August 31, 2009

Jos leaves Rovers

With the transfer deadline only a little over 24 hours away, the first player to leave Doncaster Rovers is, rather surprisingly, Dutch defender Jos van Nieuwstadt. Rovers and the player have mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which means that he is now free to look for a new club. Van Nieuwstadt has missed the opening part of the season as he recovers from a hernia operation. He played just 17 games for Rovers last season, with Matt Mills, Adam Lockwood and Sam Hird proving strong competition for the two central defensive positions in the side.
We would like to wish Jos all the very best for his future footall career, and thank him for his efforts and contribution whilst at Doncaster Rovers.

August 31, 2009

O'Driscoll - more transfer activity ahead

The imminent transfer deadline looks set to make it a busy time at Doncaster Rovers, with manager Sean O'Driscoll hinting that the will be a number of arrivals and departures during that time. Whilst the departure of Jos van Nieuwstadt may make little difference, as he has not played so far this season due to injury, it should mean that O'Driscoll will move to strengthen in that position, possibly by either signing loan defender Jason Shackell, or extending his loan. O'Driscoll hinted that the answer lies with Wolves and how much Shackell fits into their plans - but if they do not make a quick decision, Rovers may look elsewhere.
The Rovers squad is numerically smaller than at the end of last season, so presumably requires some additions to cover for injury and supsensions that will doubtlessly apply as the season goes on.
Whilst the deadline may be 5pm, do not be surprised if most of the movement in and out of the club occurs very close to that time, if O'Driscoll's comments are anything to go by!

August 31, 2009

Bayo move off

Former Rovers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa's proposed transfer back to Swansea City from Northampton Town is off - despite the Swans having a six-figure bid for the player accepted by the Cobblers. It appears that a double swoop by the Swans for Lee Trundle and Craig Beattie makes it unnecessary for them to supplement their strike force any further.
Akinfenwa's previous spell at Swansea was highly successful, but it was ended after a lengthy lay-off after he broke his leg whilst playing against Scunthorpe.

August 29, 2009

Rovers 2 Cardiff City 0

Rovers reverted to a more expected line-up for this afternoon's home game against Cardiff City, but the omens looked like they were looking for a draw when naming only one striker, James Hayter, in the starting line-up. Anyone who thought that did not have long to wait to be proved wrong - Rovers took the lead in the 13th minute when Adam Lockwood headed home from a Martin Woods corner. With goals hard to come by this season for Rovers, the afternoon got even better just four minutes later when a long string of passes was ended as James Hayter swept the ball into the top right corner of the Cardiff net - and their defence looked distinctly rattled.
Rovers continued to boss the game as Cardiff looked anything other than a top of the table side, with the potent Cardiff strikeforce of Michael Chopra and Jay Bothroyd posing little threat. Bothroyd made an early exit when he was substituted after just nine minutes and headed straight down the tunnel - such an early exit must have been due to injury, but it probably helped the Rovers' cause.
After being dominant in the first half, Cardiff pressed forward after the break in the hope of pulling at least a goal back, but they struggled to make inroads into the Rovers defence. Their best chance fell to Michael Chopra when Neil Sullivan's clearance went stright to him, but Chopra's attempt to chip the ball over the Rovers custodian failed as instead he clipped the ball gently into Sullivan's hands.
The result was Rovers' first victory of the league season, and Cardiff's first defeat - with the three points lifting Rovers up to 14th in the Championship table.

August 30, 2009

Around the goals

We begin our review of former Doncaster Rovers players scoring goals yesterday in League One, where Jon-Paul Pittman came off the bench for Wycombe Wanderers to score their late winner against Bristol Rovers - their first win of the season.
In the Blue Square Premier, ex-Rovers trialist Jason Walker was on the mark again as Barrow beat Tamworth 1-0, which lifts them up to 17th in the table.
In Scotland's Premier Division, Danny Cadamarteri scored for Dundee United in their 2-1 win over Falkirk, which lifts them into second place, two points behind Rangers.
Believe it or not, it's only August, and yet some clubs have already played two FA Cup matches. Yesterday saw fixtures in the Preliminary Round, and Mickey Norbury, now assistant manager at Goole AFC, scored for them in the 65th minute, but they still went down 3-1 to Bourne Town. Also scoring was Ben Sanders, who got Grantham Town's first goal in their 2-2 home draw against Mickleover Sports.

August 30, 2009

What the managers said

Sean O'Driscoll was quick to praise his players following their 2-0 win over top of the table Cardiff City at the Keepmoat Stadium yesterday.
He said: "We started well and for the first twenty minutes, we were excellent. We went up by two goals, which puts everybody at ease and weather the storm. They didn't really create a lot but gave us a few problems with the long throw and I thought we contained them very well."
"Cardiff have been excellent on their travels and have been sitting on top of the league, so we knew it was going to be difficult. We altered a little bit, just to make sure that we were stronger defensively. We've played better in other games and not got anything out of it. They say that once you go two goals up, you need to close the game and I thought that we did that really well today."
Not surprisingly, his opposite number, Dave Jones, was not a happy man yesterday.
"The first 20 minutes killed us," he said. "Do I feel happy? No I don't. I don't think we turned up in the first 20 minutes and you can't afford to do that to any team at this level. I think a couple of the lads might have taken their foot off the gas. They took the game to us and a few of my players weren't up for that today. You have to start at full pelt and a few of my players didn't and a few never got going. I have no problems with the result because fair play to Donny. They played well and harried us and closed us down. They played well and we didn't perform."
"They scored from a cheap corner that we conceded," he said. "And then for the second goal, the lad hit a shot which was going well wide but it deflected off one of their players and one of my players stayed in and played the lad onside. That should be a wake-up call for us."

August 30, 2009

Youth team draw

The youth team drew 0-0 against Chesterfield at Cantley Park yesterday, which gives them four points from their opening three games in the Puma Youth Alliance North East campaign. They travel to play Lincoln City next weekend.

