January 31, 2012

Billy joins the Saints

Leading scorer Billy Sharp joined Southampton yesterday after Doncaster Rovers accepted a bid from Southampton, which is likely to be in the region of £1.8 million, the figure understood by many to be the amount that triggered the clause in Sharp's contract to enable him to talk to other clubs.
Fears of supporters were started around lunchtime, when Dean Saunders confirmed that Rovers had accepted an offer from Southampton, and that the player was travelling down to talk to the Championship promotion hopefuls.
The news means that Rovers' battle to avoid relegation from the Championship becomes even bigger - Sharp had bagged 10 goals in 20 Championship appearances this season and is currently joint fourth top scorer in the Championship, despite having missed the start of the season after getting an ankle injury in the opening game of the season at Brighton.
With Southampton having been in the top two for all season, a move to the club looks to give Billy a good chance of achieving his dream of playing in the Premier League, and means that he is reunited with his former boss from Scunthorpe United, Nigel Adkins. Billy turned down a proposed offer from Southampton in the summer, saying that it was not the right time for such a move, but a change in both his and Rovers' circumstances have presumably now persuaded him to make the move now.
Sharp has signed a three and a half year contract with Southampton and has been given the number 11 shirt for the rest of the season.
Rovers boss Dean Saunders said yesterday: "We've agreed a deal with Southampton he's gone down there for a medical and will probably sign for them. I spoke to the Chairman this morning and he told me we had agreed a fee, I'm obviously disappointed we've lost our top scorer but I knew about his clause when I came here. "
Saunders paid tribute to Sharp by adding: "Billy has done really well for us even though he's had lots of problems off the pitch, all credit to him, he done a great job for us and scored lots goals - we are all sad to see him leave, but it's another chapter in his career. Hopefully one day we will be in a position where we can keep our best players."
We would like to thank Billy for his contribution to Rovers' success over the time he has been at the club, and are sure that he will go on to be successful in his future career at Southampton.

January 31, 2012

Sharp has mixed feelings about move

Interviews conducted after Billy Sharp's transfer to Southampton was completed show that whilst he was pleased to be joining Southampton, he was equally sad to have left Rovers, where he had clearly enjoyed his football, which allowed him to rebuild his career after a nightmare stay at Sheffield United.
A comment he made also suggests that he may have preferred not to have left at the moment, but that circumstances at Doncaster Rovers may have influenced his decision.
He told Southampton's official web site: "I'm delighted. It has been a long time coming, but I am delighted to get it done, and now I am just looking forward to getting on the pitch and showing the fans what I can do. It's a massive club with huge ambitions, and that is the main reason. The Gaffer and his coaching team was another reason and it felt right in my head too. I can't wait to get on with the challenge."
"I got on well with the fans at Doncaster and had an amazing time there and I'm gutted that I had to leave. That said, I am delighted that I am here and joining a really big club with a strong squad of players, hopefully I can be a cog in the team that helps get this huge club into the Premier League."
His new boss, Nigel Adkins, who had also managed Billy at Southampton, added: "I'm very, very pleased. I think Billy will be a super addition to our squad, we have a superb squad here already and Billy Sharp will add to that because he scores goals! We give ourselves another option, and another opportunity to keep moving this football club forward. Billy is going to be loved here, like all our players. He is going to be wanted, valued and is going to work hard as part of the group we have here. It's good that I have worked with him before, but if you take that away you will see that he scores plenty of goals. He is an infectious character, who I know will be a great addition to the squad that we have."

January 31, 2012

Hull City v Rovers

Doncaster Rovers go into this evening's away game against Hull City without leading goal scorer Billy Sharp, who completed his transfer to Southampton yesterday, meaning that Dean Saunders will have to shuffle his attack. It could give new signings Habib Bamogo and Mamadou Bagayoko their chance to prove that they are capable of stepping up to the first team after their arrival at the club a month ago.
Rovers still have a number of injury problems which will dictate Saunders' selection, with James Coppinger missing with a cheekbone injury, which could give Kyle Bennett a chance to start.
Habib Beye will begin a three match suspension after being sent off at Bristol City, with Adam Lockwood likely to deputise, whilst Neil Sullivan (thumb), George Friend (knee), Chris Brown (knee), Pascal Chimbonda (thigh) and Paul Keegan (thigh) are also missing, although Brown and Keegan are now nearing full fitness.
Hull City boss Nick Barmby may well revert to the personnel in their last league match after making seven changes to the side that lost in the FA Cup against Crawley on Saturday. He will also be hoping that defender Liam Rosenior will have recovered from an ankle injury in time to play, but apart from that, has now new injury concerns in his squad.

January 31, 2012

Grimsby Town 0 Youth Team 2

The youth team travelled to play Grimsby Town in the Youth Alliance and came away with victory, thanks to two first half goals from Jake McCormick and Sam McMahon.
Rovers went in front in the 24th minute when a superb strike from McCormick flew past a surprised Grimsby goalkeeper. Despite being the better side in the first half, Rovers could not extend their lead until the 41st minute when Sam McMahon took advantage of some slack play by Grimsby to fire an angled shot from 15 yards into the far corner of the net.
Grimsby played much better in the second half, with both sides having chances which were not converted.
Doncaster Rovers: Jon Maxted, Nathan Davison, Evan Finnigan, Jake McCormick, Liam Wakefield, Brett Lucas, Paddy Mullen, Joshua Meade, Jordan Ball, Sam McMahon, Harry Middleton
Substitutes: Alex Peterson (for McMahon, 70), Chris Whincop (for Ball, 82), Jordan Binns (for Davison, 85), Lewis Ferguson, Aaron Busby

January 31, 2012

Button stays another month

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper David Button will stay at Doncaster Rovers for another month after his loan deal was extended yesterday. He will retain his place in the side for this evening's away game at Hull City, with Neil Sullivan sidelined for the next two or three months, and Gary Woods currently out of favour.
Button has impressed during his first month at the club, keeping two clean sheets in his four games for the club so far and is keen to stay at Rovers for the rest of the season.

January 31, 2012

Today's match officials

The match officials for this evening's away game at Hull City will be:
Referee; Jock Waugh
Assistant referees: Richard Clark & Paul Thompson
Fourth official: Ben Toner

January 30, 2012

Leeds tickets go on sale

Tickets for the forthcoming away game at Leeds United go on sale to season ticket holders today - but you will have to have deep pockets if you want to go. Leeds are charging the highest prices that we've seen so far this season, with it costing £36 for adults to get in to Elland Road for the game.
Tickets are available this week for season ticket holders, with Alliance Members and Multi-Game ticket holders being able to buy them from next Monday. Any remaining will go on general sale on Monday, 13th February.
Rovers have been given an 'initial allocation' of 1,068 tickets for the game at the following prices:
Adults £36
Senior Citizens (60+) £29
Juniors (15 & under) £25
Disabled (ambulant/wheelchair) £29 (carer free)
Disabled supporters are advised to use Car Park B, as blue badge holders do not have to pay a parking fee. Spaces are, however, limited and given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rovers fans will be housed in the John Charles West Stand (Upper) for this fixture.

January 30, 2012

Edwards moves to Stags

Experienced former Doncaster Rovers left back Paul Edwards has joined Blue Square Bet Premier League club Mansfield Town and made his debut for the Stags at Ebbsfleet on Saturday. The move is for an initial month, with the option of extending it for a maximum of three months if all parties agree.
Mansfield had tried to sign Edwards in the summer, but the 32 year old opted to join ambitious Fleetwood Town instead. However, Fleetwood ended up with three left backs in their squad, meaning that Edwards has been out of favour, and the player welcomed the move.
Stags' boss Paul Cox commented: “It came out of the blue to be honest. I didn’t think I had a chance of getting him in any way. So for him to be made available and for us to quickly come to an agreement is excellent. He has got a little bit of everything. He is a good defender and does what good defenders do. His initial job is to stop people from playing. But he also has a nice left foot on him – that’s why Fleetwood took him in the first place. The lad will give us a bit of robustness in that position.”
Edwards added to the Mansfield Chad: “The move happened really quick but I am delighted to be here. It was very frustrating at Fleetwood not playing games. Last season I played 43 games, but I was injured in pre-season and was out for three months. It is a great set up here and a good bunch of lads. I spoke to Mansfield in the summer and now I am finally here. I am confident I can do well for the club and, if all goes well, I want to play as many games for Mansfield Town as I can.”
During his career Manchester-born Edwards has played for Barrow, Wrexham, Blackpool, Port Vale, Oldham Athletic, Swindon Town and Doncaster Rovers.
Edwards played five games for Rovers during the infamous 1997/98 season.

