March 15, 2007

Brighton ticket news

The away match at Brighton & Hove Albion's Withdean Stadium is all-ticket. Tickets will be on sale from Monday, 19th March to season ticket holders only, with any remaining tickets on general sale from 26th March.
Ticket prices for the West Stand, which is uncovered, are:
Adults £12.00, Senior Citizens £7.00, U16's £7.00, Under-16's £7.00, Students £6.00
Adults can buy an Under-10's ticket for a child for just £1 (at a ration of 1 U10 ticket per adult ticket) - additional children will be charged the concessionary rate of £7.00.

March 15, 2007

Tommy Cavanagh

We are sorry to announce that former Rovers wing half Tommy Cavanagh died peacefully in his sleep at a care home in Driffield earlier this morning. Born in Liverpool, Tommy played 119 times for Rovers between 1956 and 1959, having started his career at Preston North End, moving on to Stockport County and Huddersfield Town before arriving to make his Rovers debut in August 1956 in Rovers' 3-1 defeat at Leicester City in front of a crowd of over 26,000. After leaving Rovers, Tommy played for Bristol City and Carlisle United before taking up a coaching role at Manchester United.

March 15, 2007

Redfearn and Warren team up

Former Rovers midfielder Neil Redfearn has switched from UniBond Division One club Bradford Park Avenue to promotion rivals Stocksbridge Park Steels. Steels have added three experienced players to their squad this week - one of the others to join is ex-Rovers midfielder/defender Lee Warren, who has recently been playing at Barrow in the Nationwide North.

March 15, 2007

Budtz in line for Wolves start?

Jan Budtz's hopes of making his playing debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers seem to have faded. First choice keeper Matt Murray landed awkwardly towards the end of their 2-1 defeat at Coventry, but the Wolves physio has said:"Matt has been in today for assessment and we have been assured it's nothing serious. He just jarred his knee. We'll let him have a bit of rest and then look at him again before the weekend, but he should be OK."
Budtz has been occupying the bench as cover for Murray for the last six weeks without being called into action. Should Murray be declared not fit, Wolves boss Mick McCarthy faces the choice of playing Budtz or recalling Stephen Hennessey, who is currently on loan at Stockport County.

March 15, 2007

Rigo out for season

Following our recent news that ex-Rovers midfielder Adriano Rigoglioso had been carried off during Forest Green's game against Cambridge United three weekends ago, it now has been reported that the knee injury is serious enough for his season to be over.
Rigoglioso was on loan at Forest Green Rovers from Morecambe for the rest of the season, where he joined former Morecambe boss Jim Harvey. He made 20 appearances for Rovers between 2003 and 2005, but all but five of those appearances were made as a substitute.

March 14, 2007

O'Driscoll draws blank in sharp-shooter hunt

Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll has so far been unsuccessful in efforts to boost his injury-hit squad. With three first-choice strikers injured, the Rovers manager said: "We've asked around but there is not a lot doing at the moment. We will continue to go to midweek games up and down the country but at this moment in time, with most clubs either involved in promotion or relegation issues, nobody is going to let out one of their better players."
"We've got Lewis Guy, Bruce Dyer, Jonathan Forte and James Coppinger, so it is not as though we haven't got anybody. We'll have to take a look at what we have got and come up with the best system which suits the players that we've got. If that means changing things, then we'll change things.

March 14, 2007

Green wins the vote

Paul Green won the "Man of the match" voting for Sunday's away game at Oldham Athletic, winning almost a third of the votes cast. With a wide spread of opinion, ten Rovers players received nominations, with the top four being:
1 Paul Green (29.41%)
2 Mark Wilson (17.14%)
3 James Coppinger (14.70%)
4 Sean Thornton (11.42%)
Thank you to everyone who took part in the voting. The next poll will open following Saturday's home game against Cheltenham Town.

March 14, 2007

Treatment room

March 14, 2007

Moore with last-gasp equaliser

Former Rovers defender Darren Moore rescued Derby County last night with a headed equaliser in the 87th minute of their home game against Queens Park Rangers - a point that keeps them level with Birmingham City at the top of the Championship table.

March 14, 2007

The Gateshead connection

Gateshead fielded two Rovers players in their line-up on Saturday for their 4-0 win over Mossley.
The inclusion of Craig Nelthorpe, when he has appeared in the Rovers squad in recent weeks, is somewhat of a surprise, as it appeared he was back at Rovers to contend for a first team place.
Also included in the Gateshead side was youth team striker Luke Bythway, who Gateshead state has joined them on "work experience". Bythway came as a substitute during the second half.
Finally, defender Rob Pacey, who has been on loan at Gateshead, has returned to Doncaster following the expiry of his loan deal.

March 13, 2007

Chesterfield v Rovers information

Next week's away game at Chesterfield (Wednesday, 21st March) is pay on the day - there are no tickets available in advance.
Admission prices are as follows:
Standing (uncovered terrace): Adults £15, OAP's & U18's £8, U14's £5
Seating: Adults £17, All concessions £11.