August 30, 2009

Rovers Belles at the Keepmoat

Doncaster Rovers Belles face Watford in the National Laegue Premier Division at the Keepmoat Stadium this afternoon. In one of only a few of their games which they play in the main stadium each season, the Rovers Belles are hoping that the experience will benefit them.
Assistant manager Paul Green said: "We only play two or three games a season at the stadium and it is something all the squad look forward to. The quality of the pitch will suit the way we like to play and we'll be looking to pick up our first win of the season."
Rovers Belles welcome back Canadian striker Liz Hansen after she has recovered from a serious knee injury, which curtailed her 2008/09 season, when she scored 13 goals in 14 games.

August 29, 2009

Rovers v Cardiff City

Sean O'Driscoll is expected to make a number of changes to the Rovers side for their challenging home game against Championship leaders Cardiff City this afternoon. Neil Sullivan should return in goal after Ben Smith was given a chance in the Carling Cup game on Wednesday, but a late decision will be made over James Coppinger, who is suffering from tendonitis of the patella which caused him to miss Wednesday's game. James O'Connor will continue to recover from a medial ligament injury and will not be fit to play today. Jos van Nieuwstadt is fit again after resuming training following his hernia operation, but Steve Brooker (ankle) and Sean McDaid (knee) continue to be absent.
Jason Shackell is expected to be recalled to the starting line-up after being unavailable on Wednesday, with Dene Shiels also likely to return after being rested.
Rovers will have to be wary of the threat caused by Cardiff striker Michael Chopra, who has been in stunning form so far this season, with eight already to his name. His partnership with Jay Bothroyd is certain to keep the Rovers defence busy this afternoon.
The Bluebirds are expected to include Nigerian born Solomon Taiwo, who signed a three year contract wtih Cardiff on Wednesday afternoon in a £250,000 transfer from Dagenham & Redbridge, with the Bluebirds beating the likes of Everton to his signature. Former Rovers striker Ross McCormack continues to be absent as he recovers from a torn hamstring.
City also left a number of first team regulars out for their Carling Cup game against Bristol Rovers, and are expected to revert to the side that played in the league last weekend. They look likely to shuffle their pack in defence, with Quinn reverting to his favoured right back position, with Mark Kennedy or Tony Capaldi set to return on the left.

August 29, 2009

Today's match officials

The match officials for this afternoon's home game against Cardiff City have been confirmed as being:
Referee: E.L. Ilderton
Assistant referees: S. Clayton & M. Coy
Fourth official: J.G. Adcock

August 29, 2009

Byfield shown the door at Latics

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Darren Byfield has been released by Oldham Athletic at the end of a month-long contract with the club. The 32 year old striker failed to score in three appearances and one start for Oldham, with boss Dave Penney saying: "We will channel our resources and the way we play in a different direction."
Byfield was released by Rovers at the end of last season after failing to hold down a regular first team place.

August 29, 2009

Price on target

Ex-Rovers striker Jason Price opened the scoring for Millwall in their home game against Brighton last night. His sixth-minute goal was a tap-in from a cross in from the left. The Lions missed a number of chances to increase their lead and paid for that when Nicky Forster scored a 70th minute equaliser.

August 29, 2009

Voting results

Lewis Guy, who was selected for his first start of the season for Wednesday's home game in the Carling Cup against Tottenham Hotspur, certainly impressed a number of Rovers supporters by his performance, judging by the number of people that voted in his favour in the latest "Man of the Match".
He gained almost two out of every three votes cast in the voting - one of the biggest winning margins seen in the voting for some months.
There were a total of eight players receiving nominations, with the leading number of votes going as follows:
1 Lewis Guy (61.36%)
2 John Oster (11.36%)
3= Martin Woods, James Chambers, James Hayter (6.82% each).
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote, and we apologise for the delay in posting up the results. The next vote will open following this afternoon's game against Cardiff City.

August 27, 2009

Rovers 1 Spurs 5

Tottenham Hotspur showed last night why they have made such a great start to the season, with some clinical finishing proving the difference between the two sides at the Keepmoat Stadium. Early goals from Tom Huddlestone and Jamie O'Hara set the London side on their way - although Rovers will rue the missed chances after they dominated the opening five minutes of the game, with keeper Cudicini pulling off superb saves to deny James Hayter and John Oster. Peter Crouch claimed his first goal for Spurs since moving from Portsmouth to give them a 3-0 half time lead. Further goals from David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko in the second half were countered by a penalty for Rovers which was taken by Martin Woods for a handball offence given against Kevin Prince-Boateng.
For all the scoreline made it look very one-sided, the match did not turn out that way; it was more that Spurs took the chances that came their way, but Rovers did not. The statistics say that Rovers had 52% possession in the game, but tellingly it also reported that Rovers had 4 shots on target as opposed to Spurs' 9.
Sean O'Driscoll sprang a few surprises in the side he named for such a big tie - you expect the Premiership clubs to use their squad for such games, but it raised a few eyebrows when O'Driscoll named Ben Smith in goal in place of Neil Sullivan. Jason Shackell was omitted, presumably due to the terms of his loan deal. Lewis Guy was given his first start of the season - and he went on to have a very good game.

August 27, 2009

What the managers said

Despite the scoreline, Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll was fairly pleased with the way that his side played in last night's Carling Cup game against Tottenham.
He said: "I thought it was a thoroughly entertaining game. Football was the winner. We knew it would be a difficult ask, but we made our own problems. Generally, I don't think you can fault anyone for doing what we tried to do.''
"I think that everybody who came here must have enjoyed the game. It was a fine advert for football from both sides. They're clinical but I thought that we matched them in a lot of areas. Of the games we have got coming up, this was the least important. We wanted to walk off of the pitch thinking that we have learned from it. We talked about some of the good things that we did, as well as some of the goals we conceded. Overall, Saturday is more important and we will focus on that now."
"The first five minutes, we should have been 2-0 up, but their 'keeper has showed what a fine goalkeeper he is - and he's their number two! Nobody got carried away and we knew that we were going to start bright. It's a big game, against Tottenham, with a full-house, so people's adrenalin was pumping - but after that settled down, we didn't ask what have we got next? We didn't want them to pass it from the back and we stopped them doing that all night, as they are just too good a team if they can do that."
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was highly pleased with his side's performance, especially since he made several changes to the one that played in the Premiership at the weekend. He said: "You are looking for the lads who haven't been playing to come in and do a good job. I made lots of changes but I'm lucky in that I can bring in two strikers like Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko and the likes of David Bentley and Giovani, so I've still a strong forward line even though I've rested all the four who have been playing. It's a great problem to have."
"It was a good win for us but I've got to say I was impressed with Doncaster," he added. "I thought they started well and Carlo Cudicini had to make two great saves. I know it's easy when you've won 5-1 to say how good the other team was but I genuinely thought they played some great football, the way they passed it, the angles they found and they had chances as well. We took our chances and our keeper's made some vital saves."
"It was a good win for us but I was impressed with Doncaster. They started great and our keeper made two tremendous saves and they really did start well. I did genuinely think they played some great football. Everything about the way Sean (O'Driscoll) has got them playing is absolutely brilliant. They had chances as well and we took ours.''