January 30, 2012

Saunders praises Sam

Rovers boss Dean Saunders has praised defender Sam Hird for his recent impressive form, and is hoping that Sam can continue to improve.
Hird has formed a good partnership with Habib Beye in the centre of defence, but will have a new defensive partner for the next three games following Beye's sending off against Bristol City.
Saunders commented: "I think he's tightened up as a character. I think playing alongside Habib Beye has helped him. Obviously Habib is quick and athletic, so gets him in the right places. It's just important you don't make mistakes if you're a defender. You're allowed one now and again and if you keep making mistakes you go down to the next level. He's doing well. He's got to keep his performance up, he's got to keep his concentration up and he's got to realise when he should take a risk and when he shouldn't."

January 30, 2012

Diouf criticises Senegal coach

Rovers striker El-Hadjii Diouf has blamed Senegal coach Amara Traore for the country's early shock elimination from the African Cup of Nations last week after a 2-1 defeat against Zambia was followed by a loss to co-hosts Equatorial Guinea by the same score line.
Diouf was banned last year from playing for his country for five years after accusing the Senegal Football Federation's officials of corruption, but puts the elimination squarely at the door of Traore.
He told Orange Sports: “The Senegal team has no soul. I have always said that Amara Traore knows nothing. He doesn’t have the level of experience and knowledge to handle the team. Traore and the FA guys used the victory against Cameroon and the qualification to the 2012 Afcon to launch the Teranga Lions as a squad to be reckoned with on the continent, without really checking to see the true capacity of the team. The team is weak, or let me say doesn’t worth the big name pundits give to it and the true status has just been revealed."
“I predicted the failure of Senegal at the 2012 Afcon and it has happened. The FA people are jealous of Senegal’s 2002 generation. They don’t want to associate us with the team. Some of us have experience. I’m completing my coaching course in England and I could be useful to the team but they have mixed politics with football in Senegal and things will never change for good for now,” he concluded.

January 30, 2012

Supporters to go bowling

The Doncaster Rovers Supporters Club are organising a ten-pin bowling night on Wednesday, 14th March, when they hope that staff, players and management at the club will join them. There is a limit of 40 people for this event, with a cost of £5 per person (for two games). The evening's competition starts at 7.30pm.
If you would like to attend, or want more information, please phone Paul Mayfield on 07961 727769.

January 29, 2012

Goals check

For a change, we'll begin this week's review of ex-Rovers players scoring goals in Scotland, where David Healy scored one of Rangers' four goals in their home victory over Hibernian, which closes the gap on Celtic, who are involved in League Cup action this afternoon against Falkirk. The winners of that tie will meet Kilmarnock, who overcame a stubborn defensive display from Ayr United yesterday afternoon. The match went into extra time deadlocked at 0-0, and it took former Rover Dean Shiels to win the tie for Killie, with a 109th minute strike all that separated the two sides, although from the match stats, it looks like one way traffic.
In the FA Cup Fourth Round, Marc-Antoine Fortune scored for West Bromwich Albion in their home game against Norwich City. His 54th minute equaliser was not enough though, with the Canaries scoring the winner in the 85th minute. Brighton provided one of the shocks of the tournament by beating Newcastle United 1-0. The only goal of the game was credited to an own goal by ex-Rover Mike Williamson, although it looked rather unfortunate that he gets the credit!
Finally, in the Rymans Division One North, not a goal scorer, but ex-Rovers defender Ryan Kirby was sent off whilst playing for Harlow Town in their "six pointer" against Leiston. His dismissal ended all hopes of Harlow winning the game, with the visitors going on to win 3-0, leaving Harlow with a huge task of catching them in their battle for the divisional championship.

January 29, 2012

Forte returns to Magpies

Ex-Rovers loan striker Jonathan Forte has signed on loan for Notts County until the end of the season. Forte has found his chances in the Southampton side very limited since moving there in the summer, and was loaned out to Preston North End earlier in the season. He made his third County debut yesterday afternoon in their FA Cup tie at Stevenage, but was substituted at half time, with Notts losing the game 1-0.
He has previously been at the club on two separate loan spells in the 2008/09 season.
Earlier in his career, he had two loan spells at Rovers in the 2005/06 season, then returned for a season-long loan for 2006/07, before he was released by Sheffield United and signed for Scunthorpe United.

January 29, 2012

Vote for Billy!

Soccer AM and the Football League have teamed up to give football supporters the chance to vote for the Mitre Goal of the Year 2011. They have selected ten goals scored during 2011 as a short-list. They will reduce that to five by asking fans to vote for their favourite, with the last five being voted on at the Football League awards dinner on 11th March.
Rovers striker Billy Sharp is one of the ten, for his "wonder strike" scored in the game against Middlesbrough, just three days after the death of his infant son Luey.
To see a video of all ten goals, including Billy's, please visit the Soccer AM web site, where you can place your vote.
Let's see if we can all help Billy become a winner!

January 29, 2012

Tickets v Hull City

Tickets for the away game against Hull City on Tuesday are still on general sale from the Keepmoat Stadium ticket office. To date, only 379 of the 1,494 allocation has been sold.
Ticket prices for the game are as follows:
Adults £24 - Senior Citizens (60+) £14 - Young adults (16-22) £14 - Juniors (11-15) £10 - Juniors (10 & under) £5 (advance purchases only)
Disabled (wheelchair & ambulant) £14 (carer free)

January 29, 2012

Rovers ask fans for backing

Doncaster Rovers have issued a plea for supporters to back the club following last week's resignation of four directors, including Dick Watson and Terry Bramall.
Rovers are making no official statement further to their announcement on Thursday afternoon, but they are hoping that supporters will turn up to add a couple of thousand to the crowd for next Saturday's home game against Reading.
The attendances at the Keepmoat Stadium have been disappointing this season, and whilst the poor form of the side mary be part of the problem, other factors, including the tough economic situation, are contributing to the drop in crowds, which have only broken the 10,000 barrier on two occasions.

January 29, 2012

Ticket update v Reading

Unless the plea works for Rovers fans to turn out in great numbers for next Saturday's home game against Reading, it looks as though another sub-10,000 attendance is on the cards. To date, the Ticket Office web site is showing that there are 5,914 sales to home fans (including 5,293 season tickets), whilst Reading have sold only 329 to date. We know those figures will increase by match day, but there is still a long way to go!
Sales could well be increased later in the week, as it is included as part of the ticket promotion in The Sun this week. If you collect four differently numbered vouchers that they will print between now and the weekend, you can buy a pair of tickets for the game for just £9.50. The vouchers will be printed until February 6th, and the offer also applies to the Peterborough home game on 25th February. These promotional tickets are only available for the South Stand.
The match has been designated as a "Category 2" game, meaning prices are as follows:
Category A & B areas: Adults £22 - Concessions £15 - Juniors (16 & under) £5

January 28, 2012

Hammers release Ilunga

West Ham have released Herita Ilunga from his contract "by mutual agreement" with immediate effect, meaning he is free to find another club. Ilunga joined Rovers in October and went on to be ever-present during his time at the club, making 15 appearances for the club before returning to the Hammers at the end of his loan spell.
Dean Saunders had been in talks with West Ham about Ilunga returning to the club, but with the change in circumstances at Rovers, along with the return to fitness of Tommy Spurr, a second spell at the club for the Congolese international is far from certain.

January 28, 2012

Jesus heading for Sunderland?

After his agent said that Rovers were trying to arrange for a visa to allow Peruvian defender Jesus Rabanal to travel to England, it now turns out that Rabanal has been one of a number of trialists training at Premier League club Sunderland this week. The 26 year old international has been on trial at the Stadium of Light this week after apparent recommendation from Hartlepool winger Nolberto Solano - the same person that was reported to have recommended him to the Rovers.
Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill has released most of the trialists he has seen this week - but Rabanal has remained with the club for most of the week.
The news makes it less likely that he will now be joining Rovers for trials, especially bearing in mind the events of this week.

