July 15, 2010

Quorn 0 Rovers 0

Doncaster Rovers played out a goalless draw at Quorn yesterday evening, with part of the match played in a thunderstorm that knocked out the power to the floodlights during the first half. Rovers used their new away kit, blue shirt, shorts and socks, with the shirts having very thin hoops on them.
The best scoring chance for Rovers fell to Robbie Clark, who had a header which hit the crossbar.
Whilst few reports/comments have been spotted so far, this appears to be the Rovers side:
First half: Neil Sullivan, trialist (right back), James O'Connor, George Friend, Shelton Martis, Brian Stock, Simon Gillett, Josh Payne, trialist (midfield), Billy Sharp, James Hayter
Second half: Gary Woods, Mustapha Dumbuya, Shelton Martis (sub. George Friend, 60), Adam Lockwood, Sam Hird, Martin Woods, Simon Gillett (sub. Richard O'Kelly, 75), Robbie Clark, trialist, Waide Fairhurst, James Hayter (sub. Lee Butler, 85)

July 15, 2010

Rovers change plans for this week

Sean O'Driscoll originally planned to travel to Warwick University for all of this week as part of Rovers' pre-season plans, but after entering the South West Cup in Devon, which is played next week, the stay at Warwick University was reduced. Instead of staying for the full week, they travelled down yesterday morning, checking in at the University before playing the match at Quorn last night.
O'Driscoll explained to the Doncaster Star: "The idea was to go for a week to Warwick. It is a different venue and the facilities are really good - the England Under-19s are training there prior to the European Championships. It has not just got football facilities, there are gyms and leisure activities down the road. It is also cost effective. Then, when we were all set to go there for a week, out of the blue we got invited to play in the South West Cup in Devon the following week. Again, cost wise it wasn't going to cost us anything apart from travel, so we've sort of merged the two and hopefully we can get enough work done on the training pitch and get everybody enough minutes on the pitch in the games."
Rovers will now play as many as four games whilst in Devon - should they reach the final after negotiating the group matches, with O'Driscoll saying: "We've been invited and hopefully we'll play well in the tournament but I'm not really concerned whether we win it or we don't win it. I said before pre-season that you can end up trying to cram too much into pre-season and some clubs train people too hard and play as many games as they possibly can, Whereas we play players for 45 minutes and we feel that's a better way of doing it. I think our record over the last two seasons has been excellent - especially going into the final part of the season when I think that we've been one of the fittest teams."

July 15, 2010

Goals review

They may only be pre-season games, but a couple of former Rovers players have been mentioned in dispatches this week. Firstly Gareth Taylor, who is still to sign a new contract at Wrexham, scored one of their four goals at Vauxhall Motors on Tuesday evening. His goal was a 77th minute penalty, with the Blue Square Premier club registering a 4-0 win.
The other player with a Rovers connection gets mentioned in more unfortunate circumstances. Charles Fisher, who has just joined Frickley Athletic after being released by Doncaster Rovers this summer, scored an own-goal as Frickley went down to a 3-0 home defeat against Grimsbyh Town. Frickley had the misfortune to score twice for their opponents, with Lee Booth being first to put the ball into his own net after an hour's play.

July 15, 2010

Clark signs on

Only a couple of days after Rovers had announced that young midfielder Robbie Clark had been kept at the club on non-contract terms, it now turns out that he has signed a new six month contract with the club, which keeps him at Rovers until January 2011. Clark, who has travelled with the first team squad to Warwick University this week, and is expected to be in the squad that travels to Devon at the weekend, spent time out on loan last season and did not make a first team appearance last season, other than as a non-playing substitute.
It is still expected that he will leave the club after his new contract expires, as per the indications given by Sean O'Driscoll a few days ago.

July 15, 2010

Chambers doubt for start of season - so Driscoll trials City defender

Defender James Chambers is a major doubt for the start of the coming season after it was revealed that he needs an exploratory operation on his knee. Chambers is likely to have the operation in a week's time - as he returned from South Africa recently, there are regulations as to how soon after a long-haul flight he can have the surgery.
Chambers was not included in the squad for last night's game at Quorn, and will not travel to Devon for the South West Cup tournament next week.
Boss Sean O'Driscol has, in the meantime, taken Manchester City defender Shaleum Logan on trial, and he was scheduled to play against Quorn. Logan has made three first team appearances for City, making his Premier League debut against Portsmouth last year. He played 33 games on loan at Tranmere and has previously had loan spells at Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Stockport.
Rovers have also taken teenage winger Joel Grandosn on trial after he was released by Coventry City.

July 15, 2010

Jamie signs on again

Ex-Rovers winger Jamie Lawrence has signed a new one year contract at Zamaretto League Division One Central club Ashford Town. Lawrence, who is also manager at the club, is one of eight players from last season to sign on again for the club, along with two of last season's under-18 side, and three new signings.
Lawrence was at Rovers in the early part of his career between 1993 and 1995 after being released by Sunderland, and went on to play for Leicester City and Bradford City before playing at non-league level.

July 14, 2010

McCarthy - no chance of Keogh loan

The chances of Andy Keogh arriving at Doncaster Rovers seemed to nose-dive yesterday following comments made by Wolves boss Mick McCarthy that clearly stated that he would not allow the striker to be loaned out for next season. That stance comes despite a statement from Monday by Sean O'Driscoll that Rovers have made an enquiry for the player.
O'Driscoll told DROS: "Andy Keogh is somebody that, probably, most of the boys know. His situation, so I am told, is that he may be surplus to requirements at Wolves - I'm not sure. You never can tell with clubs. They get problems and all of a sudden he is playing a number of games last season. He is part of their squad, but we have made 'tentative enquiries' or we speak to clubs all the time and his name was mentioned when we chatted to Mick McCarthy to see what the situation was. That's what has happened and that is the fact."
However, McCarthy countered that stance by challenging Rovers to "put up or shut up", although he did indicate that the £2.5 million-rated player is available for sale.
He told the Exporess and Star: “I always find it strange when managers talk about other team’s players. They’ve signed Billy Sharp – if they want to pair them up then they have a lot of things to do."
" First, contact us and make a proper bid. Secondly, if we accept it, then they can speak to Andy, and that might not be the easiest thing in the world. It might not be his desire to play with Billy Sharp or go to Doncaster. I think he’ll want to stay in the Premier League. He was our best player at the start of last season. As I tell all the players, the team that started last season didn’t finish it. So if they want to do something, they’ve got to contact me. Not contact me and ask – ‘Is he available?’ because we know he is, they’ve got to say ‘We want him and we want to bid x-amount.’ That’s how it goes. If they don’t, then nothing will happen.”
The loan option also seems to be dead in the water at the moment - although if Keogh fails to make the Wolves squad of 25 for the start of the season, the situation may change.
McCarthy continued: “There’s no chance of him going out on loan. What would be the benefit to us? I only had 20 training yesterday, so I haven’t even got my squad of 25. Loaning players out? No. Clearly, if we’ve got 25 players before the end of the transfer window, and somebody isn’t going to be in my squad, then it will be beneficial for him and for us for him to go on loan. But that’s not the case yet.”
McCarthy also said that, contrary to other news reports, Leeds United have not made an enquiry about the Irishman's availability.