March 13, 2007

Boss reflects on defeat

Doncaster Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll yesterday apologized to the 1,300 Rovers fans who travelled over to Boundary Park on Sunday. With a full week between matches, he is hoping that he will have a number of his injured players available, but that was balanced by news that Jason Price may well be out with an Achilles tendon injury, further depleting a Rovers attack which has only scored one goal in four games since Paul Heffernan was injured.
The Rovers boss said: "We didn't start well and went a goal down after a comedy of errors. We rallied in the second half and there was only one team in it. But if you don't score when you are on top you're always liable to get beaten. We just didn't play to our potential. There are some important games coming up and life goes on. You can't get too disheartened in football."

March 13, 2007

Ben extends Spotland stay

Former Rovers midfielder Ben Muirhead has had his loan at Rochdale extended until the end of the season. Muirhead has been at the League Two club for a month on loan from Bradford City as he bids to regain full match fitness after a long absence due to injury. Muirhead is yet to finish on the losing side for Rochdale in the five games played, but will be subject to a 24 hour recall if Bradford require his services.

March 13, 2007

JPT ticket update

Despite tickets only just having gone on sale, Bristol Rovers have reported that they have already sold a stunning 28,000 tickets for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 1st April.
The Keepmoat Stadium website are currently reporting that sales to Rovers fans are standing at 15,780 (as at 9th March).

March 11, 2007

Oldham 4 Rovers 0

Some clinical finishing for Oldham made the score line look far worse for Rovers than they deserved, but they may rue the decision not to bring in another striker on loan as they spured a number of chances that they created. To make matters worse, Jason Price was substituted near the end of the game with what may be an Achilles tendon injury. Rovers gave away a poor goal in the eighth minute as Craig Rocastle latched on to a loose ball in the Rovers penalty area to fire past Sullivan for the only goal of the half.
Rovers started the second half quite well, but lacked the cutting edge, and were hit with two goals in two minutes midway through the half to put the game beyond their reach. A last minute goal by Taylor added insult to injury, and consigned Rovers to their heaviest defeat of the season.
The result keeps Rovers in ninth place, and goes a long way towards ensuring that Oldham will finish in the play-off places.

March 12, 2007

Hynes hit by FIFA ban

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Peter Hynes was forced to sit out the opening weekend of the new Irish season due to a FIFA transfer regulation which has also affected up to 30 other players in Ireland. Hynes moved to Derry City during the winter break, but the move falls foul of the FIFA transfer regulation which states that players can only play for two clubs during a 12 month period from July 2006 to July 2007. Various press reports from Ireland suggest that the Irish FA can opt to ignore FIFA's ruling and give the affected players the go-ahead ot complete their transfers. There is a precedent to this; Finland, who also operate on a summer soccer calendar, have also sanctioned similar transfers to allow moves to be completed which would otherwise be ineligible.

March 12, 2007

Rovers aim for the charts

The Doncaster Rovers song "Out of the darkness" by John Parr is finally being released on Monday, 26th March - just six days before Rovers travel to Cardiff for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium.
The song is being released on CD, and also on digital download from HMV's website, with the Rovers hoping for chart success the following weekend. The four-track CD, which will cost £2.99, will be on a limited release of 5,000 copies, which can be ordered from today at HMV Doncaster - the only outlet the CD is being made available.

March 12, 2007

Yates pens new deal

Ex-Rovers defender Mark Yates has signed a new two-year contract as manager at Kidderminster Harriers, meaning he will now stay with the club until June 2009. Former Harriers player Yates returned to the club as manager in January 2006, and led them to the semi-finals of the FA Trophy this season, with the club also being in contention for the Conference play-offs.
He made 33 appearances for Rovers during the 1993/94 season.

March 11, 2007

Wright returns to Blades

Alan Wright, on loan from Sheffield United, has returned to Bramall Lane to receive treatment on a leg injury which has kept him out of recent Rovers matches. Wright's initial month's loan will expire before next weekend's game, and it is uncertain, with the return of Sean McDaid to full fitness, whether Rovers will choose to extend the loan further. Regular left back Gareth Roberts is also making good progress as he recovers from a hamstring injury, but is not expected to return until much later in the month.

