September 15, 2006

Voting results

It was a very close contest in the voting for the "Man of the Match" for the Huddersfield game. In the end, it was a tie for top place between Graeme Lee and Jan Budtz. A total of nine players received nominations, with the players receiving the most votes being:
1 Graeme Lee (22.58%)
1 Jan Budtz (22.58%)
3 Brian Stock (19.35%)
4 Lewis Guy (11.29%)
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. The next poll will open on Saturday evening following the away game at Rotherham United.

September 15, 2006

Blayney and Roberts to miss Millmoor game

Alan Blayney and Steve Roberts will miss tomorrow's away game at Rotherham United. Blayney had to be substituted at half time of Tuesday's game at Huddersfield after a deep cut in his elbow re-opened, and Rovers sent him for a precautionary X-ray yesterday, with nothing being revealed. Alan's arm is still sore with quite a bit of swelling, which is being treated with compression and ice.
Roberts suffered a calf strain late in the game, which also forced his substitution. At the moment, Barrie Windle doesn't know how long Roberts will be out, but he also looks likely to miss next week's matches.

September 15, 2006

Rovers Return open on Saturday

For the convenience of travelling fans joining their coaches at Belle Vue to travel to Millmoor on Saturday, the Rovers Return will be open from 11.00 am on Saturday morning for fans to take shelter or enjoy a drink. Coaches will depart at 1.00 pm.

September 14, 2006

Fozzie to delay op?

Former Rovers defender Steve Foster broke his nose during Scunthorpe's match against Port Vale on Tuesday evening. Foster was substituted a minute after half time, with another former Rovers player, Andy Crosby, replacing him. Foster now faces a spell on the sidelines, and may miss the chance to face Rovers at the end of the month. After the match, United boss Brian Laws said that the club would wait for an assessment of the injury before deciding whether Foster would need to have an operation or not. "Steve's had these breaks before so he will know what the procedure is" said Laws. "Sometimes you leave them (the operation) until the end of the season, and sometimes you have to sort them out immediately".

September 14, 2006

Rotherham tickets

Tickets for the away game at Rotherham on Saturday (16th September) remain on sale until Friday lunchtime, at which stage they will be returned to Rotherham.
Rovers are reported to have sold approximately 1,500 tickets out of their initial 2,200 allocation.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults £18.00, Senior Citizens £10.00, Juniors £8.00. No student concessions are available.
The match is all-ticket and no tickets will be on sale on the day of the game.

September 14, 2006

Redfearn the defender

Former Rovers midfielder Neil Redfearn played his second game as an emergency centre-back on Tuesday for his current club, Bradford Park Avenue, owing to injuries to other Bradford defenders. The match ended with Bradford keeping a second successive clean sheet as they won 1-0 at Bridlington Town, keeping Park Avenue in the top half of the UniBond Division One.
Redfearn said: "Bridlington impressed me in a competitive game. I was asked to play alongside Gary Shaw at the heart of defence and tried to use my experience. We had a game plan and were well organised. Two clean sheets on the trot speaks for itself. We are a hard side to beat."
Redfearn played 46 games for Rovers in the 1986/87 season before joining Crystal Palace.

September 12, 2006

Huddersfield 0 Rovers 0

Sean O'Driscoll's reign at Doncaster Rovers began with a battling goalless draw at the Galpharm Stadium, which hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Rovres in recent seasons. New loan signing Brian Stock was given his debut in the Rovers midfield, where he lined up alongside James Coppinger, Paul Green and Jason Price. Lewis Guy was recalled after his omission at the weekend to partner Paul Heffernan, and skipper Graeme Lee was restored to the side in defence, where he lined up with James O'Connor, Gareth Roberts and Steve Roberts. Rovers were forced into making a substitution at half time, with Alan Blayney being replaced by Jan Budtz after picking up an injury to his elbow. Jason Price was replaced by Jonathan Forte after incurring the wrath of the referee almost one time too many - he was probably only one foul away from a second yellow card of the evening. The final substitution was also enforced, with the injured Steve Roberts being replaced by Adam Lockwood near the end of the game.
A determined performance - both sides had their chances, but both sides' indifferent form probably contributed to the score remaining goalless.
The "Man of the Match" voting has now closed. Thank you to everyone who has votes. The result will be calculated overnight and posted on Friday morning

September 13, 2006

Rovers Return open on Saturday

For the convenience of travelling fans joining their coaches at Belle Vue to travel to Millmoor on Saturday, the Rovers Return will be open from 11.00 am for fans to take shelter or enjoy a drink. Coaches will depart at 1.00 pm.

