 |
 |
 |
|
June
15, 2009 |
Mills
- no offer but contact was made |
 |
The
situation surrounding Rovers defender Matt Mills seems to have slightly
clarified over the weekend, although the eventual outcome is still far
from clear. In an interview in the Yorkshire Post, John Ryan explained
that a formal bid of £1.5 million from Nottingham Forest had been
rejected. No second bid has yet been lodged, although Ryan said: "They
have contacted us again, but we've not had an official offer. If they
do make an official offer then we'll have a look at it. We'd obviously
talk to the manager and to the player to see what's what. There is no
doubt that Forest are interested in Matt and we'll have to see what happens
- it's early days yet. But we are hopeful that Matt will stay with us." That suggests that, contrary to some news reports from last week, no bid for £2 million has yet been received by the club. |
June
15, 2009 |
Kiwis
need win to stay in tournament |
 |
New
Zealand need to win their final Group A fixture against host nation South
Africa on Wednesday if they are to stay in this year's Confederation Cup.
The Kiwis went down to a 5-0 defeat against Spain yesterday, with Liverpool
striker Fernando Torres striking a sensational hat-trick in the first
16 minutes of the game. New Zealand, who included former Rovers defender David Mulligan in the side, had previously run Italy close in a 3-4 defeat last week - the closest they came against Spain was a curing free kick by Mulligan just before the half time break, which was tipped round the post by Spanish keeper Iker Casillas. |
June
15, 2009 |
Swailes
leaves Accies |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers central defender Chris Swailes has left Scottish club
Hamilton Academicals at the end of his contract as boss Billy Reid looks
to build on their ninth place SPL finish last season. Swailes, now 38,
had been at the club for two years after joining from Oldham Athletic
and was a regular in the Accies side as they avoided relegation on their
return to the SPL. He began his career at Ipswich Town before moving on to Peterborough United, then moved into non-league, playing for Boston United, Kettering Town and then for Third Division Birmingham City. He then moved on to Bridlington Town on a free transfer before following the infamous Bridlington chairman Ken Richardson to Doncaster Rovers. He made 54 appearances for Rovers in the following 18 months before returning to Ipswich Town in a £150,000 move in March 1995. |
June
15, 2009 |
Brodie
signs for more at Buxton |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers striker Steve Brodie has been invited back to play for
UniBond club Buxton Town next season after enjoying a productive season
at the club last season. Brodie will be in the same squad as ex-Rover
Scott Maxfield, with another Rovers old boy, Clive Freeman, being assistant
manager at the club. Brodie played for Rovers on loan from Sunderland
(where he made his League debut in the same match as Scott Maxfield),
playing five matches in the 1995/96 season. He then moved on to Scarborough,
and then played for Swansea City, Chester City (twice), Nuneaton Borough,
Forest Green Rovers, Leigh RMI, Droylesden, Stalybridge and Witton Albion
before joining Buxton in the summer of 2008. |
June
14, 2009 |
Brabin
is Manager of the Season |
 |
Ex-Rovers
midfielder Gary Brabin has been named as the Blue Square Premier's "Manager
of the Year" for guiding them into second place last season, his
first at the club after joining from Southport. Sadly for Brabin, his
side were unsuccessful in gaining promotion, losing the play-off final
at Wembley in May. Speaking of his award, Brabin said: "I'm delighted and very proud to get something like this in my first year as a manager, but I'd gladly swap it for promotion. There are some good young managers in this division who have a bright future in the game and some good, competitive football clubs, so I'm really honoured to receive the award but obviously still very disappointed about Wembley." Brabin is currently on a course to complete his UEFA "A" Licence, and admits that his first season in management has been tough. "I think no matter who you are, even Alex Ferguson, you learn from your experiences every day and it all makes you a better manager. No one can teach you everything about the challenges and pitfalls you'll face as a manager every single day. I've been around the game long enough to know that and I wouldn't have taken the step into management if I wasn't prepared for that. I've learned a lot this year and I think that goes for every manager. There were some big names on the course I've been on and that was a good experience too, working with people like that on a very, very intense course." |
June
14, 2009 |
Rankine
to York in £10,000 deal |
 |
Michael
Rankine, the former Doncaster Rovers youth team striker, has completed
a move to Blue Square Premier club York City from Rushden & Diamonds,
with striker Craig Farrell and £10,000 going from York to Rushden.
Rankine moves to York after a three year stay at Rushden, but new manager
Justin Edinburgh is keen to put his own stamp on the Diamonds' side next
season. After leaving the Rovers' youth team, Michael joined Scunthorpe
United in 2004, staying for two years before moving on to Alfreton and
then Rushden. He also spent a month on loan at Bournemouth last season,
where he made three first team appearances. |
June
14, 2009 |
Community
coaches at races |
.jpg){kind=small} |
The
Rovers in the Community coaches will be attending this afternoon's racing
at Doncaster Racecourse, at which they will be holding some coaching sessions.