August 27, 2009

Rovers after Stead?

August 27, 2009

Offiong seals move to Cumbrians

Ex-Rovers striker Richard Offiong has completed his transfer from Hamilton Academical to Carlisle United. He signed a two year contract, with Carlisle having the option of extending the deal for a further twelve months. The transfer fee is understood to be £75,000.
The move went through after the player agreed personal terms - Hamilton had accepted offers from two other clubs earlier in the summer, but those moves had fallen through due to the clubs concerned not being able to agree terms with the player.
Carlisle boss Greg Abbott said: "It's great for us that we have got this deal done and signed a player we think will help to make a difference for us. He's a strong, fast and agile player and we think that he'll get goals. It's a good signing for us, and we're looking forward to working for him."

August 26, 2009

Rovers v Spurs

Doncaster Rovers have injury concerns about midfielders Brian Stock and James Coppinger ahead of this evening's home Carling Cup tie against Premiership leaders Tottenham Hotspur. Stock has an ankle injury, whilst Coppinger is struggling with tendinitis, and both could miss the game.
Better news comes with the return to fitness of Martin Woods, who was forced to miss Saturday's defeat at Middlebrough due to a calf injury. Gareth Roberts came through Saturday's game without any adverse reaction and looks set to keep his place in the side. Defenders Byron Webster (ankle) and James O'Connor (knee) have both returned to training after recovering from injury, and both could be added to the squad for this evening's match.
It is uncertain whether Wolves have given permission for on-loan defender Jason Shackell to play against Spurs.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has pledged that Spurs will continue the attacking style of play that has seen them surge to the top of the Premiership. Even so, he looks likely to make a number of changes this evening - although that could give England striker Peter Crouch the opportunity to make his debut, with fringe players David Bentley and Jamie O'Hara also likely to feature. Danny Rose is likely to feature against his home town club.
Reports also suggest that Luke Modric, Ledley King and Wilson Palacios will be rested, with injuries forcing out Jonathan Woodgate (groin), Michael Dawson (Achilles), Jermaine Jenas (calf), Gareth Bale (knee) and Heurelho Gomes (groin).
The reported squad that Spurs will be bringing up for the game is: Cudicini, Button, Hutton, Naughton, Bassong, Chimbonda, Corluka, Dervitte, Bentley, Huddlestone, Lennon, Palacios, Modric, Giovani, O'Hara, Boateng, Assou-Ekotto, Parrett, Rose, Pavlyuchenko, Keane, Crouch, Defoe.

August 26, 2009

Rovers v Spurs stats

Doncaster Rovers appear to have a mountain to climb if they are to progress through to the next round of the Carling Cup.
Not only are Tottenham Hotspur top of the Premier League with three wins from their opening three games, but they have also reached the final for the last two seasons - Spurs have also only been knocked out at this stage of the competition once in the last thirty years. However, Rovers have shown capable of matching top flight opposition in recent years, taking Aston Villa to a replay in the FA Cup last season, with magnificent performances against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City in the Carling Cup prior to the move to the Keepmoat Stadium. Will this evening be another of those cup upsets that will hit the headlines?
The only previous League Cup meeting between the two sides, in December 1975, ended in a 7-2 win for Spurs at White Hart Lane, although Rovers ran them close before conceding late goals. The two clubs have only met eight times - Spurs winning five, Rovers once and two ending in draws.
Rovers striker Paul Heffernan needs one more goal to reach 100 goals in his career - and Neil Sullivan should make the 550th start of his career, and he faces one of his former clubs.

August 26, 2009

Match officials for Cup clash

The match officials for this evening's game against Tottenham Hotspur have been confirmed as being:
Referee: R.J. Booth
Assistant referees: K.J. Mattocks & D. Naylor
Fourth official: S.J. Cook

August 26, 2009

Carling Cup tickets update

The Keepmoat Stadium website is showing that a total of 11,734 tickets have now been sold for this evening's fixture against Tottenham Hotspur - 9.134 for the home parts of the ground, and 2,600 for visiting supporters.
Tickets will remain on general sale today and will be on sale up to kick-off.
Admission prices for the match are as follows:
Category A: Adults £23, Concessions £17, Juniors (12-16) £17, 11's & under £10
Category B: Adults £20, Concessions £14, Juniors (12-16) £13, 11's & under £5

August 26, 2009

Goals review

August 26, 2009

Notts County 3 Youth Team 4

The Doncaster Rovers' youth team won Saturday's Youth Alliance fixture against Notts County by the odd goal in seven, although they had to hang on at the end as the home side came back from 4-1 down to come within a whisker of claiming a point from the match. With the match being watched by County's Director of Football, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Rovers went in front in the 22nd minute when Stirland finished from inside the goal area - the second came just a couple of minutes later as Moxam's shot across the keeper from 25 yards flew into the far corner of the net. A third goal came to Rovers in the 58th minute from the penalty spot, scored by Moxam, with the home side pulling one goal back from a dubious penalty three minutes later.
Rovers went 4-1 up in the 70th minute through Grayson - and then County threw everything at Rovers as they tried to salvage something from the match - Fox scored in the 80th minute, and two minutes later Lanaghan's goal made it 4-3. A fantastic save by Rovers keeper Biggs two minutes from time ensured that they held on for a 4-3 win.
Rovers: 1 Biggs, 2 Towler, 3 Turner, 4 Blake, 5 Nodder, 6 Betts, 7 Grayson, 8 Thompson, 9 Stirland, 10 Moxam, 11 Oldham
Substitutes: Hudson (for Grayson, 71), Bradshaw, Jones, Radcliffe, Clark-Adams

August 25, 2009

Man of the Match results

We received nominations for ten players in the latest "Man of the Match" voting, which was for Saturday's away game at Middlesbrough. As often happens in matches that end in defeat, opinion on who the best player was tends to be split fairly evenly - and that was the case for many of the players on Saturday. However, the players that received the most votes did finish ahead of the pack, with the 'top four' being:
1 Jason Shackell (28.125%)
2 Brian Stock (15.625%)
3 Neil Sullivan (12.5%)
4 James Chambers (9.375%)
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. The next poll will open following Wednesday's home Carling Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur.