January 28, 2012

Peterborough ticket information

The home game against Peterborough United on Saturday, 25th February will form part of The Sun newspaper's "Footy with a Friend" promotional campaign, which means that you can buy two adult tickets for just £9.50, as long as you collect four differently numbered vouchers which will be published in The Sun between today and Monday, 6th February. Tickets issued under the promotion are only available in the South Stand.
For those not buying tickets under this promotion, the match has been designated as a "Category 3" game, meaning that tickets will be £15 for adults and concessions, with juniors aged 16 & under being able to buy tickets for £5.
Tickets are now on sale from the Keepmoat Stadium Ticket Office.

January 28, 2012

Leeds in move for Wellens?

Leeds United are being linked with a move for former Doncaster Rovers midfielder Richie Wellens as they look for a replacement for Jonny Howson, who has signed for Norwich City recently.
Wellens' potential departure from Leicester is somewhat of a surprise, although new City boss Nigel Pearson is looking to make a number of changes to the squad inherited from Sven Goran Eriksson. Pearson is understood to be unlikely to sanction such a move until he has been able to bolster his now depleted squad, with a number of central midfielders, including former Rovers loanee Franck Moussa, are currently injured.

January 27, 2012

Goulon goes back

Midfielder Herold Goulon has returned to Blackburn Rovers at the end of his loan spell with Doncaster Rovers. The 23 year old has not played for the side since being sent off against Watford, which was the last of six games he played for Rovers.
Dean Saunders told DROS: "He's gone back to Blackburn and we want to thank them for loaning him out. It would have cost us to sign him on and it's money we can't afford."

January 27, 2012

Keegan's nightmare season

Rovers midfielder Paul Keegan has admitted that he's going through the worst season of his career, but has hopes that he can return to contribute to the fight to avoid relegation from the Championship in a few weeks time.
Keegan has played just twice for Rovers this season, and has not featured since Dean Saunders arrived as manager in the autumn and has had to watch from the sidelines as Rovers dropped into the relegation places.
Even with the arrival of several players following Dean Saunders' arrival, Keegan is still hopeful of forcing his way back into the side after suffering knee and quad injuries.
He told the Irish web site herald.ie: ""It's been the worst season of my career so far in terms of injuries, it's been a complete nightmare, but there is light at the end of the tunnel now. I was able to do some running last week, I hope to be able to do more work over the next week and maybe join in full training with the lads next week. If all goes well I could be back playing in two or three weeks."
"I just want to get playing again. The new manager hasn't seen me play yet so I have a lot to prove to him, but he has been supportive and given me encouragement. We're in a relegation battle and need all the players we can get so we can move up the table and stay in the division."
Keegan will be out of contract in the summer, but added: "I haven't been able to think about my own future yet, I have to get back fit and get into the team before I can start worrying about a new contract. All I want to do now is get playing matches again and help Doncaster stay up."

January 27, 2012

Sarge insists he's staying at Nuneaton

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Mark Albrighton has dismissed suggestions that he is set to leave Nuneaton Town after being out of the first team due to the good form of Guy Hadland and Gareth Dean in the centre of their defence.
Albrighton returned to the starting line-up against Boston United last weekend, which ended in a 0-0 draw, and produced a "Man of the Match" performance that ought to keep him in the side this weekend.
Albrighton, now 35, is well aware that he needs more matches to reach peak form.
He told the Coventry Telegraph: “I know I need games under my belt whether it be at Nuneaton or not. However, after the opening 15 to 20 minutes at Boston I thought I did well, so fingers crossed I won’t have to go anywhere and can stay at Boro where I’m more than happy if playing regularly. Obviously it’s been difficult for the manager with Guy and Gaz doing a good job and I had to be patient and sit on the bench, rightly so."
“But I’m nearing 36 and I when I get an opportunity I want to grasp it with both hands and play as regularly as possible, preferably with Nuneaton. That’s not only because I was born in the town but Boro’s a great non-league club and I believe I can be an integral part of helping them achieve a place in the play-offs this season.”
Albrighton added: “I’ve heard there’s been some interest in me from other clubs but Nuneaton is where I want to remain and unless the manager decides otherwise this is where I will stay.”

January 27, 2012

Rovers fans go to the dogs

The Doncaster Rovers Supporters Club are organising a "Night at the Dogs" at Stainforth on Friday, 24th February, which starts at 7.30pm. The trip, which costs £12, includes a basket meal, two free bets on the Tote, two free drinks, admission and a programme, with a disco afterwards.
If they get enough takers, they will organise a bus running from Retford, Harworth, Rossington and Doncaster Town Centre.
If you are interested in the trip, please ring Paul Mayfield on 07961 727769.

January 27, 2012

Brabin calls for new guidelines

Ex-Rovers skipper Gary Brabin has called for new guidelines to be produced which will safeguard against clubs running into financial problems in the middle of a season.
His call comes just a couple of weeks after Darlington have plunged into administration for the third time in the last nine years, with the future of the Quakers only guaranteed until the end of the month.
It was also announced that Conference club Kettering Town will have three points deducted if they fail to pay creditors by February 28th.
Two years ago, Chester City went out of business, were expelled from the Conference and had all their results from the season expunged - something that looks likely to happen to Darlington.
Brabin is particularly fearful of that scenario, as his current club, Luton Town, have taken nine points from their matches against Darlington and Kettering - so their promotion challenge would be deeply hit were it to happen.
He told the Bedfordshire News: “It sickens me when I see things going on. I think there has got to be some sort of guideline before each season starts and a guarantee that teams can sustain what they’re spending. You’ve got to take into consideration gates and revenue and people have got to delve deeper into each individual club. When you see some clubs who aren’t getting a massive fan base but they’re spending hundreds of thousands then I think they’ve got to guarantee that."
“Before the season starts, if you want to spend £1 million on players but your gates don’t show that then there has got to be a bank account set up with that million in there as a guarantee. That’s how strict I think it should be.”
“It really is unsettling,” he concluded, adding: “I’m sure Wrexham, Fleetwood and Kidderminster are all looking at what would happen if they got points taken off them. It changes the whole shape of the league and I don’t think that’s fair.”

January 26, 2012

Four resign from Rovers board

January 26, 2012

Injury update

James Coppinger may have been added to the injury list this week, but the list is now down into single figures for the first time in several months, with the prospect of a number of other players back in full training within the next two or three weeks.
However, Neil Sullivan looks to be out for virtually the rest of the season, with his injured thumb still in a cast, and is estimated to be two to three months away from a return to full fitness.
George Friend is making good progress after his knee ligament injury, but is still two months away from returning to training. Coppinger is on the sidelines for at least six weeks, but after that, the news gets better.
Striker Chris Brown and midfielder Rachid Bouhenna are both back in light training. Brown, recovering from knee and back injuries, is two weeks away from being in full training, whilst Bouhenna is also looking to step up is training schedule in two weeks.
Midfielder Paul Keegan will return to full training in two weeks, whilst Pascal Chimbonda has a thigh muscle that will keep him out for two or three weeks.
Apart from that, all players are presumably in full training and available for selection.

January 26, 2012

Rovers in another practice match

Doncaster Rovers played a second practice match of the week yesterday when they faced Scunthorpe United at Cantley Park, when Dean Saunders gave a number of players the chance to get some match practice under their belts.
The majority of the Rovers side was made up of players who have not featured regularly in recent weeks, although James Hayter, one of the goal scorers, started the game.
Dean Saunders commented after the game: "We needed a game and we are grateful for Scunthorpe for helping us out. We mixed the team up a bit and it was a good workout."
Scunthorpe featured a number of trialists in the game and used the game to help make a decision on whether to keep them on - and also featured Damien Mozika, Cliff Byrne and Josh Lillis, who are returning from injury.
Rovers: Button, Hird, Lockwood, Martis, Husband, Bennett, Oster, M Woods, Diouf, Bagayoko, Hayter
Second half substitutes: Plessis, Barnes, Baxendale, Wilson, McMahon, G Woods.

January 26, 2012

Saunders eyes French winger

The Yorkshire Post reported yesterday that Dean Saunders is considering making a move for French winger Bertrand Robert, who currently plays for Greek club PAOK Salonika. Bertrand is the younger brother of former Newcastle United winger Laurent.
He is the latest of a number of players from abroad to be introduced to the club by football agent Willie McKay.