The race meeting is the Heartbeat Charity Family Day, which will also
have a number of other attractions for youngsters attending, including
a fancy dress competition and a bouncy castle. Racing starts at 2.20pm
and all accompanied children under 16 will be admitted free of charge. |
June
14, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 1st |
 |
Coming just ahead of Richie Wellens in the "Player of the Season" voting to win this year's top spot is the Rovers skipper and influential midfielder Brian Stock, Brian came just a handful of votes ahead of Wellens with 11.21% of all the votes cast in the "Man of the Match" polls throughout the season, and held on to top spot even though he missed the last seven matches of the season after having an operation on an ongoing back injury. Stock, also the subject of transfer talk during the summer break, was a key player in the Rovers midfield and a catalyst of Rovers' improvement in form since Christmas. He will be looking to have another equally successful season after proving himself to be one of the better midfield players in the Championship. |
June
13, 2009 |
Stock
- same again next season |
 |
Rovers
skipper Brian Stock has urged the club's supporters not to expect too
much next season after successfully adapting to life in the Championship
last term. Rovers will again be one of the smallest clubs in the division,
which will also include former Premiership heavyweights Newcastle United
and Middlesbrough in the 2009/10 campaign. Some supporters have got carried away with ambitions for next season, with some predicting a play-off finish next time around. Stock said: "I think survival in the Championship again next season would be a massive achievement. To achieve that two years on the trot would be good. Quite a few promoted clubs stay in the league above one year and then go down the next. To maintain our place in the Championship will be our main objective." Much depends on the players that Rovers sign, or on whether they manage to keep hold of their leading players during the summer. In his interview with the Doncaster Star, Stock continued : "Potentially, with the players we've got, we've got every chance of doing better than we did last season, but we can't afford to put pressure on ourselves. The size of our squad isn't as big as most clubs in this league. If you look at the teams who were automatically promoted, the size of their squad and the money they spent on players was far more than us on both counts." However, the success of Burnley last season gives the smaller clubs in the Championship hope of promotion next season. Brian continued: "I suppose that Burnley, who were promoted via the play-offs, were the exception. I thought that they were terrific. They didn't have the budget or size of squad that the other top six sides had, but they were very lucky with injuries. If you look at the number of players they used, it was less than anybody else despite the fact that they also had two good cup runs." |
June
13, 2009 |
Villa
eye Wheater |
 |
The
Daily Express have reported that Aston Villa are about to make a bid for
Middlesbrough's defender David Wheater this summer. Wheater, who played
for Rovers on loan from Boro in the 2005/06 season, pledged to remain
loyal to Middlesbrough despite their relegation last season, and is likely
to cost Villa around £8 million. Villa need to fill a gap in central
defence this summer, with Martin Laursen retiring due to injury. Suggestions are that Villa will allow striker Marlon Harewood to travel in the opposite direction as a £2 million makeweight. Harewood has only been used occasionally since joining from West Ham in 2007. Birmingham City and Liverpool have also been reported to be tracking events surrounding Wheater this summer. |
June
13, 2009 |
Futcher
signs new deal |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers defender Ben Futcher has signed a contract extension
at League Two club after completing a second successful season at the
club. Futcher joined Bury from Peterborough in June 2007 and has gone
on to make 73 League starts for the club - he is now nearing 300 league
appearances in his career, which began at Oldham Athletic before moves
to Stalybridge Celtic, Doncaster Rovers, Lincoln City, Boston United,
Grimsby Town, Peterborough United and Bury. Ben joined Rovers in March 2002 for the final few months before promotion to the Football League via the play-offs at the Britannia Stadium, but only started two games during his two month stay. |
June
13, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 2nd |
 |
Confirmation of who is in second place in the "Player of the Season" will mean most supporters will be able to work out who the winner will be. Richie Wellens is runner up in your voting for the season, coming a considerable number of votes ahead of third-placed Martin Woods, despite being plagued by injury in the closing weeks of the season. Wellens was one of the vital cogs in the Rovers engine-room this season and clearly adapted to playing in the Championship, proving the point by being the subject of transfer speculation during the summer break. Supporters will be keeping their fingers crossed that Wellens remains a Rovers player for next season as Rovers strive to consolidate their position in the second tier of English football. Richie picked up 11.05% of all votes cast during the "Man of the Match" votes this season - only 0.16% behind the winner, who is....? |
June
13, 2009 |
Keepmoat
pitch update |
 |
After
completing the scarification of the pitch as stage one of the renovation
of the pitch at the Keepmoat Stadium earlier this month, work has now
begun on stage two - which involves a tractor with an industrial spiral
rake working loose all the organic material before another machine gathers
up all the loose material. This will then fully expose the artificial
fibre bed of the pitch ahead of the introduction of new grass seed later
this month. |
June
12, 2009 |
Brooker
setback in recovery |
 |
Rovers
striker Steve Brooker has suffered a setback in his recovery after his
ankle surgery. Things appeared to be going to schedule, but Brooker has
had to put his running programme on hold after suffering an achilles tendon
problem last week. Rovers physio John Dickens is happy with Steve's rehabilitation
and is confident that the problem will be quickly overcome, meaning that
the striker will be back running within a few days. Brooker has the aim of being fit enough to join in with the rest of the squad when they report back for pre-season training in early July. Midfielder Stuart Elliott is also facing a race to be fit enough to feature in Rovers' first pre-season game of the summer against Armthorpe Welfare on July 8th. |
June
12, 2009 |
Martinez
move to Wigan delayed as Swans want compensation for Jones |
 |
The
unveiling of Swansea manager Roberto Martinez as the new boss at Wigan
Athletic has been delayed until next week after Martinez wanted his assistants
Graeme Jones and Kevin Reeves to make the move with him. Whilst the two
clubs had agreed compensation of between £1 million and £2
million for Martinez, Swans' chairman Huw Jenkins is unwilling to allow