July 14, 2010

Quorn v Rovers

Doncaster Rovers play their second pre-season game of the summer this evening when they travel to play Evo-Stick Division One (South) side Quorn.
Please note that, contrary to earlier information issued on DROS, the match is now being played at Quorn's Farley Way Stadium, and not Warwick University. The game kicks off at 7:30pm, with admission prices of £6 for adults and £4 for concessions.
For those intending on travelling to the match, the ground address is Farley Way Stadium, Farley Way, Quorn, Leicestershire LE12 8RB.
The journey from Doncaster is just over 60 miles and will take about 80 minutes.
Rovers will be taking a full squad to the game, with Billy Sharp likely to take part for the first time since signing for the club last week, with a chance that striker Steve Brooker may also have his first outing for 18 months. However, Martin Woods, Byron Webster, John Oster and James Chambers will not take part as they are recovering from injury.

July 14, 2010

Preston tickets go on sale

Tickets for the first match of the season, which is against Preston North End on Saturday, 7th August, are now on sale from the Keepmoat Stadium ticket office. Rovers have received an allocation of 1,000, with 171 already having been sold.
Tickets are now on sale to season ticket holders; they then are also on sale to Members and Alliance Members from next Monday. Any remaining from the allocation will go on general sale from Monday, 26th July.
Ticket prices for the game are:
Adults: £22
Senior Citizens (60+) & Young Adults (16-20): £13
Juniors (15 & under): £5
Juniors (7 & under): Free
Family ticket (1 adult & 2 juniors): £27
Family ticket (2 adults & 2 juniors): £49
Wheelchair/disabled: £22 (carer free)

July 14, 2010

O'Driscoll on radar for Fulham ?

Fulham are still considering who will succeed Roy Hodgson as their manager at Craven Cottage. Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksoon is apparently the favourite for the job, but his salary demands are reported to be a problem. They have also held talks with Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfield this week, with Hitzfield said to be keen to work in the Premier League for the first time in his career.
Fulahm are wanting to have their new man in place by the time they fly to Sweden for a training camp next Monday. Alan Curbishley, Mark Hughes, Tony Mowbray and Glenn Hoddle are believed to be out of the running, as are Lee Clark and Roberto Di Matteo.
Fulham initially wanted a training-ground style coach in the mould of ex-boss Hodgson so as not to disrupt the established coaching structure at Craven Cottage, but the candidates fell short of the required standard.
Now the preference is for a senior figurehead such as Eriksson or Hitzfeld working alongside a young British coach with cutting-edge training methods who can be groomed as the successor. Doncaster Rovers manager Sean O’Driscoll and former Fulham player John Collins, who had a six-month spell as boss of Belgian side Charleroi last year, are among the candidates mentioned at board level.

July 14, 2010

Rovers 'clarify' Dumbuya and Clark situation

Doncaster Rovers have issued an update on the contract situation as they affect defender Mustapha Dumbuya and youngster Robbie Clark, both of who were out of contract at the end of last season.
Clark has been kept at the club for six months on a non-contract basis, with O'Driscoll adding: "That's just to give him some more time to sort himself out; his attitude is first class and we didn't really want to just release him without actually helping him on his career. We didn't take any youth team players on this season, so we felt we could give Robbie a helping hand. It's handy to have him around in pre-season because of bodies. At some point, he'll be moving on, but for the next six months, he will be around the place."
The situation regarding Dumbuya is unclear, with O'Driscoll saying: "Mustapha had a loan option, so he took up that loan option at the end of his contract, so he is here."
How he can be on loan (from/to where?) when he is out of contract is rather puzzling, to say the least!

July 14, 2010

McCammon misses early Gills matches

Former Rovers striker Mark McCammon will miss out on Gillingham's pre-season campaign after having a minor ankle operation during the close season. McCammon struggled to get into Gillingham's first eleven last season and spent some time out on loan at Bradford City, and was hoping to get a full pre-season in to persuade new boss Andy Hessenthaler that he was worthy of a place in the side.
McCammon will go down in Rovers history as the first player to score at the Keepmoat Stadium, and was the target for many of Neil Sullivan's kicks down field towards the left wing.

July 13, 2010

Brooker set for return to action

Rovers striker Steve Brooker is ready to end his 18-month injury nightmare within the next week as he returns to action. Steve has trained throughout the summer in a bid to be fit enough to join the rest of the squad for pre-season training, and his dedication looks to have paid off, with Sean O'Driscoll pencilling him in for an appearance against Quorn on Wednesday - or failing that, during the Joma South West tournament in Devon next week.
O'Driscoll told the Doncaster Star: "Steve had a problem which should have been resolved several years ago We've done our utmost to solve the problem while he has been here."
"Steve looked really good in training and I was impressed with him," Sean continued. "I was quite confident that he could have played some part against Askern last Wednesday. He joined in fully in the training sessions. His ankle, touch wood, is now fine. It is just that he has been out for so long. You want to push him, but you don't want to push him; it's a difficult situation. We are in the hands of the physios and Steve himself. If everything goes to plan, he'll be part of the squad travelling down to Warwick this week and Devon next week and we'll be looking to get him out on to the pitch and playing. It will be like having a new player. He's good player. He has never been blessed with pace but he's got a good touch."

July 13, 2010

Hayter agrees new contract

Doncaster Rovers striker James Hayter has verbally agreed a new contract with the club, thus ending speculation about his immediate future. Hayter, now aged 31, joined Rovers in 2007 for a then-club record fee of £200,000, and scored the all-important winning goal against Leeds United at Wembley which earned Rovers promotion to the Championship two summers ago.
Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll told the Doncaster Star: "James was never going to be a problem. We verbally agreed everything a couple of weeks ago. We just had a couple of things to iron out so I expect him to sign some time next week."

July 13, 2010

Youth team back in action

The Rovers youth team was back in action yeterday against Lincoln City in a match played on a 3G pitch at Cherry Willingham. The game was played in three 30-minute periods to allow both managers to rotate their playing squad throughout.
The honours were shared in the first two periods of the game, each of which ended 1-1, but the Rovers squad ultimately proved stronger to win the final period by a single goal.
Unfortunately, as the match report we have found is written from Lincoln's viewpoint, there are no mention of any details of the Rovers squad.

July 13, 2010

Greer for the Seagulls

Despite rejecting two offers from Brighton & Hove Albion, it looks as though former Rovers defender Gordon Greer will leave Swindon Town for the south coast club later today after Swindon agreed a fee of £250,000 with the Seagulls on Friday afternoon. Greer was due to travel down to Brighton yesterday to have a medical and to finalise personal terms of a three year contract.
Brighton boss Gus Poyet has been attempting to sign the 29 year old all summer and now looks to have finally got his man.
Poyet said: “Everyone knows we were looking for an experienced centre-half, and Gordon is the type of player we wanted. He is an experienced defender and (last year) had a very good season at Swindon.”
Greer joined Swindon last summer upon the expiry of his contract with Doncaster Rovers, but had only twelve months left on his contract with the club. With a three year contract on the table from Brighton, and Swindon unwilling to open negotiations on a new contract until October, even though Greer was keen to stay in Wiltshire, he has decided to move on.