March 11, 2007

Oldham v Rovers

Yesterday's results see Rovers start the day one place lower, in ninth - but they can still go into sixth place should they win at Boundary Park this afternoon. A number of players are to have fitness tests ahead of the game, with Coppinger, Lee and Lockwood all carrying on-going knocks. Amongst those definitely missing are Ben Smith, Mark McCammon, Paul Heffernan, Steve Roberts, Gareth Roberts and Kevin Horlock.
Bruce Dyer has a further chance to impress the Rovers management and is likely to start this afternoon's game, with Sean O'Driscoll vowing to give those already on the books a chance to play before bringing in any more loan players.
Oldham have also suffered from injuries of late, which has given their promotion challenge a dent - but they are still in fifth place, five points ahead of Rovers.
Leading scorer Chris Porter is expected to return to partner on-loan Sheffield Wednesday striker Leo Clarke up front, with manager John Sheridan not having any new injury or suspension concerns today. Striker Chris Hall (broken leg) and midfielder Neil Wod (cruciate ligament) will definitely be absent today.
Rovers have won on their last two visits to Boundary Park, and will be confident of making that three in a row after their significant victory over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

March 11, 2007

Rovers review

There are only a small number of former Rovers players scoring goals yesterday, but there is some news of players enjoying varying fortunes in yesterday's fixturs.
Former Rovers striker Leo Fortune-West scored one of Shrewsbury's goals in their 2-2 draw at Macclesfield Town in League Two - ex- Rovers players Dave Morley and Kevin mcIntyre were amongst eight Macclesfield players to be booked during the game.
Ex-Rover Richie Barker scored from the penalty spot as Hartlepool preserved their long unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw against Lincoln City. They are now 20 games without defeat - the last was at home to Barnet in early November.
Also in League Two, ex-loanee Sam Oji, currently at Bristol Rovers, conceded a penalty when handling the ball when attemtping to clear a deflected free kick - Rovers went on to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of struggling Boston United who, despite that win yesterday, remain in a relegation spot, although six points ahead of Torquay United, who also won yesterday.
In Scotland, substitutes Colin Cramb took advantage of a mistake by Raith's Brian Fairburn to score a late winner for Stirling Albion to score the only goal of the game, and consolidates Stirling's second place in the Scottish Second Division.
Finally ex-Rovers midfielder Jimmy Kelly was shown the red card yesterday as Droylsden were reduced to nine men in their game at strugglers Scarborough - the Nationwide North leaders slumped to a 1-0 defeat to give Kettering Town a chance of the title.

March 11, 2007

Rankine extends stay

Former Rovers youth teamer Michael Rankine, the son of ex-Rover Mark, has agreed a new long-term deal at Rushden & Diamonds. Rankine, whose contract was due to expire in the summer, has signed a deal that keeps him at Nene Park until June 2011.

March 10, 2007

Oldham v Rovers

Injuries will again play a big part in considerations made before Sean O'Driscoll names his side for tomorrow afternoon's match against Oldham Athletic. A number of players will have fitness tests over the weekend, with James O'Connor likely to miss the game with a calf injury. As we reported yesterday, a number of the longer-term injured players are making good progress.
New loan signing Harry Worley will be in the squad, despite being subsitutited due to cramp in Tuesday's match. We expect that the only change to the squadfrom Tuesday's game will be due to Mark McCammon's dislocated shoulder, which will mean that he will miss virtually all of the rest of the season.
Oldham, who have been up in the automatic promotion places recently, have suffered a few defeats lately as the pressure starts to tell, and will be looking to get their promotion campaign back on track on Sunday. They will be without Chris Hall, who broke a leg in training, and midfielder Neil Wood, who has a cruciate ligament injury. They are likely to welcome top scorer Chris Porter back to the squad after missing last week's draw against Carlisle with a knee injury. He has been receiving intensive treatment this week, but is hoping to be fit to play. The front two are expected to be Paul Warne and new signing Leon Clarke, with Porter more likely to be on the bench.
Rovers could, depending on results this afternoon, climb as high as sixth with a win at Boundary Park tomorrow.

March 10, 2007

Bayo wants new deal

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa is confident of winning a new contract at Swansea City, even though his season is already over. Akinfenwa broke his leg just over a fortnight ago, which will enforce a lengthy absence - but will become a free agent when his contract at the Liberty Stadium expires in the summer. However, Huw Jenkins, the Swansea chairman, has told Bayo's agent that he wants him to remain at the Swans.
Akinfenwa said: "My contract is up in the summer and I don't know what's going to happen. My agent has called me and told me that the chairman has said he would like me to stay at the club.Swansea know what I can do and I hope they see me as part of their future."

March 10, 2007

Dino returns

Ex-Rovers striker Dino Maamair has returned to Conference National club Southport on loan from Rushden & Diamonds - barely six weeks after making the move in the opposite direction. Maamria had wanted to move to Rushden to join Graham Westley as a player-coach, but the departure of Westley soon afterwards, and the subsequent arrival of Garry Hill as boss has changed the situation. Maamria has not been included in Hill's first two squads at Rushden, and the 33-year old has been allowed to return to Southport on loan for the rest of the season.