September 13, 2006

VSC meeting confirmed

September 13, 2006

Score line

A review of former Rovers players scoring goals in last night begins at Turf Moor, where Michael McIndoe scored twice in eleven minutes to put Barnsley 2-0 up. Burnley hit back with three second half goals from Noel-Williams to win the match 4-2.
In League Two, Tim Ryan scored two penalties for Boston United as they drew 3-3 at Barnet, and in the Conference, Neil Grayson scored a late penalty to earn Stafford Rangers a point in their 1-1 home draw against Burton Albion.

September 13, 2006

Saturday's youth game off

The youth team game between Doncaster Rovers and Boston United on Saturday (16th September) has been postponed. No new date has yet been arranged.

September 12, 2006

Sean adds Stock

Sean O'Driscoll's first day at Doncaster Rovers ended with one addition to the squad, with Preston North End midfielder Brian Stock joining the club on a one-month loan. Stock was signed in time for him to be available for selection in this evening's away game at Huddersfield Town, and rejoins O'Driscoll at Belle Vue, having previously played for him at Bournemouth.
Stock made over 160 appearances for Bournemouth before joining Preston in January's transfer window, signing a contract that keeps him at Deepdale until the summer of 2010. However, he has only made three League starts and three substitute appearances since joining Preston.
He speaks of O'Driscoll in glowing terms, which hopefully bodes well for the future, saying: "Bournemouth are a great footballing side, Sean O'Driscoll has been brilliant, he has been like my dad really, I've always been at Bournemouth, Sean's worked on a tight budget, he tries to play the right way and that is the reason that I have decided to come here."

September 12, 2006

Huddersfield v Rovers

The Sean O'Driscoll era at Rovers begins this evening with a tricky away match at Huddersfield Town. O'Driscoll has a virtually full squad to select from, with only Andy Warrington definitely on the sidelines as he recovers from an ankle injury. Rovers will add new loan signing Brian Stock to the squad for tonight's match. With a new manager, it's anyone's guess as to what side will be named this evening, but Kevin Horlock could be set for a recall to the squad after being out for the last few matches due to injury.
Huddersfield Town will be missing their captain, Jon Worthington, who is recovering from a hernia operation, along with Adnan Ahmed (broken metatarsal), although midfielder Chris Brandon could make a return after missing the last five matches due to an ankle injury.
Striker Pawel Abbott could also make a return tonight after staking his claim by scoring after coming on as a substitute last Saturday. Huddersfield will also give midfielder Andy Holdsworth a late fitness test before the game.

September 12, 2006

Voting results

With an unsurprisingly reduced number of votes received for the "Man of the Match" for Saturday's game against Gillingham, there were again two main contenders, James O'Connor and James Coppinger. O'Connor emerged as the winner; with eight Rovers players receiving nominations, the leading votes were cast as follows:
1 James O'Connor (43.18%)
2 James Coppinger (27.27%)
3 Paul Heffernan (9.09%)
Thank you to everyone who voted. The next poll will open following this evening's away game at Huddersfield Town.

September 11, 2006

O'Driscoll best man for job

Sean O'Driscoll arrives to take over as manager of Doncaster Rovers this morning with a busy sequence of matches to prepare for, starting with tomorrow's away game at Huddersfield Town. A press conference then follows to allow him to be introduced to the local journalists, which all Rovers fans (subject to numbers) are welcome to attend.
Meanwhile, it emerged over the weekend that Sean O'Driscoll was John Ryan's number one choice all along. The new Rovers boss has been given a two year contract, with the club also having to pay a compensation package to Bournemouth for the one-year rolling contract that he was on at Dean Court. Ryan is now saying that he thinks that Kevin Keegan, the fans' choice for the job, will not manage again, and if he does get involved in football again, it will be at boardroom level. Ryan remains hopeful of reaching a promotion place, saying "Our target remains the Championship and if we get there we'll need all Sean's abilities to punch above his weight."
Ryan also said of O'Driscoll: "He's an intelligent man and tactically astute. He knows this league inside out. He was known as a miracle worker at Bournemouth because he has never had any resources to work with."

September 11, 2006

Coin Trail

The Viking Supporters' Co-operative have reported that they raised another £363.31 for their "Coin Trail" appeal at Saturday's home game against Gillingham. This takes the total that they have raised towards the cost of running the youth team to £52,613.50.