the club's backroom staff to move without a fight. Jenkins said the club had done everything to try to keep Reeves and Jones. "As everyone is already aware, we reluctantly agreed compensation with Wigan for Roberto a week ago after taking into account his wish to leave Swansea City. This compensation figure was only in regards to the loss of Roberto," he explained. "As with Roberto, we have made every effort to persuade both Graeme and Kevin to stay with us, but they made it clear that their allegiance was with Roberto first rather than Swansea City. "I don't want to have any bad relations with Wigan Football Club, even though the loss of our manager and possibly some of our backroom staff has clearly ripped the heart out of our football club with regards to what we have achieved in the last two and a half years. I firmly believe we have been more than fair with Wigan because it has already been a week since everything was agreed with them over Roberto. It's dragged on far too long. We've been left in limbo for the last seven to 10 days and it has clearly and severely hampered our search for a potential successor and our preparations for the new season." Talks are expected to resume on Monday. |
June
12, 2009 |
Mills
bid confusion |
|
No
doubt all statements are right, but conflicting statements in the Doncaster
Star and on Radio Sheffield surround the potential move of Matthew Mills
away from Doncaster Rovers. Rovers chairman John Ryan said on Radio Sheffield that Rovers have rejected a bid of around £2 million from Nottingham Forest for Mills, saying: "They've made an enquiry, but we are not interested in selling Matt Mills." However, in an interview in the Doncaster Star, Ryan said: "They have contacted us again but we've not had an official offer - it has been a Chinese whispers kind of thing. If they do make an official offer then we'll have a look at it. We'd obviously talk to the manager and to the player to see what's what. There is no doubt that Forest are interested in Matty and we'll have to see what happens; it's early days yet." Obviously they can afford to pay higher wages than us - and that is always a factor with players. But we are hopeful that Matty will stay with us. Forest may be a bigger club in terms of reputation but I feel that we might do better than them in the next few years. I am sure that if Matty keeps on playing well that he will get his big move unless we get promotion to the Premier League next season. If Burnley, who are similar club to ourselves in a lot of ways, can do it, so can we." Ryan also confirmed that Leicester City have not followed up their initial enquiry for midfielder Richie Wellens. |
June
12, 2009 |
No
bid for Beckford |
|
Doncaster
Rovers manager Sean O'Driscoll has insisted that there has been no transfer
activity at the club this week, despite constant rumours concerning players
joining or leaving the club. O'Driscoll has denied that Rovers have made a bid for Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford, who has rejected a new contract at Elland Road. O'Driscoll insisted that Rovers do not have the money to compete for the 25-year old, saying: "That's a good one. It would ne nice to have that kind of money to spend." Beckford's Leeds contract still has a year to run. |
June
12, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 3rd |
 |
We
now reach the top three of the "Player of the Season" countdown,
where we find midfielder Martin Woods, who picked up 8.68% of the votes
cast throughout the season in the "Man of the Match" After a
disappointing first season at Rovers following his move from Rotherham
United, Woods enjoyed a superb season in 2008/09 and was a regular member
of the Rovers midfield. His season will probably be remembered for his
superb chip to score at Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day - the match which
proved to be the catalyst for Rovers' revival last season. That just leaves us with the top two players to be revealed - we're sure you've worked out who they are, but which way around will they be? It was a close contest - the winning margin is the closest we've known in the seven seasons we've run the voting on this web site. |
June
11, 2009 |
Rovers
turn down Forest bid |
 |
Rovers
chairman John Ryan has rejected an offer "of the order of £2
million" from Nottingham Forest. In an interview on Radio Sheffield,
Ryan confirmed that Forest had made an enquiry, but he said: "They've
made an enquiry, but we are not interested in selling Matt Mills." The 22-year old defender has been the subject of reported interest from several clubs, including Birmingham City and Newcastle United, this summer, but Rovers appear to be holding firm in their aim of keeping the player for next season. |
June
11, 2009 |
Armthorpe
tickets now on sale |
 |
Tickets
for the Rovers' first pre-season game of the summer, against Armthorpe
Welfare on Wednesday, 8th July are now on sale from the Keepmoat Stadium
ticket office. There are a limited number of tickets available at £8
for adults and £3 for concessions. Tickets can also be bought by
phone on 01302 762576. |
June
11, 2009 |
Kirkwood
in charge at Heanor |
 |
Ex-Rovers
striker Glenn Kirkwood has been appointed as joint manager at East Midlands
Counties League club Heanor Town after a successful caretaker managership
at Matlock Town. Kirkwood has been appointed along with Craig Hopkins,
with the partnership having a season in charge of Matlock Town reserves
last term. They had an eight week period in charge of Matlock's first
team before the appointment of Mark Atkins in November 2008. Kirkwood cost Rovers a £15,000 transfer fee when he joined the club in the summer of 1998 as a 22-year old and went on to score 11 goals in 34 Conference league starts. He has also played for Chesterfield, Eastwood Town, Ilkeston Town, Burton Albion and Worksop Town Kirkwood said: "Heanor shouldn't be struggling to survive in the East Midlands Counties League. They deserve better and, hopefully, Craig and I can help them to achieve success." |
June
11, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 4th |
|
In
fourth place in our "Player of the Season" comes the in-demand
Matt Mills, whose impressive defensive displays earned him much praise
during his first full season at Rovers. Matthew gained 7.37% of the votes
cast in the "Man of the Match" voting throughout the 2008/09
season. He had joined the club the previous season on loan from Manchester
City, but Rovers signed him on a full transfer for £300,000 during
the summer of 2008. His defensive partnership with Adam Lockwood and Sam
Hird was a key component in the Rovers' rise up the table in the second
half of the season, and Rovers will be hoping that they can hold on to
their prize asset as they prepare for another Championship season. |
June
10, 2009 |
Carling
Cup draw |
||||
 |
The
draw for the first round of the Carling Cup is to be drawn next Tuesday,
16th June, at 9.30am, with first round matches scheduled to be played
in the week commencing 10th August 2009. As in previous seasons, the draw is split into northern and southern sections at this stage of the competition. With all Football League clubs, apart from Newcastle and Middlesbrough, being in the first round, it means there are 70 clubs in the draw - the top 35 clubs from last season's final league positions are seeded and will be drawn against an unseeded club. That means that all clubs down to Walsall, who finished in 13th place in League One, are seeded. The seeded and north/south clubs are as follows:
|
June
10, 2009 |
Sheridan
new Spireites boss |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers midfielder John Sheridan has been named as the new manager
at Chesterfield, replacing Lee Richardson who left the club last month.