March 9, 2007

Treatment room update

Mark McCammon is likely to be out of action for at least six weeks following the dislocation of his shoulder on Tuesday evening, which will mean that, at best, he will only be available for the last three or four matches of the season. He was taken to hospital after the injury, which confirmed no break, but a further scan will be required to see if there is any damage to the ligament around the joint.
James Coppinger is doutbtful for Sunday's game at Oldham after suffering an abductor strain on Tuesday, and is only rated as 50-50.
Slightly better news comes regarding Paul Heffernan, with his ankle injury settling down and he will start running soon. Physio John Dickens rates Heffernan as being "doubtful" for the Millennium Stadium match on 1st April.
Steve Roberts also is unlikely to be fit to play in Cardiff - he's got an ankle injury which is likely to take another three or four weeks before he regains full fitness.
Gareth Roberts is set to step up his return from a torn hamstring - he is making good progress and is set to play a reserves match in around a fortnight's time.Finally, goalkeeper Ben Smith has had a cartilage operation, which will mean he will be out of action for around six weeks.

March 9, 2007

"Afro goal machine" Cardiff T-shirts

Some specially made Afro Goal Machine T-shirts are now on sale on eBay, with proceeds going to Rovers, and a contribution going to the Viking Supporters' Co-operative. They are avaialble in all sizes, in either red or white - see the eBay site for full details. They cost £7.99, and can be collected from the Rovers Return or the Keepmoat Stadium. Alternatively, they can be posted for an additional £2.20.
Click on the shirt image to the left to reach the relevant page on eBay.

March 9, 2007

Voting results

Sean Thornton came out as the clear winner in the "Man of the Match" voting for his performance in Tuesday's away game at Nottingham Forest. Sean picked up over half of the votes cast. With eight Rovers players receving nominations, the top three were:
1 Sean Thornton (52.83%)
2 Paul Green (16.98%)
3 Brian Stock (15.09%)
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. The next poll will open following Sunday afternoon's game at Oldham Athletic.

March 9, 2007

Gill for Gisborne

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Robert Gill has signed for New Zealand's Central Premier club Gisborne City. He made his first appearance for them this week in a pre-season friendly fixture against Childers Road Reserve earlier this week, after flying out from England last week.
Gill, who has been playing for Ilkeston Town recently, said: "It’s something of an adventure. I’m looking forward to playing here but it’ll probably take me a week or two to find my feet. It’s the longest trip I’ve ever made although you do a lot of travelling in football these days. It’s becoming more like the old saying ‘have boots, will travel’ because the game is world-wide and even far away places are becoming more accessible all the time."

March 8, 2007

Donny Dog's Kickabout Club launches tonight!

Donny Dog's Kickabout Club starts tonight at 6.00 pm until 8.00 pm, and then will be every Thursday at the Keepmoat Stadium at the same time.
It is open to boys and girls of all ages (4 to 14) and abilities. There will be lots of fun games and top coaching tips. This is a great way for kids to get active and make new friends.
Rovers in the Community coaches will be running the sessions on the 5-a-side pitches at the Keepmoat Stadium (the pitches located near the North Stand). Each 2 hour session costs just £5 per child and you simply pay on the night - plus also get a discount voucher for Cafe Thorntons at Lakeside Village (which is open until 8pm every Thursday)...
so why not drop the kids off at Kickabout Club and then take in some early evening retail therapy?
More details from the Community team 01302 764 663 or roversinthecommunity@doncasterroversfc.co.uk

March 8, 2007

Reserves 1 Hull City 2

Due to injuries, the side named for yesterday's reserve team fixture against Hull City featured a large number of the youth team squad, augmented by some players who have not been playing regularly in the first team.
The visitors started the better of the two sides and it was no surprise when Ben Wilkinson lobbed the ball into the net after quarter of an hour, even though it appeared that Barry Richardson had been fouled in the build-up to the goal. The experience of the Hull side told, as they enjoyed the majority of the possession, but they failed to covert possession into further goals.
Hull added a second goal in the 51st minute as Russell Fry fired home from a right-wing cross - Craig Nelthorpe had a couple of chances for Rovers without success. Rovers pressed forward in the closing quarter hour of the match, and eventually Jordan Lodge headed home from close range after Danny Bowland's shot had rebounded off the crossbar.
Rovers: Richardson, Noble, Hird, Boyce, Alonso, Lodge, Sutton, L Nelthorpe, McGee, Pittman, C Nelthorpe
Substitutes: Hawksworth (for Hird, 74), Hardy (for C. Nelthorpe, 79), Bowland (for Pittman, 86), Guilliat

March 8, 2007

McCammon set to miss rest of season

Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll is resigned to the prospect of being without striker Mark McCammon for the rest of the season after he suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder in Tuesday's win at Nottingham Forest. However, despite the absence of leading scorer Paul Heffernan for a six week period, O'Driscoll has still insisted that he will not bring a striker in on loan to boost the Rovers strike-force, preferring to rely on the strikers already on the books at the club.
The situation was not helped by the late substitution of James Coppinger with what was reported to be a groin strain.
The Rovers boss said: "We are fortunate at this club in the number of strikers we have and although it is worrying to keep losing them to injury, I still feel we have enough cover. It was a great disappointment to lose Mark last night and we will have to wait to discover the extent of it. We were, of course, delighted with the performance and a great result but to lose Mark put a dampener on things. But I firmly believe we have enough players who can come in and make their presence felt."
Despite the substitution of young defender Harry Worley after an hour of Tuesday's game, Rovers confirmed that it was no more than cramp, and they expect that he will be fit for Sunday's game at Oldham.