January 26, 2012

Derby line up replacement for Green

Derby County are hoping to sign a midfielder on loan before the transfer window closes, as Nigel Clough has to consider the possibility that former Rovers midfielder Paul Green could leave the club.
Green is out of contract at the end of the season and Clough is fearful that he may leave within the current transfer window.
He said on Monday: "We are conscious of Paul Green's situation, so we hope to get another loan midfielder in. I think one or two other clubs have inquired about him but there has been no firm offer. I think it is one of those where a club might leave it until the final week of the window to see if they can get him a little bit cheaper. If no-one comes in with the right offer for him, we would be delighted to keep him until the end of the season and we will see if we can get him a deal on the table then. Unfortunately, we have been led to believe that he will probably want a bit more than we can afford. We would love to be able to make him a better offer but finances at the moment don't quite permit that. We have got other priorities as well that we need to look at this summer, so we will have to juggle things around and see what we can do."

January 25, 2012

Rovers to check out Jesus!

Doncaster Rovers are looking to extend the number of overseas players on their books by signing Peruvian left back Jesus Rabanal from Universitario de Deportes. Rovers are trying to get a visa arranged for the player so that he and his agent can travel to England to discuss the proposal.
Fellow Peruvian Nolberto Solano, the former Newcastle player who is currently at Hartlepool United, is believed to have recommended Rabanal to Rovers.
The player's agent, Juan Domingo Pinieri, said: “Doncaster have sent an email and fax to the embassy asking that Jesus be granted a visa. Once we get the visa we will travel together to England to negotiate. Until the contract is signed, and the money is on the table, nothing is done. Jesus is wanted in Germany, Scotland, Brazil, Argentina and Peru itself, and it all has to do with supply and demand.”

January 25, 2012

Rovers not to appeal over Beye red card

Doncaster Rovers boss Dean Saunders has confirmed that the club will not be appealing against the red card shown to defender Habib Beye in Saturday's away game at Bristol City, which means the player will now be subject to an automatic three match ban. He told the Doncaster Star the news on Monday, although he still feels aggrieved by the decision and thinks there should be more clarification on the rule that led to his dismissal.
However, Saunders said that the club were still considering whether to lodge an appeal over the incident which led to James Coppinger suffering a broken cheekbone in an aerial challenge with City winger Yannick Bolaise during he first half of Saturday's match.
The incident has attracted much comment, most notably from Rovers chairman John Ryan, who has apparently taken legal advice over the challenge - although Ryan does not appear to have much support from his counterpart at Bristol City, Colin Sexstone.
Sextone told BBC Radio Bristol: "I'm very disappointed to be honest, I've known John for some time. My instant take was that it was a challenge, at worst it was a little late. No-one can say there was any intent and unfortunately injuries do happen in football. We feel sorry for James Coppinger and hope he recovers as quickly as possible but to suggest anything else is very wide of the mark. Unfortunately in football, if you go to head a ball you lead with your head. To suggest it was a head butt is ludicrous."
The incident was not included in referee Fred Graham's match report, meaning no further action is likely to be taken. Sexstone added: "The referee has agreed on his original decision and that doesn't surprise me. Unfortunately in football, if you go to head a ball you lead with your head. To suggest it was a head butt is ludicrous. He [Ryan] clearly has a warped view and it's a great pity that he decided to vent it publicly. We all need to move on now."
Boss Dean Saunders appeared to be in a more reflective mood in his interview on DROS yesterday, seeming to go against his chairman as he said: "Do we go off and sulk, or roll up our sleeves and go and try and beat Hull? We might not be happy with what's happened but we have to lick our wounds, get over our disappointment and see if we can get something at Hull."

January 25, 2012

Travel details to Hull

The Supporters Club are running coaches to Tuesday's away game at Hull City. They will leave Retford at 4.30pm, Bawtry 4.45pm, Harworth Pit Gates 4.35pm, Rossington Styrrup 4.45pm, Hare & Tortoise 4.50pm, Doncaster Royal Infirmary 5.00pm and Keepmoat Stadium Car Park 1 at 5.15pm.
The fares will be as follows:
Members £12 - OAP's £11 - U16's £10
Non-Members £14 - OAP's £13 - U16's £12
All aged under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
To book a place on the coaches, please contact Paul Mayfield (01427 880154) or Len South (01302 817347).

January 25, 2012

Mills set to leave Foxes?

It seems that former Doncaster Rovers centre back Matthew Mills may be set to leave Leicester City, if reports in the Daily Mail are to be believed. New boss Nigel Pearson is hoping to have a clear-out of the expensive signings made by his predecessor, Sven Goran Eriksson, and Mills (signed by Eriksson for £5.5m) or Sean St Ledger will have to leave to enable Pearson to bring in Cardiff defender Anthony Gerrard.
Striker Jermaine Beckford has also been told that he can leave the Foxes.

January 25, 2012

Andrew earns a point for Trinity

Gainsborough Trinity remain on the fringes of the promotion places in the Blue Square Bet North after earning a 2-2 away draw at FC Halifax Town last night. Former Rovers youth team defender Andrew Boyce equalised for Gainsborough on the stroke of half time to make it 1-1, with Trinity taking the lead in the 58th minute before being pegged back by Halifax. The result leaves FC Halifax in third place and Gainsborough in fifth.

January 24, 2012

Coppinger injury confirmed

It looks as though Rovers winger James Coppinger will miss most of the rest of the season after seeing a specialist yesterday. Rovers have reported that he will be going into hospital on Friday for an operation, although the player is still hoping that he will be able to avoid surgery. It does seem that he is likely to be out for a few weeks, whatever the decision later in the week, and whilst a big blow to Rovers, as Coppinger can be one of the most influential players on the club's books, at least the injury situation is generally improving, so Dean Saunders should have other options during James's absence.
Coppinger sustained the injury after a challenge by Yannick Bolasie in the first half of Saturday's match at Ashton Gate, which forced his substitution in the 17th minute. We note that on DROS, John Ryan has stated that he has taken legal advice over the matter, which seems rather extreme in the circumstances.

January 24, 2012

Good signs despite reserves defeat

There were some positive aspects to yesterday's reserve team defeat at the hands of Rotherham United, which was played at Cantley Park. Dean Saunders used the game to give several players who have not featured in the first team to get some time on the pitch in a competitive situation, the most notable of which was defender James Chambers, who is making a return after several months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
It was pleasing to note that midfielder Martin Woods impressed in the game, which suggests that a return to first team action is now imminent, although the Bamogo, Bakayoko and Plessis, all signed around Christmas, still look as though they have some way to go before they are ready for Championship action.
Rovers lost the match 2-1, with the Rovers side being listed as: G Woods, Chambers, Husband, Martis, Diatta, Plessis, M Woods, Barnes, Bennett, Bakayoko, Bamago.

January 24, 2012

Youth cup draw

The draw for the Northern Area semi-finals of the Youth Alliance Cup has now been made. With Rovers beating Chesterfield on Saturday in the previous round, they now have to travel to face Hartlepool United in the semi-final, with the game scheduled for Saturday, 18th February, with an 11am kick-off.

January 24, 2012

Voting results v Bristol City

We received nominations for nine different players in the voting for "Man of the Match" from Saturday's away game against Bristol City. Most players received a similar range of votes, but it turned out that striker El-Hadjii Diouf and defender Sam Hird competed for top spot, with the Rovers' goal scorer ending up marginally ahead. We thank everyone who took the time to vote - with no first team game this weekend, the next vote will open following next Tuesday's away game at Hull City.
Those players receiving most votes were as follows:
1 El-Hadjii Diouf (31.58%)
2 Sam Hird (26.32%)
3 Simon Gillett (10.53%)

January 24, 2012

Matt helps sink the Saints

Former Doncaster Rovers central defender Matthew Mills headed Leicester City's second goal last night in their 2-0 away victory at promotion chasing Southampton. Mills scored with a header from close range in the 26th minute, with the scoring opening in the 15th minute when David Nugent fired a curling shot home from 20 yards.
The result means that Southampton are now three points behind leaders West Ham United, whilst Leicester climb to 13th place.