Sheridan, who played for Rovers in the 1998/99 season, will have another
former Rover, Tommy Wright, as his assistant manager. The pair worked
together at Oldham Athletic until Sheridan left in March after almost
three years in charge at Boundary Park. Ex-Rovers defender Jamie Hewitt retains his job as physio at Saltergate for next season. |
June
10, 2009 |
Wright
released |
 |
Ex-Rovers
winger Jermaine Wright has been released by Blackpool following the expiry
of his contract at the end of last season. Blackpool announced their released/retained
list yesterday, with eight players being released following the arrival
of new manager Ian Holloway. Wright joined Blackpool last summer on a
free transfer from Southampton, but injury meant that he only played four
times for the club - his last match for the Seasiders was at the end of
August. |
June
10, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 5th |
 |
Today,
we reach the top five of the "Player of the Season", as voted
by visitors to this web site in the "Man of the Match" throughout
last season. In fifth place, we find defender James Chambers, who has
made a great impression with Rovers fans after arriving at the club last
summer. James showed his versatility as, although he prefers the right
back position, he spent most of the season at left back, only switching
back over to the right when injury forced James O'Connor out of the side. |
June
9, 2009 |
Ryan
to have cosmetic surgery |
 |
After
his companies being responsible for giving over 100,000 people through
cosmetic surgery, Rovers chairman John Ryan is to follow their example
for the first time. He is having some surgery on his upper eyelids, which
he says will make his eyes look younger. He said: "It is just an operation on the skin over the eye, where all the stress of being chairman of Doncaster Rovers for 11 years has taken its toll! It's the first time I've ever had anything like this done, even though I've been responsible for more than 100,000 operations through my companies over the years, and I thought it was about time I had something done myself. I don't feel nervous about it, because I've seen so many operations over the years and I know what's involved, plus I've got total faith in the surgeons." "As you age you may have excess skin around your eyes causing your upper eyelids to hood over. This has affected my vision slightly, so as well as it being for cosmetic reasons there is also a small medical side to it." Ryan made his fortune by setting up Transform, which specialised in cosmetic surgery, but sold the company around seven years ago. He returned to the industry two years ago when he set up MYA Cosmetic Surgery. |
June
9, 2009 |
Priory
Walk shop flooded out |
 |
Doncaster
Rovers' town centre shop, located on Priory Walk, will be closed until
further notice after suffering water damage over the weekend. The shop
is closed whilst the shop is cleaned up and re-stocked, meaning that anyone
wishing to buy Rovers merchandise will have to travel to the Keepmoat
Stadium shop. |
June
9, 2009 |
Forest
increase Mills bid? |
|
A
number of newspapers have reported that Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies
is to make an increased bid to sign Doncaster Rovers defender Matthew
Mills. Rovers turned down a £1.5 million bid from Birmingham City
in January, and the Daily Mirror have reported that Rovers have also turned
down a similar offer from Forest. Davies is alleged to be set to increase
his bid to £2 million in an effort to prise the centre-back, who
only signed for Rovers twelve months ago, away from the Keepmoat Stadium. Forest are also understood to be interested in signing Birmingham winger Gary McSheffrey for around £1.5 million after having the striker on loan last season, although Forest face competition from Coventry for McSheffrey's services. |
June
9, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 6th |
 |
We
continue our countdown to the "Player of the Season" today by
reaching the player voted into sixth place by those who voted throughout
the season in our "Man of the Match". In sixth place we find
James Coppinger, who enjoyed a great season as a key player supplying
the Rovers strikeforce with the key passes throughout the season. Sadly,
his season ended a little early when on the receiving end of a crunching
tackle which damaged ankle ligaments - but even so, he had received enough
votes to finish just fractionally outside the top five. James received
6.50% of all the votes cast throughout the campaign. Tomorrow, we reach the top five - who has been voted as your "Player of the Season"? You'll have to wait a few more days to find out! |
June
8, 2009 |
Stock
happy staying at Rovers |
|
Brian
Stock has said that he is happy to stay at Doncaster Rovers, despite being
linked with a move to the Premier League, with Birmingham City and Wolverhampton
Wanderers often reported to be interested in acquiring his services. Commenting
on the speculation, the Rovers skipper said: "I don't listen to it
and in fact very rarely do I look at football on the TV. I'm sure that
Sean O'Driscoll will contact me if anything happens but to be honest,
although it's nice to feel you have done so well that speculation is about
you, I am happy here at Doncaster and looking forward to next season." |
June
8, 2009 |
Walker
to Billericay |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Andy Walker has signed for Ryman League Premier
Division club Billericay Town. He spent last season at Maidstone United,
where he was voted as their "player of the season". Prior to
that he spent four years at Bromley, and names Colchester United, Exeter
City, Tonbridge Angels, Doncaster Rovers and Wingate & Finchley as
his former clubs. Walker did not make any first team appearances during his short time at Rovers - he signed non-contract terms to provide goalkeeping cover for Andy Warrington during the 2001/02 season. Billericay boss Brian Statham said: "Andy is a very, very good goalkeeper, with an abundance of experience at this level. We've been working on this deal for a couple of weeks, ever since Maidstone released him due to budget cuts. Maidstone had the third best defensive record in the league last season, it was scoring goals which let them down." |
June
8, 2009 |
Wolves
ticket information |
 |
Tickets
for Mickey Walker's testimonial match against Wolverhampton Wanderers
on Saturday, 1st August are now on sale from the ticket office at the
Keepmoat Stadium. The match kicks off at 3pm, but at the moment, Rovers
will only be opening the East and West stands, although should demand
for tickets be sufficient, other areas may be opened in due course. Tickets for the match, which is the only home match during the pre-season period, cost £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. Away Supporters can purchase direct from us for the North Stand by ringing 01302 762576. |
June
8, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 7th |
 |
The
countdown to the "player of the season" continues today as we
reach seventh place, where we find right back James O'Connor, who could
have finished higher up the rankings but for missing the final few matches
of the season with an ankle injury - but that could equally be said of
a few other players above him in the rankings! James had a great season
with his defensive play accompanied by some useful help to the Rovers
attack down the right wing, and until his injury was a regular in the
Rovers side. |
June
7, 2009 |
Dave
switches to left for Kiwis |
|
Dave
Mulligan, the former Doncaster Rovers defender, played for New Zealand
in their match against Botswana, which was played as part of the Kiwi's
preparations for the FIFA Confederations Cup which begins on June 14th.