September 9, 2006

Rovers 1 Gillingham 2

Rovers had a man spare for virtually an hour of this afternoon's game, but desptie having the majority of the possession, they failed to seriously test the debutant keeper, Scott Flinders, who only arrived on loan from Crystal Palace yesterday. Sadly, many players had off-days, but nevertheless, if Paul Heffernan had scored from one of three gilt-edged chacnes during the game, it could have been so much different. Gillingham's first goal came as they failed to stop a cross in from Gillingham's right wing, which was fired home at the near post; their second came from the penalty spot when Steve Roberts pushed a Gillingham player in a wide, unthreatening position. The Rovers goal had an element of fortune about it - a shot from Mark McCammon rebounded at speed and it ended up going into the net off Clohessy. The possession figures were heavily in Rovers favour, but it was only extremely rarely that they threatened the Gillingham defence - although the frequency that the offside flag was raised against them didn't help matters.
The "Man of the Match" voting has now closed. Thank you to everyone who voted, the result will be announced on Tuesday morning.

September 10, 2006

The goals check

Our review of former Doncaster Rovers players scoring goals yesterday starts in the Championship, where Chris Brown scored Sunderland's first goal as they won 2-1 at Derby, which was also Roy Keane's first match in charge.
In League One, JJ Melligan scored Cheltenham Town's second goal as they won 2-1 at home to Huddersfield Town; in League Two, Tim Ryan scored from the penalty spot as Boston United won 2-1 at home to Stockport, and Richie Barker scored twice for Mansfield as they defeated Hereford United 4-1 at Field Mill.
In Scotland, two former Rovers players scored for Stirling Albion in their game at home to Forfar Athletic yesterday. Colin Cramb scored Stirling's second goal early in the second half, and Dene Shields scored an injury time third goal, with the result lifing Albion to fourth in the Scottish Second Division.
Finally, we look at the Conference North. Steve Brodie scored for Stalybridge Celtic as his club went down 2-1 at Moor Green, and Ben Saunders scored Worksop's goal as they succumbed to a 4-1 home defeat against Vauxhall Motors. Worksop didn't help their own cause though, scoring two own goals during the first twenty minutes.

September 10, 2006

Press conference

Doncaster Rovers will be holding a press conference in the Rovers Return on Monday afternoon, which will introduce new manager Sean O'Driscoll to the local press.
Subject to numbers, Rovers fans are welcome to attend the event, which begins at 3pm.

September 10, 2006

Penney move?

The local press have been suggesting that Dave Penney is in the running fro a job on the Sheffield United coaching staff, although they name former Blackburn manager Brian Kidd as being amongst the front-runners for the job.
Penney has also been linked with joining England's under-21 set-up. Current Under-21 manager Peter Taylor is only doing the job part-time, and England boss Steve McClaren is understood to be after it being made into a full time post.

September 9, 2006

Rovers v Gillingham

Caretaker manager Mickey Walker goes into today's match hoping that his short reign will see him become the only Rovers manager to have a 100% success record, with Rovers facing Gillingham at Belle Vue this afternoon.
Mickey is likely to name a similar squad to the one that was named for the Port Vale match, but we expect some changes to the starting line-up, with Lewis Guy and Paul Heffernan likey to start the game in place of Mark McCammon and Michele Di Piedi.
Antony Griffith, Bruce Dyer and Kevin Horlock have all been passed fit, although with them not having played any football for a few weeks, they are not expected to start the game. Rovers now have the luxury of having only one player out injured - goalkeeper Andy Warrington - which should bode well for the next few weeks.
Please remember that it is "Quid a kid" today for children on the Rossington Terrace, although they must pick up a voucher from the club shop or club offices before going to the turnstiles.

Gillingham go into today's match in 23rd position, with only Rotherham United below them in the league table, with just four points to their credit this season. Gills manager Ronnie Jepson welcomes back Andrew Crofts from international duty, Mark Bentley has recovered from an ankle injury, and Alan Pouton is fit after a calf problem. Goalkeeper Kelvin Jack remains sidelined with a knee injury, so Ronnie Jepson has signed young Crystal Palance Ross Flinders on a month's loan. Flinders is set to make his debut in this afternoon's game.

September 9, 2006

Ticket news

Tickets for the away game at Rotherham United, and the home game against Derby County, will be on general sale today between 10am and 2pm, and then after the game.
The Rotherham match is all-ticket, with an initial 2,200 allocation being given to Rovers.
Admission prices for this match are: Adults £18.00, Senior Citizens £10.00, Juniors £8.00.
There are no student discounts available.
The Derby County match is not all-ticket, however with it set to be new manager Sean O'Driscoll's first home match in charge, it could well be that increased interest will surround the game, so buying an advanced ticket is advised to guarantee admission.