January 23, 2012

Coppinger sees specialist

Rovers winger James Coppinger is due to see a specialist today to see how bad the cheekbone injury is that he sustained on Saturday during the match at Bristol City.
Coppinger was involved in a clash with City's Yannick Bolasie and was substituted after just 17 minutes of the game and taken to hospital, where a fractured cheekbone was revealed.
Rovers boss Dean Saunders feared in his post-match interviews that Coppinger's season may now be over, commenting: "James Coppinger looks like he might be out for the season with a fractured cheekbone. It's an absolutely outrageous head butt, late and the referee has not even spoken with the lad."
It now appears that Coppinger's absence is unlikely to be as lengthy as Saunders feared, although the length of time on the sidelines is uncertain until the specialist examines him today.

January 23, 2012

Reading after Sharp?

The Daily Mail have reported that Reading are set to make a bid for Billy Sharp during the January transfer window. Reading are in negotiations with Thames Sports Investment Ltd over TSI acquiring a "significant holding" in Reading FC, which would result in a substantial amount of cash being made available to manager Brian McDermott for transfers. Whilst the acquisition of shares may take some time, with the deal now subject to due diligence and normal investigations from the Football League, a statement issued by TSI this weekend does suggest that money will be made available for transfers during the January transfer window.
Reading are not one of the clubs previously linked with Sharp - and we suspect that, for all the money they may have available, if Billy was unwilling to move to Leicester City earlier this month, presumably due to them not being immediately able to satisfy his desire to play in the Premier League, then Reading will be similarly unsuccessful.

January 23, 2012

Telford sign Futcher

AFC Telford United have announced that they have signed Bury defender Ben Futcher on a one-month loan, with a view to that stay being extended for the rest of the season, provided both parties are happy in a month's time.
Futcher, now aged 30, is a 6ft 7ins centre back and has already had a loan spell at Mansfield Town this season. He played for Rovers briefly during their final season in the Conference, and his last appearance for the club was in the Sheffield & Hallamshire Final at Hillsborough, when Rovers lost to Worksop, just a week before the historic play-off victory at the Britannia Stadium.
Futcher has also played for Lincoln City, Oldham Athletic, Grimsby Town and Peterborough United.
AFC Telford United boss Andy Sinton commented after the signing: "We've struggled when we've been up against big centre forwards, and Ben's a big signing - literally. He's a real leader, and will be a great influence on the other players."
"We had to work hard to get this done, it was on and off - but we've got there and I have to say it's a major signing for us. He's here for a month initially - but I'm hoping we can keep him until the end of the season," Sinton added.

January 23, 2012

Burnley dismiss move for Stock

Burnley manager Eddie Howe has dismissed speculation in their local press that he is about to make a bid for Doncaster Rovers midfielder Brian Stock, who he played with whilst at Bournemouth.
He told the Clitheroe Advertiser: “Brian’s someone I know, but I think he’s doing well for Doncaster so I don’t think anything will happen with that.”

January 22, 2012

Bristol City 2 Rovers 1

Doncaster Rovers' poor away record continued yesterday afternoon when they plunged deep into the relegation mire by losing at Bristol City, having to play two thirds of the game with ten men after Habib Beye was sent off for a needles challenge. Not only that, but Rovers' woes had already increased after James Coppinger was forced off the pitch with what proved to be a fractured cheekbone - an incident that left Rovers boss Dean Saunders seething after it went unpunished by the referee.
Rovers went behind four minutes before Beye's dismissal - and Bristol's second goal came immediately after Beye's red card. The resulting free kick was taken before Rovers could bring on Adam Lockwood as a substitute, with the unmarked Kalifa Cisse heading home - as Saunders said, had the substitution gone ahead, Lockwood would have been marking the City goal scorer.
Saunders named an unchanged side, and with both sides adopting 4-3-3 formations, it was unsurprising that there were chances aplenty. Most of those went to the home side, with Rovers looking particularly weak on crosses - but Rovers showed that they could be dangerous when on the break, with Coppinger flicking the ball into the path of Gillett, who hit a powerful shot which was well saved by David James at full stretch. The controversial incident which forced Coppinger's substitution then occurred, with John Oster replacing him, and Rovers went on to have chances through Billy Sharp and James Hayter.
City then made Rovers pay for their misses as Wood headed home at the near post, and the game was out of Rovers' reach within five minutes when they were reduced to ten men as well as going a further goal behind.
With Lockwood being introduced for Hayter, Billy Sharp was increasingly isolated - and after the break, it was of little surprise that the home side had the majority of the possession - but Rovers did give them a shock in what proved to be their first real attack of the second half. Sharp passed the ball wide to Gillett, and the resulting cross found Diouf, whose fine header went over James into the net.
That goal gave Rovers renewed hope and Sharp almost equalised at the very end of the game, but a superb diving save by James denied him.

January 22, 2012

What the managers said

Not for the first time this season, Rovers boss Dean Saunders thought that Rovers were on the losing side as far as refereeing decisions were concerned in yesterday's defeat at Ashton Gate.
The fact that the challenge on James Coppinger went unpunished, yet Beye was sent off a few minutes later clearly irritated the Welshman.
He said after the game: "Coppinger was head-butted by a late challenge right in front of me and the referee never even spoke to the player concerned. Then he sends off Beye for a tackle from 60 yards away when the linesman is signalling a throw-in and the City player is not appealing for anything more. For some reason we weren't allowed to get Lockwood on until the free-kick has been taken. And the man he would have been marking goes and scores. That is how it has been going for us away from home. I have been disappointed with the standard of Championship referees. We had a game plan with 10 men, stuck to it and went very close to grabbing a point at the end."
It won't be a surprised that Bristol City boss Derek McInnes had a different point of view on both incidents. He commented: "Yannick had his eyes on the ball and there was no intent whatsoever to injure the Doncaster player. From where I was it looked as though Beye left the ground with his challenge and it deserved a red card so the referee got that right too."
"The result was all important to us and, while we made hard work of it in the end, I prefer to dwell on a very good opening 65 minutes. There were a lot of positives to take from that. I felt we started very well and could have been out of sight by half-time."
"We said about the importance of the game, it was result over performance, but I thought we managed to get both. The league table looks a bit easier now than it did prior to three o'clock."

January 22, 2012

Goals review

Our review of ex-Rovers players scoring goals yesterday begins in the Championship, where Ross McCormack scored an 82nd minute goal as Leeds beat Ipswich 3-1 at Elland Road - Leeds appear to be reviving their ability to score late goals, with all three of their goals coming in the final 16 minutes of the game.
In League One, the veteran Jack Lester scored a 6th minute goal for bottom club Chesterfield as they registered a rare win by a 2-1 margin at Colchester.
Meanwhile, in League Two, Adebayo Akinfenwa scored Northampton's goal - but they still lost 2-1 at home to Barnet, a result that means the Cobblers remain bottom of the pile. In the same division, Jon-Paul Pittman scored Oxford United's first goal in their 2-2 home draw against Hereford United, which keeps the U's in the promotion play-off places.
Finally, in the Evo-Stik League Division One (South), Tristram Whitman scored the first goal of the game for Carlton Town in their game at New Mills. That goal that broke the deadlock dame in the 68th minute - yet the game then turned into a goalfest as New Mills went on to win 5-3.

January 22, 2012

Woods set for loan move

Sky Sports have reported that goalkeeper Gary Woods is set to move out on loan to gain some first team experience after losing his place at Rovers. Woods began the season as first choice keeper, but is currently second choice to on-loan David Button. Presumably any loan move would be dependent on Button's loan being extended, with Neil Sullivan still sidelined for a couple of months with a hand injury.
Saunders continues to stress that he sees a big future for Woods at Rovers, but that he needs to gain some experience elsewhere in the meantime.