Coach Ricki Herbert made nine changes to the side for the match, with
Mulligan one of two to retain their places from the last match - although
he switched over from right back to left back. New Zealand face Italy on 10th June in Pretoria for their final match before the tournament begins against Spain on June 14th. |
June
7, 2009 |
McCormack
hopes for Bluebirds' seasonal opener |
 |
Cardiff
City striker Ross McCormack is hoping to play in the Bluebirds' opening
game of the season, despite a plea from the Scottish FA that all their
players will be rested by their clubs ahead of their crucial World Cup
qualifying match against Norway four days later. However, the former Rovers
loan striker is hoping that he can play in both matches and insists that
he does not want to be rested. The Scottish FA have successfully gained agreement for the SPL to start a week later than usual, meaning that all Scottish based players will not have a club v country problem. However, The Scottish FA is asking for co-operation from clubs in England's Championship, but that is unlikely to be forthcoming. McCormack said of the situation: "I want to play the first game of the season for Cardiff so hopefully I can come through it injury free and then join up with Scotland." "It's in my own hands," he continued. "I've got to start the season well down in England and then do well in training and hopefully get in the starting 11." |
June
7, 2009 |
Blayney
completes move |
 |
Alan
Blayney, the former Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper has, as expected, left
Ballymena United as expected this week and has signed a three year contract
with Northern Irish club Linfield. The 27-year old keeper replaces Northern
Ireland goalkeeper Alan McMannus, who has left the club with the desire
of playing full-time football in England or Scotland next season. Blayney began his career at Southampton as a trainee and played for Stockport County, Bournemouth, Rushden & Diamonds and Brighton & Hove Albion before signing for Doncaster Rovers in a £50,000 transfer in January 2006. However, with just 24 appearances in 13 months, he then moved on to Oldham Athletic before moving to Ballymena in July 2007. |
June
7, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 8th |
 |
We
have now reached eighth place in the countdown to the "player of
the season", which has been compiled by adding all of the votes cast
in the "man of the match" polls throughout the season. Young
defender Sam Hird has finished in 8th place with 5.47%, marginally ahead
of 9th placed Paul Heffernan. Hird impressed in a number of matches this
season after comfortably making the step up from League One and formed
a good central defensive partnership with Matthew Mills for much of the
season. |
June
6, 2009 |
Rovers
ask about Beckford |
|
In
addition to making an enquiry about the availability of midfielder Neil
Kilkenny, it now appears that Rovers have admitted that they would be
interested in striker Jermaine Beckford. However, as Richard O'Kelly said:
"We would be interested in Beckford after we heard he was available
but he might be out of our budget but we will monitor that. As with every
player at every club, they all have a price, so it's an ongoing thing
at the moment and we will see if anything happens." |
June
6, 2009 |
ITV
filming at the Keepmoat today |
 |
ITV
are filming at the Keepmoat Stadium this morning as part of a six-month
series about the health of the nation, with the TV channel hoping to attract
around a thousand residents from the Doncaster area. The filming starts
this morning at 10.30am and will last around two hours, but whilst families
are welcome, they have asked that all children are aged at least 12 years
old. |
June
6, 2009 |
Muirhead
released by Alfreton |
 |
Alfreton
Town have announced that they have not offered new terms to former Rovers
midfielder Ben Muirhead, along with six other players. Muirhead needs
an operation which will keep him out of action for the next eight months,
and has struggled to hold down a regular first team place at Alfreton
this season. Also at Alfreton, former Rovers right back Simon Marples is currently considering a new one year deal offer from the Reds. |
June
6, 2009 |
Barker
forced to retire |
 |
Former
Rovers loan striker Richie Barker has been forced to retire from playing
football after failing to recover from a long-term knee injury. Barker
re-joined Rotherham United in October, but missed much of the season due
to injury. Paul Douglas, Rotherham's CEO, said: "Richie had a very rare knee condition. He had a medical when he arrived and he passed it but his complaint was very unusual. It was a wear and tear injury around the knee joint and it manifested itself very quickly in terms of damage." "The surgeon advised him that he risked permanent damage if he tried to get back to the level of fitness required of a professional footballer so, with regret, Richie has had to call it a day. It's a shame and as a club we would like to say how disappointed we are. Richie gave years of good service to Rotherham United and was a good professional." Richie has also played for Ards, Linfield, Brighton, Macclesfield and Hartlepool in a playing career which lasted for 14 years and rejoined the Millers in October last year. He has been taking his coaching badges and has been involved in coaching youngsters at Sheffield United's Academy. |
June
5, 2009 |
Rovers
confirm Kilkenny enquiry |
|
Doncaster
Rovers have confirmed that they have asked Leeds United about the availability
of midfielder Neil Kilkenny, who was a target for Sean O'Driscoll last
summer before he decided a £150,000 move to Elland Road from Oldham
Athletic. Kilkenny was out of favour at Leeds following the arrival of
new boss Simon Grayson, but he then forced his way back in to the side,
to finish by playing 38 games last season. O'Driscoll told the Doncaster Free Press:"I have spoken to Leeds manager Simon Grayson about Kilkenny's availability and the response was that they are not looking to sell him - although every player has their price - and that's as far as it has gone." However, assistant Richard O'Kelly added: "It's an on-going process, he's the sort of player that fits our bill and a player you have to keep tabs on." "With regard to our own players I have had no contact with anyone." John Ryan is happy that there have been no enquires for members of the Rovers squad. He said: "I've said all along that we don't want to sell any of our players and, if we can keep the current squad together, and make a couple of additions, then we should have a good chance of improving on what we did last season." |