August 25, 2009

Reading ticket information

Tickets are now on sale to season ticket holders for the away game against Reading on Saturday, 12th September. Any remaining tickets will go on general sale from Tuesday, 1st September. Rovers have received an initial allocation of 1,040 tickets, with different ticket prices applying to season ticket/membership holders to those buying tickets on general sale.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Season ticket holders/membership holders:
Adults £22.50, Senior Citizens (over 65) & Young People (17-21) £16.50, 16 & under £5.75
Ambulant/wheelchair disabled supporters pay the appropriate price, but their carer, if required, are admitted free of charge.
Admission prices for general sale:
Adults £24.50 Senior Citizens (over 65) & Young People (17-21) £18.50, 16 & under £6.75
Match day prices are even more expensive:
Adults £26.50, Senior Citizens (over 65) & Young People (17-21) £20.50, 16 & under £15.50
Disabled car parking spaces must be pre-booked 7 days prior to match day by ringing Reading direct on 0118 968 1211 and is charged at £8.

August 25, 2009

Morley on target

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Dave Morley headed home on the stroke of half time for Bangor at the weekend to help his side defeat Neath 3-1 in their Welsh Premier League match. That result puts Bangor in midtable, with one win from their opening two matches.
Morley joined the Welsh Premier club in the summer after being released by Macclesfield Town.

August 25, 2009

Green to be used sparingly

Ex-Rovers midfielder Paul Green is only to be used sparingly in the next couple of weeks as he continues to suffer from a bruised foot. The injury needs complete rest, but current club Derby County are hoping that he can play through until the "international break" on 5th September, when there will be two weeks between first team fixtures.
Green has been playing in recent games with the help of a pain-killing injection. He picked up the injury in the first match of the season, which is in the same foot as he broke last season.
"Greenie has got a bruised bone in his foot which, ideally, needs two weeks' rest minimum," said manager Nigel Clough. "After the Forest game, we have got two clear weeks. We will look to nurse him through to that point and use him sparingly. If we need to start him, we will do that with the help of an injection but, ideally, he needs that two to three weeks' rest now."

August 24, 2009

Rovers v Spurs tickets

Tickets for Wednesday's home Carling Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur will be on general sale from today at a rate of two tickets per applicant (subject to availability).
Prices have been set at normal match day admission prices, meaning that no Category C tickets are available, and all of the South Stand will be Category A.
Admission prices for the fixture are:
Category A: Adults £23, Concessions £17, Junior (12-16) £17, 11 & under £10
Category B: Adults £20, Concessions £14, Junior (12-16) £13, 11 & under £5
The Keepmoat Stadium website is reporting that 7,618 tickets have been sold for the fixture. Tickets went on sale to Spurs fans from their ticket office on Friday.

August 24, 2009

Harry hits the big time - at Crewe

Harry Worley, who spent a month at Doncaster Rovers on loan from Chelsea in the 2006/07 season, is tasting life at the other end of the footballing spectrum after signing for Crewe Alexandra on loan earlier this month. Worley signed for Leciester City in August 2008 after a short period on loan the previous season, but has failed to make any subsequent first team appearances for the Foxes, leading to him going out on loan to Luton Town last season.
Worley has so far made three appearances for Crewe and has finished on the winning side every time, with his loan running until 14th September.

August 24, 2009

Walker helps out at Rovers

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Colin Walker has joined Blue Square Premier club Forest Green Rovers to bolster the backroom staff of new boss Billy McEwan following the controversial dismissal of Jim Harvey. Harvey's dismissal was confirmed by the club on Friday, who claimed that that he had contacted the chairman of two other clubs to apply for a managerial vacancy without permission of Forest Green - but Harvey denies any wrong doing and is taking legal action.
Walker was manager at York City until November 2008.

August 24, 2009

Transfer window extended

With the last day of August falling on a Bank Holiday, the Football League have confirmed that the transfer deadline has been extended until 5pm on Tuesday, 1st September 2009.

August 22, 2009

Middlesbrough 2 Rovers 0

It was always going to be tough against a club just relegated from the Premiership, who had yet to concede a goal, and so it proved to be this afternoon at the Riverside Stadium as Boro' won 2-0 to go top of the Championship. A goal in each half for the home side did the damage - Leroy Lita fed Tuncay Sanli, who slotted the ball home past Neil Sullivan. Lita was the scorer of the second goal, hammering the ball past Sullivan to assure Boro' of the three points. Rovers' best chance came when a fierce shot from 30 yards by Brian Stock was well saved by the home keeper.
Despite struggling for goals this season, Sean O'Driscol elected to leave last season's top scorer, Paul Heffernan, on the bench, preferring to have a strike partnership of James Hayter and Dean Shiels, although he did introduce Heffernan after just over an hour's play.