July 13, 2010

Injury concen for Chambers

Rovers defender James Chambers awaits a late decision on whether he will travel with the rest of the squad to their stay at Warwick University this week. Chambers injured his knee in the latter part of last season, and missed the final few matches. However, he now awaits a decision on whether the rest given to his knee during the summer break will have done the trick, or whether he will face surgery to resolve the problem.
He told the Doncaster Star on Friday: "On the advice of the specialist I rested the knee during the summer. I've been doing some strengthening work during the last couple of weeks. It doesn't feel too bad and I am monitoring it and seeing how it goes and trying to get back into training."
"I've got a few days coming up where I've got to try and push myself into training and hopefully the knee will hold up. I worked with the fitness coach and the physio's this week so I am fairly fit. I am a little bit behind the the rest of the lads, but not too far . I'm hoping to get back into training sometime next week and depending on whether that happens, will probably decide whether I travel down to Warwick with the rest of the squad on Wednesday. If anything needs doing then we'll get that done; we'll assess that over the next few days."

July 12, 2010

Quorn v Rovers

The second pre-season game for Doncaster Rovers comes in a couple of days' time, when they travel to play Quorn FC, who play in the Evo-Stik League (formerly known as the UniBond League).
The match on Wednesday now appears as though it will be played at Quorn's Farley Way Stadium, despite previous announcements that the game would be played at the University of Warwick, but we have now noticed that it has changed on details shown on DROS without any actual announcement by the club.
We understand that admission to the game will be £6 for adults, £4 for concessions and free to the under-14s.
The match is scheduled to start at 7:30pm.

July 12, 2010

Jones keen on Swans' job

Former Rovers striker Graeme Jones, currently assistant manager to Roberto Martinez at Wigan Athletic, is interested in becoing the new manager at Swansea City, whose manager Paulo Souza left to join Leicester City last week.
Jones left Swansea last summer to rejoin Martinez at Wigan, but is keen to speak to his former employers about the vacancy. However, it seems that Sheffield United coach Gary Speed is in with a better chance, although Speed was disappointed that the Blades refused to give him permission to talk to Swansea.
Huw Jenkins, the Swansea chairman, has previously said that he hopes to appoint a British manager this time around - and also that he hopes to have his new man in place by today.
Jenkins said on Saturday that any talk that Jones had already been offered the job was "complete lies".
Jones, who watched the Swans beat Port Talbot 2-1 on Saturday during a pre-planned visit to south Wales, was known to be favoured at the Liberty Stadium and played a key role in Swansea's success during his two years there.

July 12, 2010

Ryan - Stock is staying

Rovers chairman John Ryan has dismissed talk that skipper Brian Stock is about to be sold to Southampton and inisisted that the influential midfielder is staying in Doncaster for the remainder of his contract.
He told the Doncaster Free Press: "They (Southampton) haven't been in touch at all. We don't want to sell Brian and I doubt he would want to go anywhere else now anyway."
Talk of Stock moving to Southampton has surfaced occasionally for a number of months, particularly during the January transfer window, with some suggesting that his family are unsettled in the Doncaster area, even though such suggestions have been denied by the player on a number of occasions.

July 12, 2010

Oster looking forward to next season

Rovers midfielder John Oster is looking forward to another great season at the club this season, with Rovers to improve further in their third season in the Championship.
The club have confounded the critics for the last two seasons, who had them down as relegation favourites before the season started on both occasions, by finishing comfortably in mid-table on both occasions, and even flirted with the fringes of the competition for the play-offs at times before a late dip in form led to a 12th place finish.
Oster, who signed a new contract with Rovers earlier this month, said: "I'm more than happy here and I enjoy playing for the manager. The lads are great and this season, depending on signings and a bit of luck here and there, I think that we can do better than we did last season. I really enjoyed last season. I enjoyed the early part of the season and with injuries to Woodsy and Stocky later on, I was asked to fill in midfield. That was great and I thoroughly enjoyed my role in central midfield where I saw a lot of the ball."

July 11, 2010

No approach for O'Driscoll

Rovers chairman John Ryan has poured cold water on any suggestions that Sean O'Driscoll may be tempted away from the club as the summer managerial merry-go-round gets into full swing. Swansea City are looking for a new manager after Paulo Sousa left last week to join Leicester City.
Ryan stated that Rovers had not been approached by any other club over their manager, saying: "There has been no approach from Swansea but why would he want to go there? Sean is bound to be linked with other jobs because he is the best manager in the Championship but he is building something special here and I don't think he would want to walk away from it at this moment in time. I wouldn't have a problem if it was a Premier League club but I don't think he will move to another Championship club."
A reported move to Burnley was scotched in January when the Premiership club were unwilling to meet the £1 million compensation that Rovers were demanding for their management team.
Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins admitted that the Swans would struggle to find that level of compensation, but was rather coy about whether O'Driscoll may end up on their "wish list", commenting: "Sean O'Driscoll has done a reasonable job at Doncaster with the budget he'd had. There have been a couple of approaches for him, so we've heard, from other clubs and they seem to have stalled with the level of compensation. Perhaps in a lot of cases he's out of everybody's touch with the level of compensation that's needed to pay - so whether he'll be on our list we'll have to wait and see."

July 11, 2010

Gareth keeps them waiting

Ex-Rovers striker Gareth Taylor is still keeping Wrexham boss Dean Sauders waiting to hear if he will accept a new contract on offer from the club. Accordign to some reports, Taylor was offered a new deal shortly after the end of last term, but the player commented that he was still waiting to talk to the Wrexham boss about the chances of staying at The Racecourse for the next twelve months.
However, things look good for a continued stay, with the BBC reporting that Taylor has joined in the pre-season training with Wrexham.

July 11, 2010

Gregg to keep Barrow fit!

Former Rovers striker Gregg Blundell is to use his expertise to aid the Barrow management in their training sessions next season after the Cumbrian club resumed training last week.
Blundell has been given the task of improving the players' fitness.
As joint boss Dave Bayliss said: “Gregg is going to come on board and do a lot of work on fitness. He’ll be heavily involved. He’s a qualified physiotherapist, but also loves his fitness and sports science work. Gregg has a lot of different ideas, a lot more scientific, a lot more up-to-date stuff, and that will help us. It’s brilliant for him, maybe a foot on the ladder in that sense.”
Bayliss added: “We were fit last season, fitter than a lot of teams, but this year we will be even fitter. We’ll work really hard in training and also have a few team bonding days.”

July 11, 2010

Laws 'understands' Billy's decision

Burnley boss Brian Laws says that he understands why Billy Sharp elected to turn the newly relegated club down in order to join Doncaster Rovers last season.
Burnley had a bid accepted by Sheffield United, understood to be in the region of £1.5 million, but the player decided he did not want to go.
Laws, insisting that he was not frustrated about the set-back, told the Lancashre Telegraph: “I don’t know why people would summise that I’m disappointed over it. I certainly wasn’t banking on signing Billy. We’ve spoken to a lot of players and he was one of them. It doesn’t mean to say that we were expecting him to sign. I’ve worked with Billy before. However, I know what the facts are. Billy is a Sheffield boy and his family are from Sheffield. His wife is from Sheffield and he’s just got married. It was always going to be a drag to take him away from Sheffield. He wants to play football, but he wants to be happy at the same time and maybe moving away isn’t going to make him happy. That’s probably one of his major reasons. It wasn’t about the money - it was more about where he was going to be based. The fact is he certainly couldn’t stay over in Sheffield if he signed for Burnley."
“There was other little factors as well, and we talked at length about those things. I wish him well. He’s a great lad and I just hope we block him out when we play against him.”