September 9, 2006

Brevett for Oxford

Oxford United have announced that they have signed the former Rovers defender Rufus Brevett, who has been without a club since leaving Plymoth at the end of last season. Brevett has signed for the U's on a month-to-month contract, and is due to make his Conference debut against Morecambe today. Oxford boss Jim Smith signed the former Fulham and West Ham defender after losing experienced left back Gavin Johnson with a hamstring injury.

September 8, 2006

O'Driscoll for Rovers

Bournemouth manager Sean O'Driscoll will become the new Doncaster Rovers manager following tomorrow afternoon's match against Gillingham. Neither club is issuing a statement at the moment, but the BBC have reported that the two clubs have agreed a settlement to compensate Bournemouth. O'Driscoll is expected to be in charge of Bournemouth's match against Crewe tomorrow afternoon before heading for Belle Vue to be installed as manager in time for Tuesday's away game at Huddersfield Town.
Reliable sources confirm that Mickey Walker will remain as Director of Football, and also act as assistant managre, with Richard O'Kelly following O'Driscoll up from Dean Court to become first team coach. Barry Richardson will remain as a coach.
The BBC report that John Ryan will be making a statement on their "Praise or Grumble" programme at 5pm tomorrow afternoon.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are due to hold a press conference at 3pm this afternoon, although this is likely to be to unveil the signing of ex-Spurs striker Darren Anderton.

September 8, 2006

Rovers v Gillingham

There may be a lot of speculation as to who is set to be named as the new Doncaster Rovers manager, but one thing is sure - that Mickey Walker will lead the side for tomorrow's home game against Gillingham. Walker faces a pleasant selection problem tomorrow, with a number of players returning to full fitness. Kevin Horlock and Bruce Dyer have resumed training, and are available for selection, although their lack of match practice may count against them at the moment. We expect changes to be made for tomorrow's game, with the strike force likely to be Paul Heffernan and Lewis Guy, who proved highly effective when they came on as substiutes on Sunday at Port Vale. It will also be interesting to see whether Sean Thornton is in the squad after being left out of the squad for Mickey's first match in charge.
Tomorrow's match is "Quid a Kid", but the special offer only applies for the Rossington End Terrace.
There will be a collection outside the ground by the Parkinson's Disease Society following the death of Rovers legend Charlie Williams.

September 8, 2006

Speculation continues

An interesting selection of names are being bandied about as fans and the press try to work out who the new Rovers boss may be. Keegan appears to be increasingly unlikely, with no confirmed contact between the former England manager and John Ryan. The Rovers statement issued yesterday confirmed that three have been short-listed - Mickey Walker is also under consideration, but it is not clear as to whether his name is in addition to the three prospective men, or included in the three. Rovers have stated that they hope to name the new manager some time later next week.

September 8, 2006

Score time

Former Rovers striker Ross McCormack was on the score sheet on Tuesday when he scored for Motherwell in their reserve team game against Hibernian. Motherwell went on to lose the game 3-2.
Also scoring in midweek matches was Peter Hynes, who scored with a spectacular strike from 25 yards as Dundalk beat ten-man Monghan United 3-1 on Tuesday to go three points clear at the top of the Irish Premier League.

September 8, 2006

Bayo move ruled out

After failing to sign Swansea's former Rovers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa before the transfer deadline, Swansea City's chairman, Huw Jenkins, has now ruled out any possibility of Akinfenwa moving out on loan.
"We don't want him to go on loan to Gillingham or any other club," he said. "We need competition for places. "I think most people would agree that Akinfenwa has done very well off the bench in the past couple of games and might now get a run in the side."
Gills boss Ronnie Jepson said: "We thought we had the deal in the bag but then the talks broke down between our chairman and their chairman. It was disappointing because it would have freshened things up and given me another option."

September 7, 2006

Rovers issue statement after board meeting

Rovers have issued a statement following their board meeting yesterday afternoon at which the vacancy for the manager's job was discussed. Rovers have said that they have drawn up a "short-list" of three prospective candidates, and they will be speaking to each of them. The club hope to be in a position to announce the new manager later next week.
No clues were given as to the identity of the three remaining candidates, with many high profile names having been mentioned over the past week.

September 7, 2006

Jeffrey wins vote

Rovers legend Alick Jeffrey has won the vote for the naming of the road to the new Community Stadium which has been organised by Doncaster Council. Jeffrey won the vote, with around 1,500 voting in his favour. A naming ceremony will be held in the autumn.