March 8, 2007

Oldham v Rovers

The Supporters Club are running coaches to Sunday's game at Oldham Athletic, which leave at the following times::
Retford 10.30am, Bawtry 10.45am, Hare & Tortoise 10.55am, Punches 11.00am, Infirmary 11.00am, Keepmoat Stadium Car Park 3 11.15am, Harworth Pit Gates 10.40am, Rossington Styrrup 10.50am.
The fares are: Members £8, OAP's £7, U16's £6
Non-Members £10, OAP's/U16's £8
To book a place, please contact: Len South (01302 817347), Paul Mayfield (01427 880154 or 077404 53066) or Warren Hanson (North Doncaster) (01302 337303 or 07787 926809).
Tickets for the match are on sale from the ticket office at the Keepmoat Stadium. Whilst the match is not all-ticket, admission on the day is generally more expensive than tickets bought in advance.
Prices are:
Advance tickets: Adults £18, Over 65's £9, U16's £9, U12's £3
Match day prices: Adults £20, Over 65's £11, U16's £11, U12's £3

March 8, 2007

Clark listed

Former Rovers winger Ian Clark has been transfer listed by Gateshead's new manager, Derek Bell - the first change made since Tony Lee (Graeme Lee's father) was sacked a little over a week ago. Clark joined Gateshead in the summer on a free transfer, but has only made 16 appearances for the club, half as substitute, due to a number of injuries. He has scored three goals this season, including the winning goal against Ossett Town a couple of Saturdays ago.

March 7, 2007

Forest 0 Rovers 1

Doncaster Rovers recorded their first-ever win at the City Ground last night with an impressive win which suddenly reignites the promotion campaign, which seemed to have faltered after Saturday's defeat. A magnificent performance saw victory sealed with Brian Stock's 44th minute superb long-range strike from well over 30 yards, which gave the Forest goalkeeper no chance.
Victory came at a price though, with yet another striker being injured. Mark McCammon fell awkwardly in the 40th minute, and it took the medical team five minutes before they could remove him from the field. Early indications are that he has dislocated his shoulder, which will put him out of action for the next few matches.
The result puts Rovers back up to eighth place - and more importantly, only two points behind sixth placed Tranmere Rovers. Could "Destination Championship" still be possible?

March 7, 2007

Goals review

With a full Conference fixture list last night, we begin our review of former Rovers players scoring goals in that league, where Warren Peyton's superb free kick from 25 yards put Altrincham on the way to a 5-0 home win over Cambridge United, which sees Cambridge now worryingly close to the relegation places, and Altrincham climb just out of the drop zone. Also in the Conference, former Rovers youth team player Michael Rankine scored for Rushden & Diamonds in their 2-2 home draw against Morecambe.
Finally, some late-arriving news from the weekend comes in from the Kent Premier Division, where ex-Rovers striker Wade Falana scored twice as his current club in a much travelled career, Beckenham, won 4-1 at Deal Town.

March 7, 2007

Gilzean in charge at Tayport

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Ian Gilzean has been appointed as assistant manager to Frank Conway at Whyte & Mackay East Superleague side Tayport following Tayport's 1-0 win on Saturday. Tayport are the current East Superleague champions.
Gilzean, the son of Spurs legend Alan, played three times for Rovers in the 1992/93 season whilst on loan from Tottenham, but played the bulk of his Football League career for Northampton Town, for who he made 29 League appearances. Most of his football career since leaving Northampton has been in Scotland, joining Elgin City in 2001 on a Bosman free transfer from Irish club St Patrick's Athletic.

March 7, 2007

Jason gets a taste of management

Former Doncaster Rovers player Jason Blunt, who played for the club in the Conference days, has been appointed as manager of Northern Counties East Premier League club Sutton Town following the departure of Lee Wilson at the end of last month Blunt has been given the job until the end of the season, after which Sutton will reassess the situation.

March 6, 2007

Rovers v Forest team news

With several players not training yesterday after suffering from knocks and bruises, a decision about the line-up for this evening's game at Nottingham Forest will be delayed until later today. James O'Connor and Adam Lockwood are the major concerns - the situation may have been what prompted O'Driscoll to move into the loan market to sign Chelsea's young central defender, Harry Worley, yesterday.
James Coppinger and Jonathan Forts also did not train yesterday, but O'Driscoll expects both to be fit to play.
Bruce Dyer will be included in the squad after finishing his loan at Bradford City at the weekend, and Jason Price, who in the absence of Paul Heffernan is the leading goalscorer available, will be available after serving a one match suspension on Saturday.
Nottingham Forest have been hit by the news that Sammy Clinghan will miss the rest of the season after breaking his ankle in the early stages of their 5-1 win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday. Young Lewis McGugan is likely to deputise this evening after an impressive performance after replacing Clingan. David Prutton faces a late fitness test on a thigh injury, and Nathan Tyson will return to the squad after being completing a three match ban - however, former Rovers striker Jack Lester misses the game, serving the second of a two match suspension.