August 23, 2009

Around the goals

Our look around yesterday's matches for former Doncaster Rovers players making the headlines begins in the Championship, where Matt Mills scored his first goal for Reading since his move down south earlier this month. Unfortunately for him, Reading went down to a 3-1 home defeat against Sheffield United.
In League One, ex-Rovers defender Colin Hawkins had a bad day - he was sent off for handball whilst conceding a penalty whilst playing for Brighton against Stockport County. The match ended in a 4-2 win for County, with two other players, Brighton's Tommy Elphick and County's Liam Bridcutt, also being shown the red card.
Also in League One, Jon-Paul Pittman scored one of Wycombe's two goals in their game against Norwich, but Paul Lambert's first game in charge of the Canaries ended with a 5-2 win.
In League Two, Northampton Town moved into fifth place with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth, with Adebayo Akinfenwa scoring his second goal of the week in the sixth minute of the match.
In non-league football, we take a look at the UniBond Premier League, where Robert Pell scored the only goal of the game as North Ferriby United won at Matlock Town. In the UniBond First Division (South), Tristram Whitman scored twice for Carlton Town in their 3-0 home win over Cammell Laird, a victory which sees Carlton as one of three clubs on seven points at the top of the table from their opening three games.

August 23, 2009

What the managers said

Even though they lost, Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll thought that his players did enough to have taken a point from the Riverside Stadium yesterday.
He commented: "Even at two down we were still in it. We controlled the game for long spells, had a lot of possession in their half and we had chances. But if you lose your discipline and organisation in this division then you get punished and we did that for both their goals. It is hard to keep your shape when both your full backs keep on going forward and you have players like Adam Johnson and Tuncay running at you. We knew we would be up against it. Our reports were that their two centre-backs were immovable objects and we saw that. It is very hard to break through that."
Despite being top of the table, Boro' boss Gareth Southgate stressed that his side must not be complacent and must improve on their performance yesterday.
He said: "I felt we ground out a win and I didn't think we were at our best. We didn't create as much as we'd hoped and looked a little laboured. The game in the week was intensive and, on a hot afternoon today, we didn't match that energy. Doncaster pass the ball very well and make you chase, but the majority of their work is in the back two-thirds of the field. Without posing too much threat they had control of the game for periods, and that can be frustrating."

August 23, 2009

Carlisle bid accepted for Offiong

Hamilton Academical have accepted a bid from Carlisle United for striker Richard Offiong, although Carlisle boss Greg Abbott has refused to confirm the offer. He has admitted to making an enquiry about the player, but insists he will not say anything until the deal is done. He said: "My philosophy on players is that we try and keep it quiet until a deal is done. At the moment he is a Hamilton player so it is not really fair for us to talk about him in any great detail."
Offiong has been the subject of regular transfer speculation this summer - Hamilton have accepted bids from two other clubs since the end of last season, but neither have gone through after negotiations over personal terms broke down.
Abbott continued: "We can confirm that we have made an enquiry. "We think Richard is a good player and we are always interested in good players. We are hopeful that they will listen to what we have to say and we can move it on from there. There's still a lot of work to be done so there's nothing much we can add about the situation."

August 22, 2009

Middlesbrough v Rovers

This afternoon, Doncaster Rovers will be out to do what no other team has done against Middlesbrough this season - to score a goal! The impressive Boro defence has yet to concede, so Rovers will have to be at their best to overcome this obstacle.
Added to that, Rovers have injury concerns, particularly about a number of defenders, meaning that their options may be limited for this afternoon's match - Byron Webster and James O'Connor are definitely out, whilst Gareth Roberts is rated at no better than 50-50 for the big game. Also doubtful is midfielder Martin Woods, who picked up a calf injury in Tuesday's game against Coventry.
Midfielder John Spicer has overcome a hamstring injury and, particularly if Woods fails to pass a fitness test, looks likely to earn a recall to the squad.
Sean O'Driscoll has identified that Boro have built their success on centre backs David Wheater and Robert Huth, with winger Adam Johnson a particular threat to Rovers. With high profile players such as Leroy Lita in the opposition ranks, Rovers will have their Championship credentials tested at the Riverside Stadium today.
Gareth Southgate may well name the same starting eleven for the third successive match, despite midfieler Gary O'Neil requiring a hernia operation. Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere is hoping to return today after missing the wins over Swansea and Scunthorpe with a hamstring injury, but Alfonso Alves, Emanuel Pogatetz, Matthew Bates, Brad Jones, Chris Riggott and Didier Digard all miss the game with injuries.

August 22, 2009

Wilson hopes to face former club

Rovers midfielder Mark Wilson is keeping his fingers crossed that he will get the opportunity to line up for Rovers against his former club, Middlesbrough. Although yet to get onto the pitch this season, Wilson may get his chance this afternoon if Martin Woods fails a fitness test. Should that be the case, Mark is sure that his experience at the Riverside would work to his benefit.
Wilson joined Boro' after leaving Manchester United to get first team football. As he explained to the Doncaster Star: "It was a big decision to leave United but I knew that it was the only way to play more games. I had hoped to be playing regularly for Middlesbrough when I first went there. It didn't quite work out like that and there were some lows as well as highs during my time at the club. But I really enjoyed my time there and I am looking forward to going back and meeting up with some of the people who are still there, including manager Gareth Southgate. Gareth's a top man and I always got on well with him while I was there. He was a very intelligent footballer and good to play in front of. It didn't surprise me in the least that he went into management, because as well as being a good footballer, he was a deep thinker on the game."

August 22, 2009

Belles duo in England call-up

The Doncaster Rovers Belles duo of Naiomi Chadwick and Emma Johnson have been called up to the England U19 training camp which is taking place at Maidenhead this week. The squad comprises of 24 players, with all the girls hoping that a good week at the camp will aid their future England prospects.
The full squad is: Amy Carr (Reading), Julianna Draycott (Leeds Carnegie), Samantha Chappell (Liverpool), Francesca Sullivan (Blackburn), Naiomi Cole (Arsenal), Sophie Halliday, Lucy Staniforth, Sophie Williams (Sunderland), Jemma Rose (Plymouth Argyle), Shelby Hills, Drew Spence (Chelsea), Lyndsey Cunningham, Chloe Foster (Nottingham Forest),Naiomi Chadwick, Emma Johnson (Doncaster Rovers Belles), Emma Follis (Aston Villa), Amber Grose (Bristol Academy), Katy Morgan, Callan Barber (Birmingham City), Kristina Manttlelow, Ellie Stenning (Charlton Athletic), Heather McNeil (Watford), Maegan Doyle (Colchester), Danielle Turner (Everton)

August 22, 2009

Today's match officials

The match officials for this afternoon's match at the Riverside Stadium have been confirmed as:
Referee: G. Salisbury
Assistant referees: P.T. Kettlewell, D.A. McCallum
Fourth official: M. Brown

August 22, 2009

No go for Budtz at Darlington

Former Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Jan Budtz will not be signing for Darlington, according to assistant manager Dean Windass. Budtz had been hoping to join the club after training with the Quakers during the summer, but it looks that financial considerations will scupper his chances of a Football League comeback.
With finances still very limited following the club coming out of administration recently, Windass explained: "He's come in for training, but we can't do anything with Jan. It's a non-starter, the budget is tight now."