July 10, 2010

Two clubs in chase for Woods

Preston North End and Queen's Park Rangers are reported to have stepped up their interest in Rovers midfielder Martin Woods, according to the Daily Mail. Preston are understood to have had a £500,000 bid for the midfielder turned down in January, and QPR boss Neil Warnock is also understood to be an admirer of the former Rotherham midfielder.
Woods missed the end of last season after undergoing a groin operation.
With Rovers attempting to further strengthen their squad ahead of the new season, we do not expect any approach for Woods' services to be entertained by the Rovers board.

July 10, 2010

Stock - a tough season ahead

Rovers captain Brian Stock thinks that Rovers will have another challenging season ahead of them as they look to consolidate their position in the Championship, perhaps with one eye on further improving on their 12th place finish of last term.
The 2010/11 season will be Rovers' third in the second tier, and whilst expectations have been rasied following Billy Sharp's signing, Stock commented: "You don't look on the fixture list this year and think there is three points there and each game is as hard as the other. It's a very tough league. To do two seasons and to achieve what we have done in the last two years has been remarkable for Doncaster Rovers, so we are looking to build on that this year and we need to prove that in every game."

July 10, 2010

Award-winning Keepmoat

Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium has walked away from the Stadium Business Awards with the accolade of the "Best Match Day Experience", coming home ahead of some tough competition, with Liverpool FC's Anfield Stadium and the Grolsch Vest in the Netherlands.
The Stadium Management Company were short-listed from an initial pool over over 1,000 nominations from around the world.
The awards ceremony was held in Dublin, after which Shane Chalmers, the Chief Executive of the SMC said: “To say we are delighted doesn’t even begin to cover it! This award recognises all of the hard work our team puts in to making sure that visitors to Rovers, Belles and Dons games have an enjoyable visit. On a match day we have a team who work as stewards, run the kiosks, deal with tickets and ensure the ground looks great. These awards attracted attention from across the world and give Doncaster a reason to celebrate. The eyes of the world are currently on stadium’s in South Africa as the World Cup takes place but it is great to know that for the best match day experience people should come to Doncaster.”

July 10, 2010

Gilbert signs for Southend

Former Doncaster Rovers loan defender Peter Gilbert has signed a pre-contract agreement with Southend United and has been training with the club for the last week. However, Southend United, who were in the High Court again this week after HM Revenue & Customs brought procedings against the club for an unpaid tax bill of £238,710, currently are under a transfer embargo and cannot sign any players until that is lifted. The club were given 14 days to avoid having to go into administration - they also face a winding up petition next week from Charterhouse Commercial Finance over a £140,000 debt.
Gilbert is now a free agent after he did not sign a new contract on offer from Northampton Town - a contract with the Cobblers have now withdrawn as they will not have Southend used as a bargaining tool by the player if he was attempting to improve the terms on offer.
Gilbert has played for Southend boss Paul Sturrock when they were at Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle, and returns to Roots Hall twelve months after being at the club on trial.

July 10, 2010

Dene on target

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Dene Shields scored for Stirling Albion in their behind-closed-doors friendly against Stranraer this week. Shields had previously been at Albion on loan, and is looking for a club after joining Raith Roves on a short-term deal last season following his departure from Ross County.

July 10, 2010

Colin debuts for Fingal but loses his wheels!

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Colin Hawkins made his debut for Irish club Sporting Fingal last night, playing in their Airtricity League Premier Division game at Bray Wanderers, which ended in a 3-0 away win. Hawkings now comes into contention for their UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round away leg against Portuguese side CS Maritimo next Thursday.
Hawkins has joined Sporting Fingal after coming to the end of his contract with Brighton & Hove Albion, and whilst he was offered the opportunity of reporting for pre-season training to win a new contract at Brighton, he elected to return to his homeland to resume his career, which has been blighted by an achilles injury for the last year.
He will certainly be hoping for an upturn in his fortunes. On his first night back in Dublin, Colin had the misfortune to have his car stolen.

July 9, 2010

First Sharp - Keogh next?

Hot on the heels of the news of Billy Sharp's signing for Doncaster Rovers comes the tantalising prospect that Rovers could also bag his former striker partner Andy Keogh in time for the coming season. The Sharp/Keogh partnership at Scunthorpe plundered 72 goals between them in just over two years - and if Rovers are able to persuade Wolves to allow Keogh to come to Rovers, there certainly should be plenty of goals to enjoy for Rovers fans this season!
Keogh only played 16 games for Wolves last season, and a tendon and ligament injury in December 2009 limited his chances at Molineux since, although he did struggle to recapture form after his injury, so Wolves boss Mick McCarthy may be tempted to allow the player to go out on loan to regain his lost form. It worked well for Sharp at Rovers when frozen out of the side at Sheffield United, so why should the theory not work again with Keogh?
Even Sean O'Driscoll passed comment on the prospect of Keogh coming to the Keepmoat Stadium. He said: “To put Andy and Billy together again is something to consider. You talk to a lot of clubs about players without making a concrete offer and we’ve done that with Andy. It will all depend on what Andy’s situation is with Wolves. He knows a lot of our players and he certainly interests us.”
Billy Sharp said: "Keogh is one of my good mates. He has mentioned it to me, he wants to play football like me and Doncaster are interested in him. I think if Mick McCarthy would let him go out on loan then he will come here. If he does come here then it would be a brilliant addition to the squad."
The situation is also made interesting with news that McCarthy is looking to offload up to five players to balance the books - added to the limit of 25 players for Premiership squads for next season meaning that a number of players that do not make the squad will have to move if they want match action. Keogh could well come in to that category, but Rovers may have to wait until the Wolves squad is announced to know if they could get their man.
McCarthy commented: "I can see a real scrum developing because I'm going to have to say to some of them 'listen, there's two weeks to go and you're not going to be in my squad'. I will be totally fair to them. I won't leave it until the last knock-ins. I'll tell them their futures will be sorted out a lot sooner than that. Don't get me wrong, I love all the lads and I've got respect for them all. But the last thing I want is anyone left here from the end of August until January who can't play. We can't have more than 25 players, so we have to name those 25 which we can't change until January."
"Sam Vokes and Geoffrey Mujangi Bia are under 21 which means I can effectively have 25 others, provided eight of them have come through an English or Welsh academy system, which we'll be fine with."
Barnsley and Leeds United are also reported to be monitoring the situation regarding the Irish international.

July 9, 2010

Rovers give trials to three

Doncaster Rovers gave time on the pitch to three trialists during Wednesday's game at Askern Villa as they search to supplement their squad ahead of next season.
Liam Hardy is a young striker who started out at Armthorpe Welfare and gained attention by scoring 46 goals last season, 36 of them being in the league. His efforts earned him a move to Harrogate Town, but Rovers are checking out on his potential.
Josh Payne is a 19 year old midfielder who has been released by West Ham United - he has been out on loan at Cheltenham Town, Colchester United and Wycombe Wanderers.
Finally, Tomos Roberts is an 18 year old midfielder who began at Manchester United's academy and is currently at Aston Villa. He is a Welsh Under 16 and Under-19 international.
The Rovers side for Wednesday's game at Askern was:
Rovers (first half): Woods, Dumbuya, Friend, Martis, Hird, Stock, Payne, Clark, Roberts, Coppinger, Fairhurst.
Rovers (second half): Woods, Dumbuya, Lockwood, O'Connor, Roberts (Hird 57 (Fairhurst 76)), Wilson, Payne (O'Kelly 81), Clark, Shiels, Hardy, Hayter.