March 6, 2007

Worley moves in on loan

Young Chelsea central defender Harry Worley has joined Doncaster Rovers on a month's loan from Premiership giants Chelsea, and will be included in the squad for this evening's game at Nottingham Forest, where he will provide cover for James O'Connor and Adam Lockwood, both of who face late fitness tests. Worley started his career at Stockport County before moving to Chelsea in a £150,000 transfer in July 2005. So far, he has only appeared for Chelsea's youth and reserve sides, but has been tipped to play at the highest level by some pundits.
Worley has been allocated squad number 34 at Rovers.

March 6, 2007

Dyer recalled

Striker Bruce Dyer has been recalled from Bradford City after completing a month's loan and will go into the squad for this evening's game at Nottingham Forest. Rovers have failed to score in their last two matches, and need to start finding the net again if they are to continue to harbour promotion ambitions this season. With manager Sean O'Driscoll ruling out the possibility of bringing in a striker to replace Heffernan in the short term, it gives Dyer the ideal opportunity to belatedly kick-start his Rovers career.

March 6, 2007

Voting results

Unsurprisingly, there was a lower than usual level of voting for the "Man of the Match" of Saturday's away match at Bournemouth, but nevertheless, we appreciate those who took the trouble to place a vote. Seven Rovers players received nominations, with James Coppinger coming out as the clear winner. The players receiving the most votes were:
1 James Coppinger (42.86%)
2 Sean McDaid (13.3%)
2 Neil Sullivan (13.3%)
4 James O'Connor (12.5%)
The next vote will open following this evening's away game at Nottingham Forest.

March 5, 2007

Boss reveals Heffernan injury blow

In his post-match interview, Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll revealed that leading scorer Paul Heffernan will be out for longer than origianlly anticapted. A scan on his injured ankle revealed that Heffernan has ruptured his ankle ligaments, which will result in a lay-off of "at least six weeks". That timescale will mean that the striker will certainly miss the match against Bristol Rovers at the Millennium Stadium, and increase the pressure on the Rovers boss to bring in a striker on loan for the rest of the season.
O'Driscoll pointed Rovers' defeat at some poor defending as the reason for their defeat on Saturday. "We were in control until the first goal, when we didn't defend from a throw-in which is one of my pet hates. Then, the kick-off at the start of the second half was a joke and we gave a stupid goal away. The difference between success and failure in this league is minute, but goals change games."

March 5, 2007

Cardiff coach news

This is the last full week that the Supporters Club will be selling coach tickets for the trip to the Millennium Stadium on 1st April. Tickets will be on sale at the Keepmoat Stadium, Main Reception, between 10am and 2pm until Friday, although due to work commitments, they will not be on sale today. Tickets will also be on sale between 6.15pm and 9pm at the Park Hotel this week, although due to a match at Nottingham Forest tomorrow, it is not confirmed whether tickets will be on sale on Tuesday.
In addition, tickets will be sold at the Packet Inn, Grove Street, Retford this evening between 7pm and 9pm.
The Supporters Club report that they have filled approximately 28 coaches so far.

March 5, 2007

Anyone lost a flag?

Bournemouth's official website has reported that a Doncaster Rovers flag was found in the East Stand after Saturday's game at Dean Court. If anyone has lost a flag, Bournemouth have asked that you contact jon.sharkey@afcb.co.uk to arrange for its safe return.

March 5, 2007

Forest tickets

Tickets for next Tuesday's away game at Nottingham Forest are now on genera sale from the Keepmoat Stadium ticket office.
Prices for tickets, which are in the Bridgford Stand lower tier, which is behind the goal, are:
Adults £22, Over-60's £16, Students/U-18's £10, U-12's £5
Adult and over-60's prices rise by £2 if bought from Nottingham Forest on match day.
Wheelchair tickets can also be bought at £16 (which also rises by £2 on match day), although that includes a free carer. Tickets for wheelchair-bound fans must be bought direct from Nottingham Forest on 0871 226 1980.
Supporters are advised to buy their ticket in advance to avoid long queues on match day.

