a further two, which will complete the 18-man squad.

July 16, 2007

Darby a wanted man

Bromsgrove Rovers boss Rod Brown has confirmed that he wants former Doncaster Rovers striker Duane Darby to join his squad for this season. Brown has only added three players to the Southern League Premier club's ranks, believing that he owes some loyalty to the team that won promotion last year. He has spoken to Darby, who currently lives in Bromsgrove, who are understood to be Darby's preferred club - but the stumbling block is likely to be Darby's wages.
"I have spoken to Duane but any sort of deal is quite a long way away," he said.
"He wants to come to Bromsgrove and we have offered him the chance to train with us whatever happens. But he has to have a source of income, and I don't think that we will be able to pay him what he wants."

July 16, 2007

Johnson on trial at Bantams

Ex-Rovers striker Simon Johnson is having trials at League Two club Bradford City after being released by Dave Penney's Darlington, and was due to play in their match this weekend when they faced Harrogate Town. Johnson started his career with Leeds United, but only made three appearances before moving on. He has been at Darlington for two seasons, but fell out of favour following David Hodgson's departure as manager, and the arrival of Dave Penney.