July 9, 2010

Fisher gets signed up

Ex-Rovers youth team player Charles Fisher, who earned a one year professional contract at Rovers last term, has signed non-contract forms for Frickley Athletic. Fisher was released by Rovers this summer after failing to make his mark on the first team squad and spent most of last season out on loan.
We wish Charles well in his future career and thank him for his efforts whilst at Doncaster Rovers.

July 9, 2010

Schofield takes training at Cambridge

John Schofield, who left Cheltenham Town last week in a behind-the-scenes shake-up at Whaddon Road, joined Cambridge United earlier this week to take a first team training session overseen by boss Martin Ling.
Schofield is currently on trial at Cambridge as both sides see if his move to the club would suit, but Ling admitted that he was impressed with the quality of the session supervised by Schfield.
Ling said: "We're assessing each other to see if it's a workable situation at the moment. We're having a look at him and he's having a look at us, but it has to be something that's good for both parties."
A UEFA Pro Licence holder, Schofield certainly fits the bill as the experienced coach Ling was searching for to help support him and number two Paul Carden.

July 9, 2010

Gilbert out after missing deadline

Former Rovers loan defender Peter Gilbert has left Northampton Town after failing to meet a deadline to sign a new contract with the club.
The club report that the defender agreed new terms in May, but has not returned the necessary paperwork in time.
Boss Ian Sampson told the club's website: "We posted the contract out to him as he requested but the paperwork has not been signed and returned to us. He cannot chase a deal with another club while having our contract as a back-up. I am not allowing him to do that to me, the club or the supporters and I feel very let down. He is now holding out for another club and so we have taken his contract away."
Sampson, clearly disappointed with the player's actions (or lack thereof), added: "We gave him an opportunity last season when he was out of work. We took him off the scrapheap, we put him up and did everything he asked of us and we helped him get his career going again, but we have been repaid by him jumping ship at the first opportunity despite agreeing terms with us."

July 8, 2010

Rovers off to a winning start

As promised, Sean O'Driscoll took a full squad for their first pre-season game of the summer against Askern Villa last night, with Doncaster Rovers coming away with a 2-0 win, thanks to goals from Dean Shiels and James Hayter.
New signing Billy Sharp did not feature in the game after signing for Rovers earlier in the day, but Sean O'Driscoll did take the opportunity to include three, as yet unnamed, trialists for part of the match.
Rovers' next match action comes next Wednesday when they play Quorn at Warwick University.

July 8, 2010

Rovers confirm Gillett signing

Doncaster Rovers confirmed the signing of midfielder Simon Gillett yesterday evening. Gillett has signed a two year contract with the club, which follows his release from Southampton at the end of the season.
Gillett spent two months on loan at Rovers last season, but Rovers could not agree terms at the time to bring the diminuitive midfielder to the club on a permanent basis, meaning he had to turn out for the Saints' reserves for the rest of the season.
We are sure that Simon will add further strength to the Rovers midfield after showing his ability last season when deputising for Brian Stock in a central position.
Simon has been allocated the number 18 shirt for the coming season.

July 8, 2010

Billy glad to have future settled

Rovers striker Billy Sharp spoke of his relief at signing for the club yesterday, which ended a period of uncertainty, with Sheffield United accepting a bid from Burnley for his services before he made the move to the Keepmoat Stadium.
At yesterday's press conference, he said: "It's been a confusing, wierd time I think because Sheffield United accepted a bid off Burnley and I went to speak to them, but it just didn't feel right. It was my old manager there and they're a good club, just come down from the Premiership, but it just didn't feel right. So I said no to that and there were a lot of other rumours surrounding me, but there was nothing concrete until Doncaster came in and obviously I was keen and I talked to the chairman and asked what his plans were and I was happy with what he wanted to do and was more than happy to sign."
"Leeds I think came in for me in January when I was here (Doncaster), but I said I wanted to stay here and then I'd see, but Leeds never came in with a concrete offer so I never spoke to them."
Sharp added: "The gaffer's a big reason why I've come here. I've learned a lot off him and enjoyed my time working under him and the lads have been brilliant. It worked last year, so hopefully it'll just carry on."

July 8, 2010

O'Driscoll on the Sharp transfer

Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll spoke highly of the overall contribution that Billy Sharp made to the squad last season, and is hopeful that he will go on to do even better next season.
Speaking at yesterday's press conference, O'Driscoll said: "Everyone knows what a difference Billy's goals made to us last season. But on top of that, he very quickly became an integral and popular member of the squad, always displaying a great attitude and willing to put in a real shift for the good of the team. He is one of those characters who is great to have around a football club and he just loves playing football and scoring goals. A lot of people have worked extremely hard this summer to try to make this happen and thanks must go to the board for supporting the move and to Sheffield United, who ever since allowing Billy to come on loan here initially last season, have been nothing but helpful and fair in our dealings with them.''

July 8, 2010

Ben on trial at the Shrews

Ex-Rovers goalkeeper Ben Smith has joined Shrewsbury Town on a trial basis after being released by Rovers at the end of last season. Smith, who has also been interesting Gateshead, is keen to stay in the Football League, and now has the chance to impress Shrewsbury's management sufficiently to earn a contract for next season.
Shrewsbury finished twelfth in League Two last season, their first full season at their new stadium, the New Meadow.
Smith had been with Rovers since 2006, and has also played on loan at Lincoln City and Morecambe to gain first team experience after finding first team opportunities limited by the continuing good form of Neil Sullivan.

July 8, 2010

Baz in charity walk for charity

Former Doncaster Rovers physio Baz Windle is to do a series of gruelling mountain walks over the next few weeks to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society.
Windle, who left Rovers when Sean O'Driscoll brought in his own backroom team upon his arrival at the club, works at the Bawtry Fitness Studios in Church Walk, and will be walking the ridges of Helvellyn, Snowdon and Ben Nevis on separate weekends during July and August to raise money for the charity.

July 7, 2010

Sharp signing confirmed

Doncaster Rovers held a press conference at the Keepmoat Stadium this lunchtime, at which Billy Sharp was, as expected, unveiled as their new signing. He has signed a three year contract with Rovers, who have paid Sheffield United a club record £1.15 million for his services.
Sharp was the top scorer at Rovers last season with 15 goals, despite missing the closing weeks of the season with a thigh injury. We look forward to him doing even better this season - and hope that he will be in the running for the Championship's "Golden Boot" award!
Rovers are sending a full squad to this evening's game at Askern Villa, although they have not confirmed their new striker will be playing. Only Steve Brooker, Byron Webster and Martin Woods, all of who are still recuperating from operations, will definitely not play this evening.
We would like to welcome Billy to Doncaster Rovers and hope that his time at the club will be both happy and successful.

July 7, 2010

Ryan to unveil Sharp as a Rovers player today

Whilst it seems that reports in the local press from Monday that Billy Sharp had signed for Doncaster Rovers were a little premature, the news is due to be confirmed at lunch time today at a press conference called by the club. The transfer fee agreed between the two sides is now being mentioned as £1.15 million, with Rovers chairman, John Ryan, understandably delighted to have finally got his man.
He told the Yorkshire Post yesterday: "We have pushed the boat out to try and get Billy. Our previous record fee was £300,000 for Matthew Mills so this is a considerable jump and we hope the Doncaster public will respond. The fee is agreed and I think he will have his medical today. Billy did well for us last season and fitted in perfectly to our style of play. Providing he signs for Rovers and stays clear of injury, I could see Billy getting 25 goals next season and winning the Golden Boot in the Championship."
As hinted in Ryan's statement, he is hoping that the excitement of Sharp's signing will translate into increased season tickets and hence attendances in the coming season.
Midfielder Simon Gillett is also likely to be confirmed as a Doncaster Rovers player at today's press conference, which we understand is scheduled for 2pm.