March 3, 2007

Bournemouth 2 Rovers 0

Rovers fell slightly further behind the chase for the play-off places this afternoon at Dean Court as they went down to a 2-0 defeat, with both goals scored within a couple of minutes of the half time break.Bournemouth climbed out of the drop zone with victory against Doncaster.
The first half was quite an even affair, with neither side having many good scoring opportunities, but the goal came in injury time just before the break. Brett Pitman cut in from the right wing to fire a low shot past Sullivan into the Rovers net.
Bournemouth tore into Rovers straight after the restart, with McGoldrick scoring with a curling shot into the top corner of Neil Sullivan's net. Both sides had chances to score int he rest fo teh game, with Forte and Lee having reasonable chances go wide for Rovers.
The "Man of the Match" voting has now closed. The results will be announced on Tuesday morning.

March 4, 2007

The goals review

With no former Rovers players scoring goals in the Football League yesterday, we begin this week's review in the Nationwide Conference, where the "Sarge", Mark Albrighton, helped to get Garry Hill's tenure as manager at Rushden & Diamonds off to a winning start as he scored the second of their goals in the 2-0 win over promotion play-off candidates Exeter City. Yesterday's win means that the Rushden have yet to lose a match that the "Sarge" has played in for them, and sees the club unbeaten in eight matches, moving them up from flirting with relegation into a safe midtable position with an outside chance of the play-offs.
In the UniBond Premier Division, Burscough have ex-Rovers skipper Gary Brabin to thank for their 2-0 win over managerless Gateshead. He scored both goals after coming on as a substitute to see his side record their third win in a row, lifting them up into fifth place in the table, just three points behind second-placed Witton Albion, who are in turn seven points behind leaders AFC Telford United, although they have two games in hand.
Finally, Richard Offiong scored with two opportunist strikes as Hamilton won the Lanarkshire derby 3-0 over neighbours Airdrie United. The first was a volley from a poor clearance in the 12th minute, and his second a header just after half time from a right wing cross.

March 4, 2007

Brockie gets the job

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Vince Brockie has been confirmed as the new manager of Harrogate Railway. He had taken the job on a short-term basis following the resignation of Martin Haresign at the UniBond First Division club due to work commitments. Brockie took control of the side for the 5-1 win over Rossendale United, and has said that he intends to build on the progress made by Haresign.
"Martin set the standard when he was here and we need to carry on with that," said Brockie. "The first objective is to move further up the league table because I believe this team is a lot better than their current position suggests.It's a great honour for me to be manager of Harrogate Railway.”

March 3, 2007

Bournemouth v Rovers

Both Rovers and Bournemouth appear to be waiting until the last minute to name their sides for this afternoon's game at Dean Court, with both managers having to contend with a lengthy injury list.
Rovers will be missing their two leadign goal-scorers, Paul Heffernan and Jason Price, due to injury and suspension respectively. On the positive side, Sean McDaid came through Tuesday's home game against Yeovil without any adverse reaction, and will be included in today's squad. Also in with a chance of being involved today are Mark McCammon and James Coppinger, who both missed Tuesday's game, but returned to training on Thursday. Left back Alan Wright also trained on Thursday after missing out on Tuesday, but it is uncertain as to whether he will return to the starting eleven.
Bournemouth will be missing defender Neil Youg, who serves a one match ban, and Josh Gowling (groin) and Shaun Cooper (ankle) are rated as doubtful. They also have Bjarni Vidarsson and Marc Wilson who have been suffereing from illness during the week, and a late decision will be made as to whether they play. There have also been stories circulating during the week that James Hayter will miss today's game due to a hamstring injury, with Darren Anderton also said to be suffering from a groin injury. Both will face late fitness tests.

March 3, 2007

Lewer helps out Grays

Former Doncaster Rovers assistant manager Alan Lewer has been appointed as a scout for Conference club Grays Athletic. Lewer played for Aldershot, Bournemouth and Woking before embarking on a managerial career that has taken in Chester City, Telford United, Forest Green Rovers, Nuneaton Borough, and most recently as assistant manager to John Hollins at Crawley Town.

March 3, 2007

Cup final tickets still going well

The Keepmoat Stadium ticket office has reorted that, as at 1st March, 13,700 tickets have been sold for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at Cardiff. There are around 2,000 tickets ordered by telephone that have yet to be processed, and are to be added to this total.
They have asked that anyone who has ordered tickets by telephone not to go to collect them until after Monday, 5th March.

March 3, 2007

Hynes moves on

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Peter Hynes has moved from Northern Irish club Newry City to Derry City on a free transfer. Hynes left Dundalk for disciplinary reasons at the end of the last Irish season, but has been in demand as the Irish league gears up for the new campaign which starts on 9th March.
The 23-year old, who hails from Dublin, started his career at Aston Villa, having loan spells at Rovers and Cheltenham before moving back to Ireland to play for Dublin City and Dundalk.

March 2, 2007

Man of the match

Mark Wilson picked up his first win as "Man of the Match" for his performance on Tuesday against Yeovil Town, winning over half of all the votes cast. Apart from that, the votes were spread fairly evenly throughout the other seven players nominated. The players receiving the most votes are:
1 Mark Wilson (51.43%)
2 Graeme Lee (12.86%)
2 Sean McDaid (12.86%)
Thank you to everyone who took part. The next vote will open following Saturday's away game at Bournemouth.