January 22, 2012

Youth Team 3 Chesterfield 1

Doncaster Rovers progressed won their Youth Alliance League Cup game against Chesterfield by a 3-1 margin at Cantley Park yesterday morning, although they had to come from behind after Joshua Scully put the visitors in front early in the game. Rovers equalised five minutes before half-time, with Eddie Wilding heading past the Chesterfield goalkeeper.
Rovers took advantage of some slack defending to allow Jordan Ball to put Rovers in front, and a third goal followed when the ball bounded off Chesterfield defender McMahon to go into the net off the post.
Chesterfield: Barrington, Dennis (sub Colton 80), Broadhead, Whittaker, Slack, Waddle, Wall (sub Bowland 75), Scully, Wafula, Noel, McKenzie (sub Fereday 67)
Unused substitute: Hewitt
Doncaster Rovers: Busby, Davison, Husband, McCormick, Wakefield, Lucas, Mullen, Wilding, Ball, McMahon, Finnegan
Substitutes: Meade, Peterson, Whinchop, Middleton, Binns

January 22, 2012

Barnwell appointed boss

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Jamie Barnwell has been appointed as joint manager of NCEL Premier Division club Hall Road Rangers, along with Martin Thacker.
Barnwell has been connected with Hall Road for some time - he was previously in charge at the club following Thacker's first spell at the club back in 2010. Now aged 36, Barnwell has served the club as a player in two spells.

January 21, 2012

Bristol City v Rovers

This afternoon's game at Ashton Gate is one that both teams will be hoping to win, for contrasting reasons. Were City to win, it would put them seven points ahead of Rovers, and greatly help their hopes of staying out of the relegation dogfight. Should Rovers win, it would put them just a point behind Bristol and could be only a point from getting out of the bottom three for the first time since October.
Rovers have no new injury concerns - indeed the situation is gradually improving at the moment, meaning that Dean Saunders has around 20 players to select from. For all that choice, we do not expect many changes, although Martin Woods and John Oster are pushing for a place in the squad after coming through the FA Cup game against Notts County with no ill effects. Defender Pascal Chimbonda will be sidelined for another two or three weeks with his ongoing hip injury.
Also missing due to injury are George Friend, Rachid Bouhenna, Paul Keegan, Chris Brown, Neil Sullivan and Oscar Radford.
Strikers Billy Sharp and El-Hadjii Diouf will be included this afternoon, despite uncertainty over their long-term future caused by transfer speculation, but according to Dean Saunders, the situation regarding both players has not changed since last weekend. The three players signed just before Christmas - Damien Plessis, Mamadou Bagayoko and Habib Bamogo - are all short of match fitness, and the best they can hope for is a place on the bench.
Bristol City have a couple of injury concerns ahead of this afternoon's game at Ashton Gate, with midfielder Marvin Elliott and winger Albert Adomah requiring fitness tests before boss Derek McInnes names his side. They will welcome back Stephen Pearson after a one match suspension, but skipper Liam Fontaine will be out with a knee injury.

January 21, 2012

Bristol tickets on sale today

Tickets for this afternoon's game at Bristol City will be on sale on the gate at the following prices:
Adults £25 - Senior Citizens (65+) £20 - Under 16s £1

January 21, 2012

This afternoon's match officials

The match officials for this afternoon's game at Ashton Gate have been confirmed as:
Referee: Fred Graham
Assistant Referees: William Bull & Nigel Lugg
Fourth official: Antony Coggins

January 21, 2012

Saunders wants 30 more points

Dean Saunders has set his players the target of accumulating 30 more points from their remaining 20 games, which he thinks should be enough to keep Doncaster Rovers in the Championship for another season. Rovers are currently on 23 points and are three adrift of safety, and are going to Ashton Gate in a bid to improve an awful away record - but the recent good home form gives Saunders every optimism that the away form will improve soon.
He said this week: "I still think if you put 30 points on to what we've got we're alright. We've got to win probably nine or 10 games. There's 10 home games left, we've got to keep the home form up and start winning away again. We beat Peterborough and Ipswich. We've not had much luck really on the road in the last few weeks so hopefully we get a bit of luck. Sometimes you can win games without playing well if you get a bit of luck."
"The players are listening, working their socks off and the difference in work-rate and determination since I came in is plain to see."

January 21, 2012

Wigan after McCormack

Wigan Athletic are reported to be lining up a bid for former Doncaster Rovers loan striker Ross McCormack, who is currently at Leeds United. The Yorkshire Evening Post have reported that the Scot attended Monday evening's Premier League game between Wigan and Manchester City, which has prompted an increase in the speculation.
McCormack has bagged 12 goals so far this season, which has already led to interest from Wolves, but Leeds boss Simon Grayson would only comment: “We’ve always said that anyone leaving will go on our terms, not anybody else’s.”

January 21, 2012

Stadium update

The Yorkshire Post has reported that the Keepmoat Stadium is to receive a further £170,000 from Doncaster Council to keep it running until the summer. Doncaster Rovers have been in talks to take over the running of the stadium, but it now seems that they are unwilling to take over until the end of the season.
The Stadium Management Company receive an annual rental of £281,000 from Doncaster Rovers, despite an agreement by Rovers to up that to closer to £1 million after the initial deal between Rovers and Doncaster Council proved uneconomic, and had caused huge losses by the stadium in the first two years of operation. However, for their own reasons, which we suspect are linked directly to their wish to take over the stadium, Rovers have since reneged on the increased rental, which has directly led to the current financial problems at the stadium.
John Ryan, Rovers' chairman, told the Yorkshire Post this week: “It is a loss-making operation and we would have to turn it back into profit. We already have a loss-making operation in Doncaster Rovers and we don’t want to make it worse.”
Rovers are reported to be hoping to sign a 50 year lease with the council, although the council are wanting to safeguard community usage, as well as allowing the rugby team and Doncaster Rovers Belles to continue to play at the stadium.

January 20, 2012

Saunders hopes to keep strike duo

Rovers boss Dean Saunders is still hopeful that Billy Sharp and El-Hadjii Diouf will stay at the club, at least until the end of the season.
Sky Sports have reported that Rovers have not received any further bids for Sharp, with just the offer from Leicester being on the table at the moment. Whilst Leicester stated that they would keep the offer to Sharp open, it now seems that they are moving on and have agreed a fee with Manchester United for the transfer of Danny Drinkwater, who is currently on loan at Barnsley. Drinkwater's transfer is expected to be finalised in time for him to play for Leicester this weekend.
Indications are that Sharp will stay, although the situation may well change if another club makes an approach between now and the end of the month. Dean Saunders told Sky Sports: "Nothing's changed since last week. He's indicated that he wants to stay, so, unless somebody comes in, which they could do at any minute, as far as I'm concerned we prepare for Saturday. I think he's indicated he wants to stay until the end of the season and the new contract is coming into play. I think Billy probably thinks if it's not right to go to Leicester and he bangs some goals in for us between now and the end of the season then he's going to have a lot more options."
Meanwhile, it seems that negotiations to keep Diouf at Rovers past the end of his current deal, which runs out at the end of the month, are progressing slowly.
Saunders continued: "We're getting close to agreeing something. We're closer than we were a few days ago, but his contract's not up until the end of January. It's taken a bit longer than I hoped but hopefully we can sort something up."
" I've just asked him on Thursday morning 'are we sorted?' and he said 'getting closer' and he's been speaking to the chairman, so hopefully we can agree something because he's a top class player and he's definitely going to help us between now and the end of the season."
Rovers announced just before Christmas that Diouf had agreed a new 18 month contract, but that remains unsigned.

January 20, 2012

Saunders cools expectations for Plessis

Dean Saunders has moved to play down expectations over new loan signing Damien Plessis, who joined Doncaster Rovers this month on loan from Panathanaikos. Plessis was named as an unused substitute in Saturday's goalless draw against Cardiff, but Saunders thinks that he will take a little time to adjust to the English style of football.
He said: "If you're not fit you're just a passenger in a game like that. It's going to take a bit of time. Thierry Henry was hopeless for 12 months - as was Pires - after coming to England. It's different in England, there's more body contact, more physically demanding and the defenders are not as technical as in France. It will take him a bit of time to adjust, we've just got to keep working in training."

January 20, 2012

Gill moves to Rainworth

Former Doncaster Rovers striker Robert Gill has completed a transfer from Carlton Town, who play in the Evo-Stik League Division One South, to their divisional rivals Rainworth Miners Welfare. Gill moved to Carlton in the summer from Hucknall Town, but after scoring five goals in eight games early on and being a regular in the side, he has recently had to settle for a place on the bench.
His debut for Rainworth ought to have been last weekend, but the freezing conditions meant that their game against Grantham Town was postponed. Gill's debut should now be in Rainworth's away game at bottom club Shepshed Dynamo tomorrow.