June
5, 2009 |
Rovers
break 6,000 barrier |
|
Rovers
have now sold over 6,000 season tickets for next season, and still have
hopes of getting close to last season's record tally of just under 8,000
by the time the season starts in August. The club's "Early Bird"
promotion finished at the end of May, since when season ticket prices
for most adult and concession tickets have risen by around 10%. |
June
5, 2009 |
Dangerous
Dave joins Bangor |
 |
Ex-Rovers
defender Dave Morley has joined Welsh Cup holders Bangor City, who unveiled
a number of signings yesterday to show that they intend to challenge champions
Rhyl for the title next season. Morley, now 31, has played around 300
Football League games, beginning his career at Manchester City before
moving on to Southend United, Carlisle United and Doncaster Rovers before
joining Macclesfield Town in January 2005. Boss Neville Powell said of Morley's signing: “It’s another major signing for us. He’s got a wealth of Football League experience, but now he’s keen to try the Welsh Premier and get involved in European football. He will certainly benefit the younger players at the club and might give Michael Johnston the chance to play in midfield, therefore giving us more options.” Another former Rover, Alan Morgan, is now assistant manager at Bangor City. |
June
5, 2009 |
Pitch
renovations underway |
|
Work
has now started on the renovation of the pitch at the Keepmoat Stadium
to bring it back to the standard when the stadium opened. The pitch deteriorated
badly during last season, leading to criticism from boss Sean O'Driscoll.
The first stage of work, which began on Monday, involved cutting the grass
to 18mm and was followed by a scarifying process which removed excess
grass from the pitch which has built up over the last two and a half seasons. |
June
1, 2009 |
Brown
criticizes Windass for turning down Rovers |
 |
Hull
City boss Phil Brown believes that striker Dean Windass was wrong to have
joined Oldham Athletic on loan during last season - and says that he should
have joined the Rovers, who were also keen on signing the striker at a
time when they were struggling to score goals. After falling out of favour at Hull, Windass went out on loan to increase his chance of playing regularly, but as Brown says: "He was adamant he wanted to play, but I didn't think he was fit enough to play in the Premier League aged 40 - that was our difference of opinion. I think he was foolish to take the Oldham position as opposed to a chance he had with Doncaster. That offer was ideal for him, Doncaster were playing good football, but needed someone on the frontline. Maybe then he'd have won another year or two in the Championship, but whatever he chooses to do, good luck to him." Windass was released this summer at the end of his contract, and is reported to be in with a chance of becoming assistant manager at Darlington, with the chance of continuing his playing career. |
June
5, 2009 |
Thornton
keeps O's waiting |
 |
Former
Rovers midfielder Sean Thornton is the only one of four players offered
new terms by Leyton Orient who has yet to inform the club of his decision
on whether he will accept the terms on offer. Thornton has until the end
of the week to make a decision - players have 28 days to make up their
mind after being offered a new deal. There was speculation that Thornton
may go to Shrewsbury Town, where he spent a successful time on loan at
the start of last season, but their failure to win promotion via the play-offs
last month appears to have scotched that move taking place. |
June
4, 2009 |
Injury
update |
|
Following
yesterday's news that Sean McDaid, James O'Connor and James Coppinger
all took part in training sessions last week, today we have news of the
progress of Steve Brooker, Brian Stock and Paul Heffernan. Booker is making good progress after the ankle operation that kept him out for much of the second half of last season. Club physio John Dickens said: "Steve will start doing a little bit of easy running next week and we'll see how he gets on with it. We knew that it was going to be a four-month job and it is only just over three months, so we've got a little while to go. The hope is that he'll be fit enough to join in some of the sessions when the players report back next month. Hopefully he'll be able to play in some pre-season games and be ready for the start of the season." Club skipper Brian Stock also looks to be on schedule for being able to join in training when the squad report back in just over a month's time. Dickens said: "Stocky is coming along well. He has started his running programme - he's been doing some easy jogging - and he hasn't had any adverse reaction. He'll gradually build it up and we'll start to get him twisting and turning and kicking the ball. He's away on holiday in a couple of weeks and when he comes back he'll train with me for a few days, then he'll join in with full pre-season." Paul Heffernan, who had a cartilage operation just before the end of last season, is making good progress and has started doing some "light running" this week. He is on schedule to be fit when the squad report back in early July. |
June
4, 2009 |
Norwich
interested in Byfield |
 |
Norwich,
who have just been relegated from the Championship, are reported to be
considering signing striker Darren Byfield, who was released by Doncaster
Rovers at the end of last season. Byfield is a free agent and new Canaries
boss Bryan Gunn sees Byfield's experience as a key addition to his side
as they strive to win promotion from League One at the first time of asking. Byfield only featured in 16 matches for Rovers last season - 13 of those being from the substitutes bench. |
June
4, 2009 |
New
friendly fixture announced |
|
Doncaster
Rovers have added another fixture to their pre-season campaign. They will
travel to play League Two club Grimsby Town on Monday, 28th July, with
the match kicking off at 7pm. Fixtures already announced are the away games at Armthorpe Welfare and Rotherham United, with the only home pre-season game being against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, 1st August. |