August 21, 2009

Dean wins voting

Dean Shiels was the clear winner of the "Man of the Match" vote for the match against Coventry City on Tuesday, when he gained just over twice as many votes as his nearest rival, John Oster. Seven players gained votes, with those receiving the most being:
1 Dean Shiels (42.31%)
2 John Oster (20.51%)
3 Jason Shackell (15.38%)
4 Brian Stock (8.97%)
Thank you to everyone who took the time to place their vote. As in past seasons, every single vote cast will also go towards our "Player of the Season".
The next "Man of the Match" vote will open following Saturday's away game at Middlesbrough.

August 21, 2009

Agents fees report

The latest report of clubs paying money to football agents shows that Doncaster Rovers have paid nothing to agents within the first six months of 2009. However, for the full twelve months to 30th June 2009, Rovers paid £116,000 to agents. All Championship clubs paid something to agents during the twelve month period, with Derby County paying the most - just over £1 million, with Birmingham City coming second with just over three-quarters of a million pounds paid to agents.
There were five clubs (including Rovers) who have not made any payments to agents between 1st January and 30th June 2009.
The full report can be found on the Football League website.

August 21, 2009

Buses to Middlesbrough

The Supporters Club are running coaches to tomorrow's game at Middlesbrough. They leave Retford at 10.45am, Harworth 10.50am, Rossington/Bawtry 11.00, Hare & Tortoise 11.05am, Doncaster Royal Infirmary 11.15am and Keepmoat Stadium Car Park 1 at 11.30am.
The fares are:
Members £12, OAPs £10, Under-16s £10, Under 6 free
Non-members fares are £2 on top of the above prices.
You can join the Supporters Club on the day and still qualify for your price reduction.
Membership fees are £5 for adults, £3 for OAPs and £2 for under-16s.

August 21, 2009

Injury update

Gareth Roberts and Martin Woods are struggling to be fit in time for tomorrow's big game at Middlesbrough. Whilst Roberts' ankle injury sustained late in Tuesday's game against Coventry City is not as bad as first feared, physio John Dickens rates his chances at only 50-50. Woods has a calf strain and is also rated as 50-50 to be fit to play.
Dickens said yesterday: "Gareth had treatment today and he'll have treatment for the next couple of days - he won't do any running - and we'll see how he is on Saturday. The same applies to Martin. He's got a bit of a calf strain and he'll just have treatment and he'll not train this week. Like Gareth, he's 50-50.
Definitely missing tomorrow will be new signing Byron Webster and right back James O'Connor. Webster has a slight tear in an ankle ligament, and O'Connor has a medial ligament problem. Webster will be out of action for approximately a week, with O'Connor set to return to training in ten days' time.
Sean McDaid is at Lilleshall as part of his recovery programme and is expected to be able to join in full training in four weeks' time.
Steve Brooker is due to have an operation to clean out his Achilles tendon this afternoon. Dickens said: "He's got chronic tendonitis which has made it painful for him to run. The operation will reduce the inflammation and the hope is that he will be back in training in 10-12 weeks, or before."
John Spicer missed Tuesday's game with a hamstring strain, but will be fit to play tomorrow.

August 20, 2009

Rovers in defender crisis

Doncaster Rovers could be going into Saturday's match at Middlesbrough with just one specialist full back following the injury to Gareth Roberts on Tuesday. James O'Connor is currently out as he recovers from a medial knee ligament injury, so the ankle injury picked up by Roberts late in Tuesday's game against Coventry means that the only full back likely to be available is James Chambers
With many thinking that the challenge on Roberts by Aaron Gunnarsson was worthy of a red card - the referee settled for a lecture - it both took the gloss of Tuesday's performance as well as giving the Rovers management a headache ahead of the weekend.
Assistant manager Richard O'Kelly commented: "It was an atrocious tackle in my opinion. I thought at the time that it was a bad tackle and it proved that on the DVD. I was pleased with our defensive organisation and it was good to keep a clean sheet. Our front runners, especially in the first half, put their back-four under a lot of pressure when they had the ball. I still think that we've got work to do in the final third when we go forward."

August 20, 2009

Lockwood in Team of the Week

Rovers defender Adam Lockwood has been named in the Team of the Week for the Coca Cola Championship for his performance against Preston North End on Saturday. Also included in the team is former Rovers midfielder Paul Green. Green now plays for Derby County, who played Scunthorpe United at the weekend. Produced by the Press Association, the Team of the Week feature the eleven top performing players from each division from this weekend's matches.
The full Championship team named is: Scott Carson (West Brom), Steve Wright (Coventry), Adam Lockwood (Doncaster Rovers), Patrick McCarthy (Crystal Palace), Andy Taylor (Sheff United), Keith Treacy (Sheff United), Paul Green (Derby County), James O`Connor (Sheff Wednesday), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough), Shola Ameobi (Newcastle), Gary Hooper (Scunthorpe United).

August 20, 2009

Spurs tickets update

Tickets for the Carling Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur are now on general sale at a rate of 2 tickets per person, subject to availability. This morning, the Keepmoat Stadium website is indicating that 5,687 tickets have been sold for the match.
Ticket prices for this match are those applicable on a normal match day, meaning that they will cost as follows:
Category A: Adults £23, Concessions £17, Juniors (12-16) £17, 11's & under £10
Category B: Adults £20, Concessions £14, Juniors (12-16) £13, 11's & under £5
There are no Category C tickets available for this fixture.
Tickets are available in person at the Keepmoat Stadium Ticket Office or by phone on 01302 762576!
The match is next Wednesday, 26th August, and kicks off at 7.45pm.