September 7, 2006

Foster in pub altercation

Former Doncaster Rovers skipper Steve Foster needed a dozen stitches after being glassed in the fact on a night out in Mansfield, Nottingham Crown Court was told. Foster was left with a two and a half inch cut on his forehead after being attacked by Gary Dutton of Mansfield, with the court being told that a row broke out between the two inside the pub on April 30th.
Dutton pleaded guilty to wounding, with sentencing being adjourned for two weeks to allow for photographs of Foster's injuries to be presented to the court.
Foster was not availble to comment, and his manager at Scunthorpe, Brian Laws, said the club had no comment to make, as it was a private matter.

September 6, 2006

Man of the match result

The results for the "Man of the Match" at Port Vale on Sunday ended up being a contest between Paul Heffernan and James Coppinger, who amassed over 80% of the votes cast between them. With most of the players receiving at least one nomination, the leading votes were cast as follows:
1 James Coppinger (47.02%)
2 Paul. Heffernan (34.33%)
3 Paul Green (8.21%)
4 Lewis Guy (5.97%)
Thanks as always to everyone who voted - the next poll will open following Saturday's home game against Gillingham.

September 6, 2006

Rovers board meet today

Doncaster Rovers are to hold a scheduled board meeting at 11am this morning. Whilst the meeting may have been planned some time ago, undoubtedly the main subject on the agenda this morning will be to discuss candidates for the vacant manager's job.
Mickey Walker undoubtedly did his cause no harm at all on Sunday, inspiring his side to come from behind to snatch two late goals to clain victory at Port Vale. Walker evidently fancies a crack at the job, commenting to the Yorkshire Post: "You know the old saying, 'if it ain't broken don't mend it' and, as of now, I would say I am the best man for the job."
There are several contenders for the post - Keegan is John Ryan's supposed first choice, but it is far from certain whether the former England manager would accept such overtures. The club are reported to have received a number of candidates, supposedly including Peter Reid, Peter Beardsley, Keith Curle, Brian Little and Glynn Snodin.
In any case, Walker is likely to have a say in the next manager, thanks to his position as Director of Football.
"It is a little bit of conflict of interests," he added. "But we are an intelligent football club and it will be done professionally. I have got to be objective, I have got to advise, and sometimes I have to agree to disagree. John Ryan wouldn't have invited me to be the director of football if he didn't listen to me. He is a fantastic businessman but it is no good me taking a job and being subservient. If he wants my advice, and I am sure he will, I will be working for the club's best interests."

September 6, 2006

Reserves match postponed

The away reserve team game against Darlington on 19th September has been postponed owing to Rovers' Carling Cup game the following day. The match will now be played at 7pm on Tuesday, 3rd October.

September 6, 2006

Ticket information

Tickets for the away game at Rotherham United are now on sale to season ticket holders and "Away Rover" members. They will go on general sale tomorrow morning, and are available until 1pm on Friday, 15th September.
Tickets for the Derby County Carling Cup game are also on sale now to season ticket holders, and on general sale from tomorrow. Please note that this match is NOT all-ticket for Rovers fans.

September 5, 2006

Gills match "Quid a Kid"

Rovers have announced that Saturday's home game against Gillingham will be "Quid a Kid", so all fans aged 16 and under can have the "Rovers experience" for only £1.
The offer only applies to the Rossington Terrace; anyone wishing to take advantage of the offer will need to pick up a "Quid a Kid" voucher and fill in a few details before handing it in at the turnstile with the £1 admission fee. A total of 2,000 vouchers will be available for the £1 offer; half being distributed to schools through the "Rovers in the Community" visits, and the other 1,000 being avaialble from reception and the club shop at Belle Vue, and the shop in the town centre.
To support this promotion, all season ticket holders can also gain admission to the Rossington terrace so the can accompany any children they bring who are taking advantage of the Quid A Kid promotion.
Please note that children MUST obtain a special voucher to get into the ground for £1, and the promotion does NOT apply to any other part of the ground.

September 5, 2006

Mustafa on the move a gain

Tarkan Mustafa, who played for Rovers on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge back in the Conference days, has left Ryman Premier Division club Worthing to join Nationwide South strugglers Thurrock. A right back when at Rovers, he is now described as a left-sided defender, Tarkan's latest move has been caused by a combination of travelling difficulties and the early starts required by his new job, which were "impacting on his football" at Worthing.
Mustafa has also played for Wimbledon, Barnet, Clapton, Kettering Town, Leyton, Dagenham & Redbridge, Kingstonian, Rushden & Diamonds, Hornchurch, Aldershot Town and Lewes.