July 7, 2010

Rovers release new squad numbers

Doncaster Rovers have released the new squad numbers for the 2010/11 season. Most players remain with the same number as last season, with just Martin Woods changing. He will now wear shirt number 7 instead of 17.
Shelton Martis, who arrived during last season, has been allocated number 4, and new defender George Friend will wear number 3.
Numbers 5 and 10 remain vacant - presumably for a new signing or two which may be announced in the near future!

July 7, 2010

Askern Villa v Doncaster Rovers

Doncaster Rovers travel to local club Askern Villa this evening for their first game since they reported back for pre-season training on Monday. Sean O'Driscoll has promised to send a full squad to the game - if it follows the pattern of recent years, no player will play more than 45 minutes of the game. Whilst only 133 tickets are reported as having been sold by the Keepmoat Stadium website, we expect the crowd to be boosted presuming that the signing of Billy Sharp is confirmed this afternoon.
In any case, Askern are reported to be expecting a club-record crowd for the game. For those intending to go to the match, the full address is:
Askern Villa Sports Ground, Manor Way, Doncaster Road, Askern DN6 0AJ.
Ticket prices are £6 for adults, and £3 for concessions and OAPs.
Former Rovers player David Jones, who joined Askern thsi summer, will miss the opportunity of lining up against his old club as he is still recovering from an operation.
Askern have several new signings, but also have concerns over Tom Hyde (ankle ligaments), although Brad Johnston and Liam Scully face fitness tests before the game.
Please note that the car park at the ground will be only available for players and officials. Supporters should use the car park next to Askern Miners Welfare or Askern Spa School.
The match kicks off at 7pm.

July 7, 2010

Ricky extends his stay

Ex-Rovers midfielder Ricky Ravenhill has signed a one year extension to his contract at Notts County, which now means he is contracted to the Magpies until the summer of 2012. Ravenhill was a key part of County's midfield last season when the club clinched the League Two championship, and is looking forward to playing in League One this season.
He joined Notts County from Darlington last July, and started 40 league games last season. Ricky began his career at Barnsley as a trainee in 2000, joining Rovers in January 2002. Until he left for Grimsby in September 2006, he started 80 league games for Rovers, with a further 54 substitute appearances. A one year stay at Grimsby was followed by a move north to join Dave Penney at Darlington, initially on loan, where he started 75 league games.

July 6, 2010

O'Driscoll - Sharp capture "will be a major coup"

With Doncaster Rovers set to announce the signing of Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp for a club record fee this week, Sean O'Driscoll has spoken of the situation by telling Sky Sports News: "Hopefuly we can do a deal with Sheffield United over Billy and that's ongoing. That will be a major coup for us and then we just have to strengthen one or two areas, but we did really well in loan maket last year so that is where we may look."
Rovers look to have beaten Leeds United and Barnsley to his signature, with the player having turned down a move to Burnley last week. At that stage it looked as though Sharp would stay at Bramall Lane to fight for a first team place, so it is somewhat of a surprise that a transfer comes so quickly afterwards.
We understand that Rovers have called a press conference for this afternoon, when further details should be available. We will post an update this afternoon as soon as any news becomes available.

July 6, 2010

Gillett set for Rovers return

The Doncaster Star have reported that Doncaster Rovers were due to complete the signing of midfielder Simon Gillett yesterday. Gillett had a successful month on loan at Rovers midway through last season, but a full move fell through in January when Rovers could not agree personal terms with the player.
Gillett's contract at Southampton has expired, meaning that no transfer fee is applicable.
The move, presuming it is duly confirmed along with the arrival of Sharp, means Rovers have signed three players this summer - George Friend arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers recently.

July 6, 2010

Dave on target for Bangor

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Dave Morley scored an equalising goal for Bangor City on Saturday in their pre-season game against Colwyn Bay at Llanelian Road. Colwyn Bay, who were playing their first match under new boss Dave Challinor, have had an early start to their pre-season training, which is earlier than normal as they have a Europa League Second Qualifying Round tie against FC Honka (Finland) in less than a fortnight's time Bangor continue their preparations for the 2010/11 season when they play Cymru Alliance club Buckley Town this evening, and an Everton XI, comprising mainly of reserves, due at Farrar Road on Saturday.

July 6, 2010

Hull City ticket information

Doncaster Rovers have announced that the home game against Hull City on Saturday, 28th August will be a Category 1 match.
That means that ticket prices for those paying on the day will be:
Category A: Adults £28, Concessions £21, 12-16s £18, 11 & under £14
Category B (the north/south ends of the East and West stands): Adults £25, Concessions £18, 12-16s £15, 11 & under £9.
Tickets are now on sale to season ticket holders and members, with remaining tickets going on general sale next Monday.

July 5, 2010

Rovers smash transfer record to sign Sharp

Doncaster Rovers have smashed the club record paid for a player to bring Billy Sharp back to the Keepmoat Stadium. Sharp spent a highly successful season at Rovers last season, but looked to be staying at Sheffield United to fight for a first team place after turning down a move to Burnley.
BBC Radio Sheffield has announced that Sharp have paid a club record fee, understood to be in the region of between £1.1 million and £1.3 million, to Sheffield United for Sharp's services. He scored 15 goals for Rovers in 35 appearances last season, and will be looking to crack the elusive 20-goal barrier this season.
We understand that Sharp has signed subject to passing a medical, and a Press Conference has been called for tomorrow afternoon, at which Sharp will be officially unveiled as a Rovers player.
We applaud the efforts made by John Ryan and the Rovers board to bring Billy back to the Rovers, and we are certain that this signing will be hugely popular amongst Rovers fans.

July 5, 2010

Players return this morning

The Doncaster Rovers players are due to report back for their first day of pre-season training this morning as they prepare for their third successive season in the Championship. The squad will be a little depleted, with a number of players leaving at the end of last season, with only defender George Friend having been signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers during the summer.
Transfer speculation surrounding Billy Sharp appears to be over for the moment, although hints seem to suggest that all may not yet be over, which means that Sean O'Driscoll and Richard O'Kelly will examine other targets to strengthen the squad for the new campaign.
All of the squad are expected to take part in the training today apart from Steve Brooker and Byron Webster.
Sean ODriscoll explained: "Steve and Byron will still be training and are not that far away but we will give everybody a game (on Wednesday against Askern Villa) who is fit."

July 5, 2010

Villa tickets still on sale

Doncaster Rovers play their first match of their pre-season schedule on Wednesday evening when they make the short trip to Askern Villa, who play in the NCEL Division One. The match kicks off at 7pm on Wednesday; for those of you going, the full address of their ground is Askern Villa Sports Ground, Manor Way, Doncaster Road, Askern DN6 0AJ.
Tickets are currently on sale from the Keepmoat Stadium, priced at £6 for adults and £3 for Under-16s and OAPs.
According to their website, 133 tickets have been sold so far; we understand that the ground capacity is around 1,500.