January 20, 2012

James on the way back

Rovers defender James Chambers is on the long way back to full fitness and, while there are no prospects for a return to the first team in the near future, he is stepping up his rehabilitation programme and is hoping to resume full training towards the end of this month.
Chambers played a few minutes of an in-house practice match last Tuesday, but he was upbeat about his prospects when he talked to the Doncaster Free Press later in the week.
He told them: “There might be one or two of the other injured players, such as Tommy Spurr, back before me, but I’m hoping to be back in full training sometime this month. It’s been slow but I’ve had no setbacks so it is probably better doing it that way than trying to rush back and risk breaking down as happened last season. I’m doing a lot of strenuous work at the moment with Mal Purchase, and some double sessions, but I’m hoping it will all pay off and that when I do get back I will be that much stronger, but after being out for 10 months I will also need to play a few practice games.”
Chambers, who signed for Rovers in August 2008, has been sidelined for ten months with a knee injury, when he attempted to make a comeback, but his absence really dates back to April 2010, when he originally sustained his knee injury, which resulted in an operation during the ensuing close season.

January 21, 2012

Hull ticket information

Tickets for the forthcoming away game at Hull City, on Tuesday 31st January, are now on general sale from the Keepmoat Stadium's ticket office. Rovers have received an initial allocation of 1,494 tickets for the game, all of which are for unreserved seating.
Ticket prices for the game are as follows:
Adults £24
Senior Citizens (60+) / Young adults (16-22): £14
Juniors (11-15): £10
Juniors (10 & under) £5 (only available if purchased in advance).
Ambulant/wheelchair disabled: £14 ( carer free)

January 19, 2012

O'Driscoll joins Forest

Sean O'Driscoll has been appointed as first team coach at Championship strugglers Nottingham Forest as boss Steve Cotterill strives to improve the club's fortunes.
O'Driscoll and Cotterill played together for Bournemouth, and the Forest boss told their official web site: "Sean and I go back a long way, we're old friends, and I'm delighted to have been able to add him to my coaching staff. He's available after leaving Doncaster in September, so compensation isn't an issue, and I've no doubts he will be a great addition to my backroom team."
O'Driscoll lost his job at Rovers in September and has been linked with a number of posts since then, but taking a coaching job at Forest does seem surprising, unless Cotterill's job becomes under threat, in which case he could be well positioned to take over.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is currently Cotterill's assistant, but it is unclear how O'Driscoll's arrival will affect his position at the club.

January 19, 2012

Ex-Rovers duo see Killie through

First half goals from former Rovers players Paul Heffernan and Dean Shiels were enough to put Kilmarnock into the next round of the Scottish Cup, as they won their Fourth Round replay against First Division Dundee 2-1.
Heffernan struck in the 34th minute, with Shiels doubling the lead two minutes before the break.

January 19, 2012

Billy comes third

Rovers striker Billy Sharp has been voted into third place of Scunthorpe United's greatest-ever player, according to the Scunthorpe Telegraph's web site.
The vote is a result of a survey done at a popular and long-running exhibition "Our Sporting Life, A Celebration of Scunthorpe United", which has been on display at the North Lincolnshire Museum in Scunthorpe. Striker Gary Hooper, who left the Iron to join Celtic in a £2.4 million move in July 2010, was voted as their "greatest player of all-time", with Alex Calvo-Garcia coming second.
In equal place in fourth place behind Sharp were Joe Murphy and Kevin Keegan.
The competition ran for nine months and had 17,532 visitors.

January 19, 2012

Darlington get reprieve

Ex-Rovers defender Graeme Lee could be involved in Darlington's home game against Fleetwood on Saturday, but he has to overcome injury if he is to play. Lee was one of nine players to receive redundancy notices from the club's administrators earlier this week, and it looked as though Darlington had played their last match. However, the administrators have now decided that there is enough money to enable the club to continue until the end of the month after the DFC Rescue Club raised £50,000 to secure their immediate future. Talks will now continue with interested parties in the hope that a takeover can be confirmed within the next two weeks.
All contracted players are eligible to play, but Darlington are now appealing for volunteers to put Saturday's game on, as the administrators had dispensed with the services of all off-field staff last week.

January 19, 2012

Pascal glad to be at Rovers

Rovers defender Pascal Chimbonda was only at Queens Park Rangers for six months, but it was enough to convince him that it was the worst six month of his career.
The 32 year old former French international only made a handful of appearances for Rangers, which persuaded him to take the gamble of signing for Doncaster Rovers earlier this season in a bid to rebuild his career.
He told France Football: ""Last season at QPR? It was the worst of my whole career, I didn't have a good relationship with the coach. If the coach doesn't like you even if you are doing well, there is nothing you can do. In the end, he (Warnock) couldn't even look me in the eye. I knew a little bit about Doncaster when I came. I knew they liked to play football and that they have a new stadium. That's about it. The club have given me an opportunity to do my job again and I want to pay them back. I am happy here."
Chimbonda became a free agent in the summer and despite receiving some interest from a number of clubs, no firm offers materialised from them.
He continued by saying: "I could write a book about everything that was proposed to me over the summer. I became fed up. I went on trial at Panathinaikos as a left-back. I am not at ease in that position. I can deputise there, but not for a whole season. They made me an offer, but I refused. I met the coach of Montreal. He even came to England to see me. But you would rather go to the MLS at the end of your career. I still have a lot of football left in my legs."
Pascal initially joined on a short term deal until January, which has subsequently been extended until the end of the season.

January 19, 2012

Rovers Belles launch season tickets

Doncaster Rovers Belles have announced the prices for their season tickets for the 2012 season, with a discount of 45% if they are bought before 31st January.
For tickets bought this month, the prices are:
Adults £28 - Concessions£14 - Family Season Ticket (2 adults, 2 U16s) £69
For tickets bought from 1st February, prices rise as follows:
Adults £32 - Concessions £16 - Family Season Ticket (2 adults, 2 U16s) £89
Planned match day admission prices for the 2012 season are:
Adults £6 - Concessions (U16s/OAPs) £3
The Rovers Belles season tickets can be bought from the Keepmoat Stadium ticket office.

January 18, 2012

Willie targets promotion next year

Football agent Willie McKay thinks that Rovers can challenge for promotion to the Premier League next season - if they secure Championship status this season.
Rovers face a struggle for the rest of the season to avoid the drop, but as long as that happens, McKay has great optimism for next season.
In an interview carried on Eurosport's site, McKay said: "From what I've seen of the Championship, I think it could be easier to win promotion than you might think. The league was there to be won this season. Dean's had to make a standing start and play catch-up, but next season there's more time to plan and become really organised. The sky's the limit if the chairman wants to go big and, if the wage bill is the same as this season, there's no reason we can't be up in the top six."

January 18, 2012

Youth game rearranged

The youth team away game against Scunthorpe United, which was postponed on Saturday due to a frozen pitch, has now been rearranged, and will be played on Tuesday, 14th February, with a 2pm kick-off. The news was revealed on DROS's Twitter site, updating its earlier entry that the game would be played on Saturday, 24th March with an 11am kick-off.

January 18, 2012

Button wants to stay at Rovers

Young Spurs keeper David Button, currently on a month's loan at Doncaster Rovers, is keen to stay in South Yorkshire for the rest of the season after enjoying his first three games for the club - which have all been at home. He now faces successive away games, starting with Saturday's trip to Bristol City.
He told the Doncaster Free Press: “I’m enjoying it at Doncaster because I’m playing games which is why I came here. The two Championship games I’ve played against Barnsley and Cardiff have both being positive experiences and we’ve kept clean sheets in both. Obviously we had a disappointing result against Notts County in the FA Cup, but we bounced back well against Cardiff."
David continued: “It’s a great league and there are a lot of good teams so it is always going to he hard, but I think I’m good enough to deal with it and hopefully now that I’m playing at a level which is going to challenge me I can start showing how good I am. It’s a lot different here to Leyton. There are a lot more quality players here - you can tell that in training. You also get better defenders in front of you and it helps having the likes of Habib Beye and Sam Hird (at centre-back), who were both excellent on Saturday, and Adam Lockwood, because they all have experience which I can draw on."
“It’s important for a keeper joining a club to quickly get to know everything about the back-four such as their strengths and weaknesses, but they have been outstanding in the two league games I’ve played and when you’ve got good players in front of you it makes it easier.”
“Our away record is something we’ve got to address but hopefully we’ll start picking up more away points. Everyone in the squad is confident that we can pull away from the bottom three; we just need to string a run of results together and to do that we need to be a bit more difficult to beat away from home. I don’t think that we are a bottom three team. I am surprised how good the team have been in the league games I’ve played. Looking at the league position when I first came I was expecting them to be a bit worse, so I’ve been pleasantly surprise by how good everyone is and how strong the squad is.”