September 5, 2006

Burton set for debut

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Steve Burton is set to make his delayed Tamworth debut following his transfer from troubled Crawley Town in the summer. Burton's selection has been delayed owing to knee surgery caused by a pre-season injury following his arrival at the club.

September 3, 2006

Port Vale 1 Rovers 2

Mickey Walker got off to a winning start as caretaker manager this afternoon after Rovers came from behind to snatch two late goals from Paul Heffernan against high-flying Port Vale. Rovers went behind just before half time as a cross in from the right was not dealt with, allowing Whitaker to slot the ball home from five yards out. Rovers had their moments during the first half, but on the whole looked lacking in the cutting edge, but the second half produced a much improved performance. Steve Roberts went off at half time after feeling ill, with Jason Price replacing him, and O'Connor moving into the back four, but the introduction of Lewis Guy for the ineffective Michele di Piedi, and Paul Heffernan for Mark McCammon, turned the game. Lewis Guy won a penalty shortly after coming on - the replays showed that it was a generous decision to say the least, but perhaps justice was seen to be done as Guy took the spot kick but his weak attempt was saved by the keeper. Guy won a second penalty in the 88th minute - this time the right decision, which Paul Heffernan blasted down the middle to equalise. Rovers hadn't finished though, and two minutes into added on time, a one-two between Guy and Heffernan ended with Heffernan firing home from 18 yards to give the keeper no chance. Earlier, James Coppinger had been unfortunate not to score for Rovers as his shot from the right side of the penalty area crashed against the crossbar with the goalkeeper well beaten.
The result moves Rovers up from 19th to 13th place in League One. The "Man of the Match" voting has now closed; thank you to everyone who has placed a vote. We will let you know the result on Wednesday morning.

September 4, 2006

Ryan to ring Keegan

Rovers chairman John Ryan this morning fuelled the fire surrounding speculation that his first choice for the vacant manager's position is Kevin Keegan by confirming on BBC Radio that he will be contacting Keegan during this week to see if he is interested in taking on the Belle Vue challenge.
Until then, the stance taken by the club is that, whilst acknowledging that Keegan has, in the past, stated that he would like to manage Doncaster Rovers, the former England manager had not yet been in touch with Ryan.
A host of names have been mentioned since news broke of Dave Penney's departure last Thursday, and the Rovers board are due to discuss the matter at a board meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
However, Mickey Walker and Barry Richardson did their chances of landing the job no harm yesterday afternoon as Rovers came from behind to grab two late goals from Paul Heffernan to win at Port Vale.

September 4, 2006

Jermaine McSporran

Former Doncaster Rovers winger Jermaine McSporran has had his contract at Chester City terminated by mutual agreement, along with two further players, Freddy Potter and Adam Wade. McSporran had only joined City from Rovers during the summer, but had failed to make an impact, having to settle for substitute appearances. Chester manager Mark Wright has been forced to wield the axe on the three squad members as their salary expenditure was exceeding the 60% of club turnover permitted by the Football League, thus breaking their salary-capping level.
The local press in Chester expect that McSporran will join Grimsby Town, thereby joining former Rovers players Nick Fenton and Ricky Ravenhill. Ravenhill had previously been expected to sign for Chester, but had been prevented from doing so due to the wage-capping problem.

September 4, 2006

Goals review

Former Rovers striker Peter Hynes scored the only goal of the game as Dundalk defeated Kilkenny City in the Irish Premier Division on Sunday afternoon - a result which draws Dundalk level with Shamrock Rovers at the top of the league table.
In the Conference North, Steve Brodie scored one of Stalybridge's three goals as they won 3-0 at home to Worksop Town, which lifts Stalybridg to sixth place in the table, just three points behind leaders Blyth Spartans.
In League One, Jack Lester scored Nottingham Forest's first goal as they crushed Chesterfield 4-0 to go three points clear, having dropped just two points so far this season.
In the UniBond Premier Division, ex-Rover Rob O'Brien scored Ossett Town's second goal as they won 2-1 at home against Prescot Cable. The veteran ex-Rovers striker Wade Falana was on the mark for Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday as they drew 2-2 against Croydon Athletic, another of his former clubs.
Finally, ex-Rovers midfielder Jermaine Wright scored for Ipswich Town's 2000 promotion winning side in a testimonial match for Town defender Richard Naylor. The modern day Town side drew with the 2000 side 3-3.