June
4, 2009 |
Fenton
gets new contract |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers defender Nick Fenton has signed a new contract with Rotherham
United, meaning he is now contracted to the Millers until the summer of
2011. Fenton has formed a solid partnership with Ian Sharps in the Rotherham
defence, with his consistency winning him the "Player of the Season
" award, as well as playing over fifty appearances in the season. Fenton commented: "I have kept free from injury and suspension this season and as a result I have played 56 games. To play that amount of games is a big achievement because I don't think that there are many players who can say that they have started 56 games in a row, so I am really pleased with that." "The new deal will keep me at the club for another two years which is fantastic. I feel I have done well this season and the Gaffer did say that if things went well he would reward me, so he has kept his promise." |
June
3, 2009 |
Players
report back |
|
Many
of the Rovers squad have reported back for a pre-season training week
at Cantley Park, in which the club's physios have checked on the fitness
of the players. As they did last summer, the players have interrupted
their close-season break for a three-day training session, with all players
having their body fat levels tested, as well as undergoing some running
and strength training. The players have all received personal fitness
schedules and club physio John Dickens has said that all players have
kept to their targets, with none having put on weight since the end of
last season. Other players, including goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, will be reporting back for sessions next week. Adam Lockwood and Richie Wellens reported in for their sessions last week. The whole Rovers squad will report back in for full training on July 6th, just two days before their first scheduled pre-season game against Armthorpe Welfare. |
June
3, 2009 |
Congratulations,
Richie |
|
We
would like to pass our congratulations to Rovers midfielder Richie Wellens,
who got married at the weekend. Richie reported in for his fitness check
at Cantley Park last week, ahead of the wedding. |
June
3, 2009 |
Rovers
duo return to training after injury |
 |
Sean
McDaid, James O'Connor and James Coppinger all took part in training sessions
this week after absences due to injury. McDaid, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, has continued to work on his fitness, strengthening the muscles around the knee as he strives to return to full fitness by early July. James O'Connor, who missed the closing matches of last season with an ankle injury, and James Coppinger, who also missed the last few matches of the campaign with an ankle ligament injury, both resumed full training on Monday after completing their rehabilitation programmes. |
June
3, 2009 |
McCormack
in talks over new Bluebirds contract |
|
Ex-Rovers
loan striker Ross McCormack is in talks with Cardiff City over a new four
year contract after hitting the headlines by scoring 23 goals in the Championship
last season - his first since moving down from Scotland last summer. There have been a number of reports suggesting that Premiership clubs are interested in the young striker, but no offers have yet been received by the club. Chairman Peter Ridsdale said: “We are in talks with Ross about extending his deal and we expect to be able to announce news within the next few weeks.” “When we signed Ross I agreed to review his contract if he had a good first season in the Championship. Everybody, I’m sure, will accept Ross had a good season. We are currently negotiating on level of pay and length of contract. Those talks, we hope, will be concluded over the next few weeks.” |
June
3, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 9th |
 |
Continuing
our countdown to the "player of the season", today we reach
the player in ninth position. With due recognition to his goal scoring
prowess which has led to him ending last season as the top goal scorer
at Rovers despite not being a first team regular before Christmas, Rovers
fans submitted enough votes to give Paul Heffernan 5.27% of all the "man
of the match" votes cast. |
June
2, 2009 |
O'Driscoll
- Championship will be tougher |
 |
Rovers
boss Sean O'Driscoll has predicted that the Championship will be even
tougher for his Rovers side after the three Premiership clubs to be relegated
were confirmed on the last day of the season. With Newcastle United joining
Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion in the Championship for 2009/10,
and Wolves, Birmingham City and Burnley replacing them in the Premiership,
there are some big clubs for Rovers to play next term. Of course, Newcastle's relegation also means that Kasenga LuaLua looks unlikely to return to Rovers after a successful loan at the end of last season. O'Driscoll said: "Newcastle have such a pedigree and have played at the highest level for so long that even some of the so called bigger clubs in the Championship will be looking for their name first when the fixture list comes out. If I'm honest I didn't really want them to come down because we were looking at one or two potential loan players from there for next season. But it will be fantastic for Doncaster Rovers to be playing them as equals almost instead of just a friendly or pre-season game." "It's not just the fact that Newcastle have come down that will make it tough next season - I just think standards seem to improve year on year. When you look at the other two Premiership teams to be relegated as well - Middlesbrough and West Brom - it certainly isn't going to get any easier for us. Leicester are coming back up and I think they will have a bit of momentum behind them while Peterborough could well be dark horses if they are able to continue the financial backing they have given to the manager." "As for us, we learned a lot last season and I hope we will remember those lessons. We became a bit more battle hardened and gained a better understanding of what was required. The fixtures will be out soon and we will all be looking forward to the challenge again." |
June
2, 2009 |
Allanson
is new Bridlington boss |
 |
Former
Doncaster Rovers right back Gary Allanson has been appointed as manager
of Bridlington Town, who play in the Northern Counties East Premier League.