August 20, 2009

Taylor on target again

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Gareth Taylor scored his third goal of the season on Tuesday as he scored for Wrexham in their 1-0 home win over York City in the Blue Square Premier. Taylor, captain for the match in the absence of Ashley Westwood, scored just before the hour in what proved to be his only chance of the whole game, but former Rovers keeper Michael Ingham, playing for York, denied the Dragons on numerous other good saves during the game to keep the scoreline down to respectable levels.

August 19, 2009

Rovers 0 Coventry City 0

Doncaster Rovers dominated yesterday's match against Coventry City, but could not find the vital cutting edge to find their way through a determined City defence, meaning the game gave them their third draw of the season. As far as goalless draws go, this was highly entertaining - Rovers dominated possession and carved out numerous chances, only for wayward shooting and a massed Coventry defence denying them. The referee, Carl Boyeson, had a night that he may want to forget - but at least he was consistent, frustrating the players and supporters of both teams, rather than favouring one unduly. Goal kicks were given as corners and vice versa, and Rovers were denied what appeared to be two good shouts for penalties, one in each half. Coventry's Gunnarsson was perhaps fortunate to complete the 90 minutes - after being booked earlier in the game, he appeared to be on shaky ground after hacking down Gareth Roberts, with the foul forcing Roberts to be substituted. But the referee deemed it only worthy of a lecture, with the crowd baying for the red card to be shown.
Rovers pushed forward at every opportunity - but the decision to leave Paul Heffernan on the bench may have proved costly as James Hayter was relatively anonymous in the first half, with Shiels and Coppinger having most of the best chances. Brian Stock was particularly unlucky in the second half, having one superb shot palmed round the post by Westwood in the Coventry goal. Shiels had one angled shot go right across the goalmouth, only for it to drag agonisingly wide of the far post.
Boss Sean O'Driscoll ought to be happy with the performance, but will he still be hoping to sign a striker to break the deadlock before the transfer deadline at the end of the month?

August 19, 2009

What the managers said

Coventry boss Chris Coleman was understandably relieved to come away with a point last night after seeing his top of the table side outclassed by a rampant Doncaster side that just couldn't find a way through City's hard working defence.
Coleman said: "They're a good team, I'd pay money to watch Doncaster play, but it's a point gained for us and two lost for them. In the first half we were poor. Too many of us with under-par performances and we were too frivolous with possession but thankfully the back four held firm and kept their efforts at distance. Kieren Westwood's pulled off some good saves, but that's a point gained for us."
Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll appreciated the efforts put in by his players. "It was a sparkling performance.We dominated from start to finish apart from putting the ball in the back of the net. If it wasn't for Westwood we would have been two or three goals up, but we've shown what we're capable of and hopefully we can that into next week. We're still a bit work in progress, trying to get the right balance with the players we've got and every point in this division is precious for us. We're not a Championship team yet, we've just earned the right to play here and as long as we keep that focused in our minds, then being unbeaten after three games isn't too bad."

August 19, 2009

Around the goals

We begin our review of former Rovers players scoring goals last night in League Two, where Adebayo Akinfenwa scored Northampton Town's second goal from the penalty spot in the 18th minute as the Cobblers won 3-0 at Accrington.
In the Blue Square Premier, former Rovers trialist striker Jason Walker scored Barrow's goal in their 4-1 defeat at Mansfield - with Barrow having six players, including Walker, booked and one sent off for a second bookable offence. Chris Beardsley scored for Stevenage as they defeated Ebbsfleet United 3-0.
In the Blue Square North, Robert Pell scored for Alfreton Town in their 2-1 loss at Eastwood Town.
Finally, we check in the UniBond league where, in the First Division South, another familiar name can be seen. The seasons may come and go, but some players seem to go on forever. Scoring for Glapwell in their 2-1 home win over Belper Town, was the evergreen Neil Grayson.

August 18, 2009

Jeffers linked with Rovers

Sheffield Wednesday striker Francis Jeffers has been linked with a move to Doncaster Rovers in the media yesterday morning. Both the Sun and Sky Sports News have reported that Jeffers is a target for Sean O'Driscoll, with a transfer fee of around £500,000 being mentioned. Whilst Jeffers was impressive earlier in his career whilst at Everton, we doubt that there is much foundation to the story - but you never know!
Jeffers is likely to be recalled to the Wednesday side this evening as injuries limit the options that Brian Laws has available to him.

August 18, 2009

Cadamarteri double sinks Hearts

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Danny Cadamarteri hit the headlines north of the border last night as his two goals for Dundee United sank Heart of Midlothian. His first goal came from the penatly spot after just four minutes play at Tannadice, with his seconda great long-range shot in the second half. However, his boss Craig Levein denied the chance of a hat-trick by substituting Cadamarteri to protect his striker from picking up an injury. Levein said: "He had a hamstring problem last week and I thought 'what's the point? Hopefully there will other days when he can get hat-tricks. His two goals probably swung it his way as man of the match, but I thought Danny Swanson ran him close."

August 18, 2009

Rovers v Coventry

Doncaster Rovers go into this evening's home game against Coventry City undefeated for this season - although they also have yet to taste victory, with two draws to date. On the other hand, Coventry City come into the game as the only team in the Championship still with a 100% success record and sit on top of the Championship table.
Rovers won the corresponding fixture last season on August Bank Holiday, which proved to be their last win until what proved to be an inspriational victory at Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
Rovers are unlikely to make many changes for this evening's match - any alterations to the side that drew against Preston North End are likely to be down to the fitness of certain players. James O'Connor missed the game with a knee injury, and Sam Hird was only on the bench after picking up a knock the previous weekend.
On-loan defender Jason Shackell stands by to retain his place in central defence, whilst new signings Quinton Fortune and John Oster will be hoping for a place in the starting line-up. Definitely out are Steve Brooker (achilles), Sean McDaid (knee) and Jos van Nieuwstadt (hernia).
Coventry boss Chris Coleman will delay naming his squad after Martin Cranie, Clinton Morrison and Leon Best all picked up knocks on Saturday, but all three are expected to be fit to play. Striker Freddy Eastwood will miss out due to illness, meaning they are likely to line up with the same side that won 2-0 at Barnsley at the weekend.
One familiar face to Rovers fans in the opposition camp will be that of winger Michael McIndoe, who just joined City within the last month. McIndoe did not enjoy the best of fortunes with Bristol City when they visited the Keepmoat Stadium last season, but we hope that Rovers fans give the tricky Scot a good reception this evening as recognition of his magnificent service in the three years he spent at Rovers.