September 3, 2006

Charlie Williams

Former Rovers defender and comedian Charlie Williams did in Barnsley General Hospital last night at the age of 78. He had been in poor health for some time, suffering from Parkinson's disease and dementia.
Williams is probably one of Rovers' best known former players, and played 158 League games for the club during the 1950's. He made his name as a hard, but fair, centre half, saying of his own abilities: "I was never a fancy player, but I could stop the buggers that were." Charlie's Rovers debut was made on 3rd May 1950 against Tranmere Rovers in Division Three (North), but he had to wait until the 1954/55 season for another chance, although he had been a regular in the reserves during that time. After that, he was virtually an ever-present in the side until losing his place during his last season at Belle Vue, the 1958/59 season.
Born in Yorkshrie of Jamican descent, Williams later moved into show business as a singer, but his talent proved to be in comedy, where he often poked fun at race issues.
Rest in peace, Charlie, and thanks for the memories.

September 3, 2006

Walker calls for players to focus on today's game

Rovers' caretaker-manager Mickey Walker has urged the players to put all speculation on who may be the next manager at the club and focus on this afternoon's game at Port Vale. Rovers have a trick match at Vale Park, with their hosts having made a good start to the season, before yesterday's matches they were sitting in second place in the League One table.
Mickey commented: "We have to get on with the job in hand and work on our game. It's been a fine line between success and failure this season. We have to make sure the lads keep the concentration right to the end to stop these lapses."
Rovers are likely to name the same squad as played in last Saturday's game against Bournemouth, although Jan Budtz, who played in the reserve team game against York during the week, may be included.

September 3, 2006

Ryan plays down Keegan reports

Doncaster Rovers chairman John Ryan has tried to cool the speculation surrounding former England manager Kevin Keegan becoming the next manager at the club. No imminent decision on who will be manager is likely to be made, with Rovers holding a scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, at which the vacancy will undoubtedly be discussed.
Ryan explained: "It's speculation. I was merely asked whether I would be interested in Sven Goran Eriksson as manager, which I said no. Then I was asked about Kevin Keegan and I said I would be very interested in talking to Kevin, as I know him. He was originally a Doncaster Rovers supporter, as he grew up in Doncaster like myself. He actually once said he'd like to manage Doncaster Rovers, but that was a few years ago. I don't even know whether Kevin wants to come back to football, I'm sure it's a challenge that would intrigue him, at least. For this moment in time, Mickey Walker is the caretaker manager and I really want to get behind him."
Reports in today's Sunday Express, which suggest that Keegan will let Rovers know of his decision tomorrow after watching Rovers' game on Sky Sports this afternoon, look to be very speculative, to say the least.

September 3, 2006

Jepson foiled in Bayo bid

Gillingham manager Ronnie Jepson has confirmed that he tried to sign former Rovers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa from Swansea City on Thursday. However, talks between the two chairmen broke down on transfer deadline day, with Jepson unsuccessful in strengthening his forward line. Jepson said: 'The talks broke down on Thursday between our chairman and their chairman. I am not going to look for excuses. I never have done. We haven't got the lad in and we have to go with what we got. These things happen so I just have to get on with it. 'He would have been a good addition to us. I asked to take him on-loan a few weeks ago and then it was for a fee.'
The break down in talks is perhaps of little surprise, with the two chairmen having a public falling-out earlier this year, with the Gills chairman alleging that Swansea went back on their word on the proposed move of Brent Sancho to the Liberty Stadium.

September 2, 2006

Rovers team news

Doncaster Rovers travel to Vale Park tomorrow afternoon for their first match since the departure of boss Dave Penney. Mickey Walker has been handed the reins for the next few matches, with Barry Richardson acting as his asssitant.
Rovers will select from the same squad of players as they did for last Saturday's home game against Bournemouth, with Kevin Horlock, Bruce Dyer and Antony Griffith still out due to injury, although Horlock is due to start full training next week and should be available for the home game against Gillingham.
Whilst Vale Park is an unhappy hunting ground for Rovers of late - it is 1979 since they last won there - they also have a good record in matches televised live by Sky Sports, so let's hope that the "TV factor" enables Rovers to pick up the three points.

September 2, 2006

Port Vale team news

The departure of Dave Penney from the helm at Rovers has affected Port Vale's preparation for the game on Sunday. As boss Martin Foyle admitted: "It does muck our plans up a little bit. We haven't got a clue what the side is going to be because they have got a big, decent squad there. We know they have the quality there. They are a very expensively built squad, so we know it is going to be very hard, but it is a measure of where we want to go. We have got to compete against the Doncaster's and we have got to start on Sunday."
Port Vale have started the season off very well and currently lie in second place, just three points behind leaders Nottingham Forest. They will include new singing Stefan Moore, who joined Vale on loan from Queens Park Rangers just before the transfer deadline, and will be competing with Leon Constantine and Akpo Sodje for the striker's positions in the side tomorrow.
Port Vale will be without striker Nathan Lowndes (ankle) and midfielder Robin Hulbert (broken foot) for tomorrow's game.