March 2, 2007

Antony stays on

Doncaster Rovers midfielder Antony Griffith has had his loan spell at Stafford Rangers extended until the end of the season after doing well in his first month at the club. Griffith has barely featured in the first team this season and this loan move will give him the opportunity to get more first team experience, albeit at a lower level.

March 2, 2007

Forest tickets

Tickets for next Tuesday's away game at Nottingham Forest are now on genera sale from the Keepmoat Stadium ticket office.
Prices for tickets, which are in the Bridgford Stand lower tier, which is behind the goal, are:
Adults £22, Over-60's £16, Students/U-18's £10, U-12's £5
Adult and over-60's prices rise by £2 if bought from Nottingham Forest on match day.
Wheelchair tickets can also be bought at £16 (which also rises by £2 on match day), although that includes a free carer. Tickets for wheelchair-bound fans must be bought direct from Nottingham Forest on 0871 226 1980.
Supporters are advised to buy their ticket in advance to avoid long queues on match day.

March 2, 2007

Ticket offer for home games

Doncaster Rovers are offering supporters a specially discounted package for tickets for the last five home games of the season. You will be able to buy a ticket for the last five league matches for the price of four, meaning that adult prices start at £60 for five matches in Category C seats. This should ensure that crowd levels for the last part of the season regain the levels that were achieved for earlier matches at the Keepmoat Stadium. These special tickets go on sale from Monday, 5th March, and stay on sale until Friday, 16th March.
Prices for the "Final Five" tickets are as follows:
Category A: Adults £84, Concessions £60, Under-11's £60
Category B: Adults £72, Concessions £48, Under-11's £15
Category C: Adults £60, Concessions £32, Under-11's £15

March 2, 2007

Rigo carried off

Former Doncaster Rovers midfielder Adriano Rigoglioso was carried off on a stretcher with a knee injury after a collision on the edge of the penalty area in Forest Green Rovers' match against Cambridge United last weekend.

March 1, 2007

Bournemouth match news

No tickets are on sale in advance of Saturday's away game at Bournemouth; everyone will pay on the day.
From Bournemouth's website, the prices appear to be:
Adults: £18.00
Under-16's: £7.50
Over 65's/Students/Disabled: £9.50
The Supporters Club are running coaches to the game. To book a place, contact Len South (01302 817347), Paul Mayfield (01427 880154 or 077404 53066) or Warren Hanson (01302 337303 or 07787 926809).
Coaches depart from Retford at 7.15am, Bawtry 7.30am, Hare & Tortoise 7.40am, Punches 7.45am, Doncaster Royal Infirmary 7.45am, Keepmoat Stadium (car park 3) 8.00am, Harworth Pit Gates 7.25am and Rossington Styrrup 7.35am.
Fares are: Members £20, OAP's £18, Under-16's £16
Non-members: £22, OAP's/U16's £20

March 1, 2007

Bantams wait in Bruce decision

Bradford City caretaker manager David Wetherall is waiting for an answer from Doncaster Rovers as to whether they will be allowed to renewe the loan of Bruce Dyer for a further month. With striker David Hibbert ruled out for up to six weeks, City are keen to retain Dyer's services, but Wetherall said: "They've got a couple of injuries and will see how they go before getting back to us. I'll have to wait until later in the week to find out."
With striker Paul Heffernan being ruled out for up to a month, and Mark McCammon missing Tuesday's match due to injury, it is quite possible that Rovers will recall Dyer from his loan spell to bolster the Rovers attack.

March 1, 2007

You'll have to pay for Adam

Adam Collin, who was on Doncaster Rovers' books on loan from Newcastle United for the final three months of the 2003/04 season, although he did not play a first team game, has been invited to train with League One promotion hopefuls Carlisle United. Collin is currently receiving rave reviews for his performances for Workington Reds, conceding only eight goals in the opening 16 games of the season. Workington promptly gave him a contract, his first after joining the club in July 2004 following his release by Newcastle.
Carlisle have invited him to train with them to take advantage of goalkeeping coaching by Neil Edwards, but insist that they ahve no interest in signing the player.
Carlisle boss Neil McDonald said: “We are giving him the opportunity to have some full-time training which you don’t always get the chance to have at non-league level. But there is nothing more to it than that.”
Even so, Workington boss Tommy Cassidy still warned the Bluebirds that they will have to pay a transfer fee if they wanted to sign him.
“He’s training with Carlisle on a Monday and Tuesday to keep himself fit and they will have a look at him, but he’s under contract with us. He’s my goalkeeper and I don’t want to lose him. I have always said that if the chance of full-time football comes along for lads like him, I understand. I won’t stand in his way if he wants to go, but we will have to be compensated. If Carlisle want him, they pay for him. He could play at league level and I have told him that.”