August 18, 2009

The managers look ahead

Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll is wary of the threat the Sky Blues will cause this evening. He said: "I watched them play Ipswich at the Ricoh and they looked a solid unit. Sammy Clingan gives them a little balance in midfield and keeper Keiren Westwood has always been good. The two strikers, if they can keep fit, will be a handful in this division. They have got a young left-back (Patrick van Aanholt) on loan from Chelsea - a young Dutch boy who will excite people this season. He's got plenty of ability.
Chris Coleman can remember the game at the Keepmoat Stadium last August. He recalls: "It will be a tough game because they beat us very easily last season. It was only 1-0 but they dominated the game. We were atrocious – I don't think we put in a tackle in the first 45 minutes – so we owe them a performance. We've got to do a lot better this season. Doncaster have made a decent start and they play good football. They've no big-name players but they've got a well-balanced squad, and they all know what they're doing. They don't use a regular 4-4-2, but pack the midfield with two inside forwards and try to play through you with lots of short passes. It means that they have a lot of possession during games so we know we'll have to be patient. "They want you to open up because they want to exploit the space you leave."

August 18, 2009

Youth team 1 Burton Albion 2

Doncaster Rovers began their Puma Youth Alliance campaign on Saturday against Burton, who are taking part in the division for the first time due to their senior team winning promotion to the Football League in the summer. The newboys ended the game victorious after coming from a goal behind to score twice in the second half. Moxam put Rovers ahead in the 18th minute following a good move involving Blake and Hoyle, with both of the Burton goals coming from Spargo (74th and 84th minutes). Whilst Rovers pressed forward in search of the equaliser in the closing minutes, their solitary chance was ruled out for offside a minute after Burton's second goal.
Rovers: Biggs, Towler, Turner, Thompson, Nodder, Betts, Grayson, Blake, Hoyle, Moxam, Oldham
Substitutes: Robinson (for Oldham, 66), Jones (for Betts, 73), Bradshaw, Mullen

August 18, 2009

Tonight's ref

The match officials for this evening's match against Coventry City have been confirmed as:
Referee; C Boyeson
Assistant referees: G Hart & S Smith
Fourth official: M A Naylor

August 18, 2009

Spurs tickets

Doncaster Rovers have announced that the sale of tickets for the forthcoming Carling Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur will cease for the day at 5.30pm, after which only tickets for this evening's game will be sold. Tickets for the clash against Spurs will go back on sale tomorrow morning at 9am.
The Keepmoat Stadium website is currently showing that just over 4,000 tickets for the match have been sold so far.

August 18, 2009

Man of the match results

Rovers fans limited their nominations for their "Man of the Match" to just six players for the game against Preston North End on Saturday, with three of those showing a clear lead ahead of the rest. Those receiving the most votes are as follows:
1 Brian Stock (39.44%)
2 Adam Lockwood (25.35%)
3 James Hayter (21.13%)
Thanks to go everyone who took the time to vote - the next poll will open later this evening following the home game against Coventry City.

August 17, 2009

What the managers said

Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll was happy to come back from a goal behind to claim a point on Saturday, but at times he feared it would not turn out like that after a dominant second half performance.
He said: "We kept our discipline and shape after we went a goal down. I thought we dominated the second half and for a while I did think it was going to be one of those days again when we wouldn't convert the chances that we created. But we got one in the end and I thought we looked the more likely team to go on and win it. I try to not to use the word 'unlucky'. We created chances and did not take them. James Hayter will rue the fact he hit the post. Nine times out of 10 he scores and we give ourselves a chance. Every point counts in this division."
"Preston are a good side - but we knew that going into it. They made it difficult for us in the first half but, apart from the goal, I thought that we were really organised and in the second half, we dominated the play. We've got one and, I suppose, a little disappointed that we didn't come away with three. I've said before that points in this division are precious and we have got a point against a very good Preston team."
Preston boss Alan Irvine was disappointed not to have taken all three points away from the Keepmoat Stadium after dominating the first half and holding their lead until the last quarter of an hour. He commented: "That was two points lost. We know Doncaster very well. We know they have players with imagination and ability; we had a video session this morning and showed the lads who are going to take short free kicks and short corners and explained that it was important to be alive to them. Unfortunately we had either a lack of concentration or a bit or tiredness and we switched off. That is bitterly disappointing because the work had been done in preparation."
"I thought we passed them to death in the first half. We had the lion's share of the ball and we were very comfortable. We put some great crosses in. In the second half we passed poorly and made bad decisions. It's just disappointing that we switched off defending a free kick."

August 17, 2009

Budtz has Quakers trial

Former Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Jan Budtz is hoping to join League Two club Darlington after being on trials at the club for the last fortnight. The 30-year old left Hartlepool at the end of last season, and was last spotted playing for North Ferriby United in their pre-season campaign. He is hoping to resurrect his Football League career by impressing new Darlington boss Colin Todd, and said: "I have trained for a couple of weeks and it has gone well. It could be good to get some matches in League Two. They just have two young keepers at the club and I could certainly add some experience. But it's up to the manager if he also feels that."

August 17, 2009

Coaches to Boro

The Supporters Club are running coaches to Saturday's away game at Middlesbrough. They will leave Retford at 10.15am, Bawtry 10.30am, Harworth Pit Gates 10.20am, Rossington Styrrup 10.30am, Hare & Tortoise 10.35am, Doncaster Royal Infirmary 10.45am and Keepmoat Stadium Car Park 1 11.00am.
The fares are as follows:
Members: Adults £12.00, OAPs £11.00, U16s £10.00
Non-members: Adults £14.00, OAPs £13.00, U16s £12.00
To book a place on the coach, please contact Len South (01302 817347) or Paul Mayfield (01427 880154).