Allanson had previously been at the club as joint manager with Tim Hotte,
but the pair resigned at the end of last season after "taking the
club as far as they can", even though the club scored over 100 goals
last term. Allanson will have club captain Phil Harrison as his assistant as the club hope to keep the bulk of the squad together for next season as they seek to improve on last season's fourth place. Allanson played 22 games for Doncaster Rovers between 1981 and 1984, coming through from the youth team to make his debut as a 17-year old. After leaving Rovers, Gary went on to play non-league football with the likes of Goole Town and North Ferriby United. |
June
2, 2009 |
Gareth
the dragon in charity shoot-out |
 |
Gareth
Owen, the former Doncaster Rovers midfielder, is set to make a spectacle
of himself on Sunday in a bid to raise money for SANDS (Stillborn and
Neonatal Death Charity), who are holding a fund-raising event in Mold
Sports Centre between noon and 2pm. Owen, who has voted to be Player of the Season in the Welsh Premier League this season, will be in goal as Northop Hall Girls FDC fire penalties at him. The girls will be aiming to score 17 penalties - one for each baby's life lost every day in the UK due to stillbirth or neonatal death. Once the girls have netted the 17 goals, they will continue to the Welsh Assembly Government office in Cardiff to deliver a petition to Welsh governmental officials. Owen's chances of saving many penalties may not be helped by performing his goalkeeping role whilst dressed as a Welsh dragon! The charity then hope that members of the public will pay to take a penalty against Gareth, who is now a football development officer for Flintshire. |
June
2, 2009 |
Player
of the season - 10th |
 |
We
have now revealed all of the players from last season who finished outside
of the top ten in the voting for the "Player of the Season",
so today we begin our countdown of the top ten. Goalkeeper Neil Sullivan finished in 10th place with 4.60% of the votes cast during the season, as recognition of his numerous superb displays during the season, particularly during the FA Cup game against Aston Villa at the Keepmoat Stadium. He was ever-present in the Rovers side last season, only coming off the field for the closing seconds of Rovers' home game against Crystal Palace, which allowed young Gary Woods to earn his Rovers debut. |
June
1, 2009 |
Season
ticket prices up from today |
|
The
price of season tickets for most categories will rise from today after
the "Early Bird" promotion by Doncaster Rovers closed at the
end of May. The prices for the Junior tickets - the 12 to 16 age range
and the under-11s - will remain at £60 and £30 respectively
for all parts of the ground, with Category C tickets also remaining the
same prices. However, for other parts of the ground, the adult and concessionary
ticket prices will rise by between 9.29% and 11.6% from today. Season ticket prices for the 2009/10 season will be as follows: Category A: Adults £459, Concessions £339, 12 to 16s £60, Under 11s £30 Category B: Adults £399, Concessions £279, 12 to 16s £60, Under 11s £30 Category C: Adults £280, Concessions £150, 12 to 16s £60, Under 11s £30 Match day prices for the 2009/10 season will be: Category A: Adults £23, Concessions £17, 12 to 16s £17, Under 11s £10 Category B: Adults £20, Concessions £14, 12 to 16s £13, Under 11s £8 Category C: Adults £15, Concessions £8, 12 to 16s £8, Under 11s £5 |
June
1, 2009 |
Yates
signs new deal |
 |
Kidderminster
Harriers boss Mark Yates, formerly a player at Doncaster Rovers, has agreed
a new one year contract with the Blue Square Premier club. His existing
two year contract expired following Harriers' failure to reach the end
of season play-offs, but after considering the offers made to them, both
Yates and assistant Neil Howarth have signed on for a further season. Yates joined Kidderminster as manager in January 2006, but has the prospect, as have a lot of other club managers this summer, of having to prepare for next season with a reduced wages budget. Chairman Barry Norgrove said: "It all depends on season tickets and a number of different factors. Hopefully we can try and raise that budget later as we get nearer the start of the season, but, at the moment, it is slightly lower." "Mark's obviously talking to the players and we will see what comes of it. We all know that there are a lot of good players here and they are going to generate a lot of interest around different clubs. There are a lot of big clubs in our league and a lot of money will be spent next season by a lot of clubs so we will just have to wait and see." |
June
1, 2009 |
Ingham
stays as York release seven |
 |
York
City have announced that they are to release seven players this summer
as they strive to improve their squad, with the Minstermen only just avoiding
relegation from the Blue Square Premier this season. However, former Rovers
goalkeeper Michael Ingham remains at the club, being one of eight players
still under contract at York, although boss Martin Foyle has offered new
contracts to three players and taken up contract extensions on a further
two. Ingham played for Rovers on just one occasion in the 2004/05 season - in an LDV Vans trophy game against Hereford United on 2nd November. |
June
1, 2009 |
Player
of the season |
 |
Yesterday,
we began our countdown to the "Player of the Season" by revealing
the players that had each gained less than 1% of the votes cast. During
this week we will progress towards letting you know who you have voted
as your Player of the Season. Today we cover the rest of the players outside
of the final top ten, which are as follows: 18= James Hayter, Gareth Taylor (1.58%) 17 Lewis Guy (1.78%) 16 Stuart Elliott (1.82%) 15 Jos van Nieuwstadt (2.38%) 14 Mark Wilson (2.85%) 13 Dean Shiels (3.09%) 12 Jason Price (3.53%) 11 John Spicer (4.32%) |