July 5, 2010

Rovers fans praised

South Yorkshire Police have praised the behaviour of Doncaster Rovers supporters at home games last season, during which time only two were arrested and five ejected from the ground.
Chief Superintendent Bob Sanderson issued the following statement:
"During 25 home matches, Doncaster Rovers fans accounted for only five club ejections and two arrests. For a Championship club of this size and with the attendances achieved last season, to manage so few arrests is testament to the loyal and well-behaved support you give and enhances the excellent reputation that Doncaster Rovers enjoys as a community club."
Inspector Andy Padgett, one of the Stadium Commanders said: "This was my first season based inside the Stadium, working closely with the stewarding operation. I would like to express my thanks to the way in which you have supported your club. The Keepmoat Stadium has a real community atmosphere and it has been a pleasure to enjoy the experience with you in directing policing at the ground. I hope together this season we can continue to provide a safe and trouble-free environment in which you can give the team every support in achieving on the field success."

July 5, 2010

Sean on Fulham fans' wish list

Rovers manager Sean O'Driscoll has been included in the betting for potential candidates for the managerial vacancy at Fulham, whose manager Roy Hodgson left to join Liverpool last week. Former Charlton boss Alan Curbishley is the fans' favourite for the job, with O'Driscoll being joint fourth favourite at 8/1 with former England boss Glenn Hoddle. Mark Hughes and Sven Goran Eriksson are second and third on the list.
O'Driscoll dryly commented: "I suppose I'd be miffed if I wasn't on the list being a former Fulham player but I've already got a job and I'm sure they'll be looking at bigger fish than me."

July 4, 2010

Rovers return for Gillett?

The Doncaster Star is reporting that Southampton midfielder Simon Gillett may be set to make a return to Doncaster Rovers. Gillett was released by Southampton at the end of his Saints contract this summer, and has interested Rovers boss Sean O'Driscoll following a highly successful month on loan midway through last season. However, moves to bring him to Rovers permanently in January foundered when it was reported that Rovers were unable to agree personal terms with the player.
However, now that he is without a club, Gillett may be more amenable should a similar offer be put to him by Rovers this summer.

July 4, 2010

New contract for Forte

Former Rovers loan striker Jonathan Forte has agreed a new one year contract with Scunthore United, thus extending his stay at Glanford Park to four years. Since joining the Iron in the summer of 2007, Forte has gone on to start 31 games, also featuring on 59 occasions from the substitutes' bench. During his time at the club, he also spent a successful time on loan at Notts County during the 2008/09 season, during which time he scored eight times in 18 games for the Magpies.
Jonathan signed his new contract on Wednesday as the Scunthorpe squad returned to training, and immediately set his sights on winning a regular first team place this coming season.
He said: "I'm very happy to sign the new contract and resolve my future; I just want to get back playing football now. It wasn't a hard decision to make. I enjoy playing here and I hope I can get more playing time this year." Hopefully I can break into the team here now. My main aim is to do as well as I can this season. I'd love to be in the starting line-up at Reading on the opening day. I just want to play football and I hope I do enough to impress the manager and be selected for the team week-in, week-out. I'm just going to get my head down in training, work hard and try and take my chance in the friendly matches. Hopefully that's the case but you never know in football. I'll just have to wait and see. I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing again though. I can't wait, I've missed football, although it's nice to have a break as well."

July 4, 2010

Swindon turn down another bid

Swindon Town ahv turned down another bid from Brighton & Hove Albion for former Rovers defender Gordon Greer as Brighton boss Gus Poyet strives to rebuild his defence following departures during the summer. Last week, Swindon boss Danny Wilson reiterated that he did not want to sell his skipper, but he admitted that every player has a price, saying: "If they're serious and they want to take our captain, who's a big player for us, then that comes with a price. He's not for sale. But money talks. We want to hang onto our best players."
Swindon's valuation of the player is understood to be around £450,000, whilst Brighton's bids coming in at just over half that.
Gus Poyet commented, when asked if he would make another bid for Greer, said: “We’ll see. We want him but it doesn’t mean we will do that. There are always other players. We think we made a good offer."
Towards the end of the week, Swindon chairman Andrew Fitton refused to give his valuation on the player, commenting to the Swindon Advertiser: “Brighton have approached us a couple of times and I’m willing to confirm they made an official offer. We’ve just said the offer doesn’t meet a value that would make us consider selling him. He’s our club captain and he had an outstanding season and is an important part of the squad. From that point of view it’s not a question of putting a valuation on his head because there isn’t one. If someone makes an offer then we will think about it. We had an offer and we rejected it and that’s the end of that.”
Greer moved to Swindon from Doncaster Rovers last summer, when his Rovers contract expired.

July 4, 2010

Jack joins Stocksbridge

Jack Muldoon, who played for the Rovers youth team during the 2006/07 season, has signed for Stocksbridge Park Steels, who play in the Evo-Stik Premier Division (formerly called the UniBond League). Muldoon played for Blue Square North club Alfreton Town last season, and has also played for Scunthorpe United, Brigg Town, Sheffield FC and Glapwell. A quick and strong player, Jack is a striker described as having 'a good eye for goal'.

July 3, 2010

Spicer signs up for Magpies

John Spicer,who was released by Doncaster Rovers at the end of last season, has joined League One club Notts County. Spicer, who has signed a two year contract with County, told their official website: "I said I didn't want to play for a team that was going to be happy sitting in mid-table and I was assured that was certainly not the case. We want to get to the Championship as soon as possible, which is what I aim to do."
Spicer went on loan to Leyton Orient for the latter part of the 2009/10 season after losing his first team place at the Keepmoat Stadium.

July 3, 2010

New on-line booking at the Keepmoat Stadium

The on-line booking system for matches next season has been improved by the Keepmoat Stadium, meaning that you can now select exactly the seat that you want for home matches. As an alternative, you can ask the system to select the best seats available in the area of your choice - but the chance for seat selection is set to prove highly popular with supporters.
Tickets for the home pre-season games against West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday are now available on-line - click on the logo to the left to access their on-line booking site.

July 3, 2010

Smith a target for Gateshead

Goalkeeper Ben Smith, who was released by Rovers this summer, is being targeted by Blue Square North club Gateshead, although they are also checking out former Newcastle keeper Jonny Brain, 27.
Smith, 24, played 22 games over the last four years for Rovers, but is keen to go to a club where is will get regular first team football, but he is keen, if possible, to remain in the Football League.
His father, Simon, is a former Gateshead player who made 501 appearances for the club during the ten years he spent at the International Stadium.
However, Gateshead boss Ian Bogie, said that there were plenty of goalkeepers available this summer, and warned that he "can't wait forever".
Gateshead have announced that they are becoming a full-time club this season, marking the end of a fifty year spell as a part-time club.

July 3, 2010

Barker leaves the Iron

Former Rovers loan striker Richie Barker has left his job as "Schoolboy Co-ordinator" with Scunthorpe United. The former Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster Rovers, Ards, Linfield, Brighton, Mansfield Town and Rotherham United striker joined Scunthorpe last October after being forced to end his 16 year playing career due to a knee injury.
He left the Iron this week to become Head of Youth at League Two club Bury.