September 2, 2006

Crichton's own goal seals fate

Former Rovers goalkeeper Paul Crichton sealed Cambridge United's fate last night when he tipped a cross from Exeter's Phillips into his own net, with the U's going down to a 3-1 home defeat despite taking a half-time lead. To make it worse for Cambridge, they had Richie Hanlon sent off late in the game.
That result left Cambridge next to the bottom of the Conference - after they game they sacked boss Rob Newman. Newman's assistant Tony Spearing also left the club, with chairman Lee Power due to take charge for next weekend's game agaisnt Forest Green.

September 2, 2006

Blunt for Sutton

Following the news earlier in the week that former Rovers midfielder Jason Blunt had left Nationwide North club Scarborough, Sutton Town of the Northern Counties East have announced that he has signed for them. The 29-year old has teamed up again with Sutton boss Lee Wilson, who was at Tamworth at the same time as Blunt. As well as Rovers, Jason has also played for Leeds United, Halifax Town, Tamworth and Scarborough - not to mention in Italy's Serie D with Grottaglie.
Blunt is currently working as a PE teacher in Wakefield, with his work commitments being the main reason why he could not commit to the four training sessions a week in Scarborough.

September 1, 2006

Ravenhill for Grimsby

In an interesting week for the Rovers midfielder, Ricky Ravenhill signed for League Two club Grimsby Town yesterday afternoon for an undisclosed fee, and becomes the second Rovers player to make the move to Blundell Park in the last couple of weeks.
Ravenhill had returned to Belle Vue earlier in the week after his loan spell at Chester City expired, and the Football League refused to allow an extension or full transfer as Chester are currently exceeding the maximum allowed under their wage-capping regulations.
In an interview to Grimsby Town's website, Ravenhill confirmed that ex-Rover Nick Fenton talked him into signing for the Mariners, saying: "Nick's a good friend of mine and obviously I've been speaking to him about coming here. He's had some good things to say about the place and he told me to come. Nick's a good player and I can't wait to join up with him again. I'm glad that Grimsby came in for me when they did today, I am now much more happy."
Unfortunately, Ricky will have to wait for his Grimsby Town debut - he completes his three match suspension this weekend and so will be unavailable for tomorrow's home game against Macclesfield Town.

September 1, 2006

Injury update - good news for a change

Paul Heffernan has had fears over a continuing injury problem allayed after visiting a specialist earlier this week. Heffernan had surgery on both adductors late last season, but had been sore in the area where he had his operation. However, an MRI scan, followed by a consultation with his specialist, gave Heffernan the news he had hoped for.
Physio Baz Windle said: "I took Heff to see the specialist in Bolton this week and he said that there was no problem and that the operation had been a complete success. He just thinks that Heff has been working too hard and that he needs to take things a bit easier and that is what he will do. He will still be available for selection."
Midfielder Kevin Horlock will resume training next week afer recovering from a knee operation, and should be available for next Saturday's home game against Gillingham.
Antony Griffith is also progressing well to recover from his knock, but is likely to miss out again this weekend. Bruce Dyer is a little further away from a return to training, and is expected to be out for at least another two weeks.

September 1, 2006

Ipoua moves

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Guy Ipoua has signed for Forest Green Rovers after leaving Hereford United at the end of last season, hoping to give Forest Green a boost after they made a poor start to the season. However, only 24 hours after Ipoua joined last Friday, manager Gary Owers was sacked after Rovers had lost their opening four games of the season.

September 1, 2006

Rotherham ticket information

Rovers have released details of tickets for the away game at Rotherham United on 16th September. An initial stock of 2,200 tickets will go on sale at the Belle Vue ticket office as follows:
Season ticket holders - Monday, 4th September
General sale - Thursday, 7th September
Away Rover members - tickets reserved from Monday 4th September to Friday 8th September.
Ticket prices will be:
Adults: £17.00, Senior Citizens: £10.00, Juniors: £8.00
There will be no concessions for stundents.

September 1, 2006

Port Vale prices

Admission to Sunday's away game at Port Vale is by paying at the turnstile, with the following prices applying:
Adults: £18.00
16-21 year olds: £12.00
Senior Citizens: £12.00
Under 9's will be admitted free, but you must get tickets from the ticket office at Port Vale prior to entering the ground, and you must supply suitable proof of age. Disabled wheelchair users should contact Estelle Baggley on 01782 655800.