July 2, 2010

Rovers try Plan B

Rovers' assistant manager Richard O'Kelly has confirmed that the club's management will now work on "Plan B" to bring a new striker into the club following Billy Sharp's decision to stay at Sheffield United. Rovers have got a number of players under consideration, as they have all summer, but now the club will move on and attempt to strengthen their squad.
O'Kelly told the Doncaster Star: "Obviously it is disappointing that Billy won't be coming back here next season, but when you lose out on a player you move on to your next target. It doesn't mean that you set your sights any lower; you still want the right man for the football club. You particularly want someone with the right character. Billy met all the criteria last season and that's why we did all we could to sign him. But at the same time as we were chasing Billy we were checking on other players - we'd have been fools not to have done so."
"Obviously it would be nice to get someone in before we start pre-season training on Monday, but we won't be rushing anything. In any case I don't think that you get instant decisions any more. I can remember signing for Grimsby. I went up on the day and signed the same day - that was following a phone call the previous day. It has changed a little bit since then, and rightly so in some cases. People are more careful where they go and they need to know all the details, which from their point of view is better than signing on a whim."
O'Kelly also hinted that Rovers are set to use the long-term loan system again this season, although any such arrivals may well not happen for some time. He continued: "Another factor this year is that Premier League clubs have got to name a squad this season and players who are left out are not going to be able to play first team football so it surely has to be better for the clubs to loan them out to the best possible team. I don't think that the squads will be announced until the first week of the season."
Although moves will not happen until the Premier League squads are announced, it is still possible that either (or both) of Jordon Mutch and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas may make a Rovers return for the coming season. Richard explained: "We've spoken to their respective clubs and they'll both be training with the first team squad initially and then a decision will be made whether they feel that they are ready to join in with them on a regular basis or whether they need to go out on loan again,. Both players, as are a few others in a similar situation, are on our radar. I think the Jordon Mutch situation last season was absolutely perfect. We didn't have to guarantee to Birmingham that he would start games."

July 2, 2010

Injury update

The Rovers squad report back for pre-season training next week with two players keeping their fingers crossed that a rest this summer will mean that they will not face surgery before the new season starts.
John Oster, who has just signed a new two year contract with the club, missed the last two games of the season due to a knee injury, but has been advised that resting the joint during the close season will solve the problem.
Defender James Chambers is in a similar situation, but Rovers are hoping that surgery will not be necessary.
Assistant boss Richard O'Kelly explained: "The specialist's that the two players saw at the end of the season were quite confident that their respective problems would clear up with rest. It doesn't always work out that way; every human body is different. For the last couple of months their body and their joints haven't been stressed. Both players will report back for pre-season on Monday and they'll have four or five weeks to see how things go. If there is a problem then we'll look at surgery - though that is alwayss the last resort - which would leave us a couple of players short for a few weeks But that is something that you have to take on the chin."

July 2, 2010

Schofield leaves Cheltenham

Former Doncaster Rovers skipper John Schofield is leaving Cheltenham Town this week, ending a fifteen month stay at the club. He was initially brought to Whaddon Road as assistant to Martin Allen in March 2009, before taking charge of the team for nine matches when Allen was placed on 'gardening leave' following an incident outside a Cheltenham night club. The current boss at the Robins is ex-Rover Mark Yates, who invited Schofield to stay on at the club to help keep the behind-the-scenes staff stable, but Yates has now decided to reorganise the coaching staff, which involves the departure of Schofield.
Schofield said this week: "I`ve enjoyed working with everyone at Cheltenham Town and it`s been a great experience for me. The gaffer is looking to change things around for next season and we`ve parted perfectly amicably. I`d like to thank both him and the chairman for giving me the opportunity and now I`m looking for a new challenge."
Yates added: "On behalf of everyone at the club I`d like to thank John for the tremendous work he`s done with us. He was a huge help to me when I first arrived. He played a very important role last season and I would like to wish him all the very best for the future."

July 2, 2010

Quid a Kid for season opener

Doncaster Rovers have announced that they will be running a "Quid a Kid" promotion in association with the Doncaster Free Press for the first home game of the season, which is against Bristol City on Saturday, 14th August. The move should mean that the club enjoy a bumper crowd for the first game at the Keepmoat Stadium, which will be played in the middle of the school summer holidays. To qualify for the discounted offer, supporters will need to take a voucher which will be printed in the Free Press from 8th July onwards with them to the ticket office at the Keepmoat Stadium. All children must be accompanied by an adult to qualify for the offer - one adult can accompany up to three children under the scheme.
Rovers have announced that the Bristol City game has been designated a "Category 2 " game - those who have not bought season tickets should refer to the match day prices we included in our news item of 30th June. Tickets for the game will go on sale from Monday, 5th July to Members and Season Ticket holders (although surely season ticket holders have already got their ticket....?), with remaining tickets going on general sale from Monday, 12th July.

July 1, 2010

Rovers on TV - twice in the same season!!

After being virtually ignored for live TV coverage last season, two Doncaster Rovers matches have been selected for coverage in the first three months of the season.
Hot on the heels of yesterday's news that the home game against Sheffield United on Saturday, 23rd October was to be shown live on the BBC (kick-off 5.15pm) comes an announcement that the Rovers' home game against Leeds United will now be shown live on Sky Sports. As a result, the Leeds game will now be played on Friday, 17th September, with a 7:45pm kick-off.

July 1, 2010

Sharp saga not necessrily over

The announcement earlier this week that Billy Sharp has rejected a move to Burnley to fight for a first team place at Sheffield United may not necessarily the end of the saga as to where he may end up next season, according to The Star. However, it now looks as though his future will not be decided for several weeks - with the closure of the transfer window at the end of August as a likely time for news.
Whilst Sharp may still be hopeful of forcing his way into the Sheffield United side, the fact that United accepted a bid of £1 million from Burnley, (representing a 50% loss on the £2 million they paid to Scunthorpe) suggests that Sharp is not in Kevin Blackwell's initial plans for next season.
The Blades have the agonising decision to take of whether to accept a bid for Sharp before the end of August, or risk him leaving for a reduced fee in January, or for nothing next summer. Of course, if he were to be a first team regular, would they offer Sharp a new contract in time to prevent him leaving for nothing next summer?
An interesting dilemma for the Blades' hierarchy, but it could prove interesting for Rovers fans in the meantime, with Sharp clearly enjoying his time at Doncaster Rovers last season.

July 1, 2010

The Sarge becomes a Harrier

Ex-Doncaster Rovers central defender Mark Albrighton has signed a one year contract with Kidderminster Harrier after being released at the end of last season by Stevenage Borough. Albrighton was a member of Borough's squad that won promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history, but was not a regular member of the first eleven.
As well as experiencing promotion with Stevenage last season, Mark also has experience of promotion with Doncaster on two occasions. The Harriers, managed by Steve Burr, will be hoping that Albrighton's experience will rub off on the rest of the squad next season.

July 1, 2010

Fans welcome All Whites home

Despite the disappointment of not reaching the knock-out stages of the World Cup, members of the New Zealand squad were met at Auckland airport by "White Noise" supporters, who were keen on welcoming their heroes home.
New Zealand made an exit from the World Cup with three points from three games, and remaining undefeated. In a group which included reigning champions Italy, that was quite an achievement. In fact, New Zealand finished in third place in Group F - ahead of Italy, who only gathered two points - drawing all three of their games - 0-0 against group winners Paraguay and 1-1 against both Italy and Slovakia.
Squad member and former Rover David Mulligan regretted not being able to go further in the competition, but said: "I don't think we would have thought we would have come away with three points without a loss".