January 18, 2012

Hawkins joins Rovers

Former Doncaster Rovers defender Colin Hawkins has joined Irish Premier League club Shamrock Rovers in a player-coach role after leaving Dundalk. It had been expected that Hawkins would sign a new deal at Dundalk, who were looking at him being one of the experienced players, with most of the squad being made up of youngsters.
Shamrock Rovers' boss Stephen Kenny said after Hawkins' arrival had been confirmed: “Colin is joining us in a player-coach capacity. He has a lot of experience and was involved in four championship-winning teams during his time in the league. And he would also have gained good experience during his time with Coventry and Brighton. Colin is a strong competitor with strong leadership qualities. He will also provide good defensive cover for us throughout the season. He has done his coaching badges and has a great interest in getting more involved in that side of the game, and further developing his coaching skills.”

January 18, 2012

Ryan's Premier League dream

At one time, Rovers chairman John Ryan had dreams of seeing Doncaster Rovers reach the Championship and, thanks to his backing over the last 14 years, that has not only been achieved, but maintained for the last three seasons. However, earlier this season the chances of a fourth successive season in the second tier looked remote as Rovers were bottom of the table with just one point - but they are now within a win of escaping from the bottom three.
He told the Yorkshire Post a couple of weeks ago: “We had to make a decision whether to accept our fate and go down meekly or roll up our sleeves and show some fighting spirit. The bottom line is we would have been relegated if we had not changed things – and after working my guts out for 14 years, and putting in more money than anyone else, I was not prepared to let that happen."
John added: “A lot of the negativity towards Willie’s involvement has stemmed from jealousy. There have been quite a few clubs trying to poach his services but he wants to help us get into the Premier League. We are doing nothing that half the other clubs in the Championship do not do. It’s not an abuse of the system. Loads of clubs get loads of loans. How did Stoke City get out of the Championship? They loaned a load of guys about 6ft 4in and bulldozed their way out and now they are an established Premier League club."
“We have a two-year agreement but I hope it will last even longer than that. He has delivered so far and who could have imagined that ‘little old’ Doncaster Rovers would be signing players like El-Hadji Diouf or Habib Beye? These are top international players and I simply cannot envisage relegation with Willie bringing that sort of quality to the club.”
“Some will leave in the New Year but we would like them to stay,” says Ryan. “We know it won’t be easy because they are being offered big money to go elsewhere.”
Ryan continues to be frustrated by the lack of support the club receive, but it doesn't stop his dreams of taking the club one level higher.
He finished by saying: "It is still my dream to take this club to the Premier League. In fact, Willie has promised me that he can get the club into the Premier League. If we stay up this season, that will be the target next season."

January 18, 2012

Nelson to be offered new contract

Former Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Stuart Nelson is set to extend his stay at Notts County after being in impressive form this season. His agent, Darryl Powell, admits that there has been interest from other clubs, but insists that the 30 year old keeper is happy where he is.
He told the Nottingham Evening Post: "I know Martin has been really happy with him, so I'm trying to arrange a meeting with the chief executive Jim Rodwell so we can sit down and discuss a new deal. There are a few other clubs interested in Stuart because he has done so well for Notts, but he's very happy. He had other offers before he joined Notts, but it is the move he wanted. He's first choice now, which he's really enjoying."
County boss Martin Allen is also a good friend of Nelson - he attended Stuart's wedding in Essex recently, and Powell says he has already spoken with the County boss.
He concluded by saying: "I phoned Martin and he said he wants to offer Stuart a new deal, so we've just got to sort it out with Jim now."

January 17, 2012

Dean expects Billy to stay until the summer

Rovers boss Dean Saunders is expecting leading scorer Billy Sharp to stay at the club until the summer, with the hope that he will contribute enough to the Rovers cause to stave off the threat of relegation.
Sharp turned down a move to Leicester City at the weekend, but a move away may still happen if another club places a firm bid on the table. But for now, it looks very promising that Rovers' talismanic striker will be staying, which must be welcome news for all Rovers fans.
It looks unlikely that Sharp will sign a new improved contract offer at the club, and it looks like being a nervous summer for Rovers supporters.
Saunders said over the weekend: "I think Billy will be staying with us until the end of the season - at least I am hoping he will. He’s not going to any of the clubs who have come in for him at the moment. Without actually nailing it down I think he has indicated that he’d like to stay - although if someone like Manchester United came in for him in the next week or so then I’m sure he’d change his mind - so you can never count your chickens. But hopefully he will stay with us and if he can win us six or seven games it would be worth all the money in the world.”
“I’m not sure about him signing a new contract, but I think he wants to stay and help us get out of the trouble we are in,” Saunders added. “If he could score another 10 goals between now and the end of the season, I’d take that. If he did stay then hopefully he would improve his game while he was here by keep working on different things, and if he can continue to get goals then at the end of the season there might be some Premier League clubs coming in for him. He might have a few more tools in his bag by then and there are things that I can perhaps pass on to him that I learnt.”
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson has not totally given up on the hope that Sharp may join the Foxes, but pointed out that they have already made their 'best offer' to the player.
Pearson told the Leicester Mercury: "We have made the best offer we can make. The door is not shut but you can only go so far. As a club we have probably been guilty of going overboard in terms of spending on certain players so far. As far as I am concerned, it is about building a team. It is not collecting players. I don't intend to do that. We have done quite a bit of trimming down already in terms of dispensing with players. Now it is time to add to what we have got and complement it. But also we have to get more out of what we have already got here."

January 17, 2012

Coach travel to Bristol City

The Supporters Club have released details of their coach travel to Saturday's away game at Bristol City.
Coaches will leave Retford at 8.15am, Bawtry 8.30am, Harworth Pit Gates 8.20am, Rossington Styrrup 8.30am, Hare & Tortoise 8.35am, Doncaster Royal Infirmary 8.45am and Keepmoat Stadium Car Park 1 at 9am.
The fares for the trip will be as follows:
Members: £22 - OAP's £20 - U16's £18
Non-Members £24 - OAP's £22 - U16's £20
To book a place on the coach, please contact Len South (01302 817347) or Paul Mayfield (01427 880154).

January 17, 2012

Rovers face Carlisle

Doncaster Rovers have arranged a "behind closed doors" friendly game against Carlisle United, which will be played today. Dean Saunders will be using the game as match practice for some of the players returning to fitness after long injury absences, such as Martin Woods and John Oster.

January 17, 2012

Lee has contract terminated as Darlington face oblivion

All the remaining players at Blue Square Bet Premier League club Darlington, including former Doncaster Rovers defender Graeme Lee, have had their contracts terminated by the club's administrators as the financial situation at the Quakers became even more serious. The news that interim boss Craig Liddle and the remaining playing staff were having their contracts terminated puts Saturday's home game against Fleetwood in great doubt, although there are some people do remain interested in acquiring the club.
The club's administrators, led by Harvey Madden, issued a statement which read: "Given the current financial position of the club and, as a consequence of my legal obligations, I have had no alternative but to terminate the contracts of all playing staff and the retained administration staff. Notwithstanding this, there remain parties interested in either injecting funds into the club to enable it to continue operating or acquiring the club. Every effort is being made to progress this to try to save the club. However, at this stage I have still not received any formal offers and unless a deal is concluded as a matter of urgency, time will have run out for Darlington Football Club."
A number of players left the club last week after their wages were not paid, and off-field staff have also left the club.
Liddle has indicated that he will continue to work with the youth team for nothing for the rest of the season, so there is a chance that Darlington could play this week's fixture by using the youth team, which is separately funded from the rest of the football club, as funding is guaranteed by the Football League until the end of the season.
Darlington were placed into administration earlier this month.

January 17, 2012

Brabin has trial date set

Ex-Rovers midfielder Gary Brabin, currently the manager at Luton Town, has had a date set for his trial, which was as a result of an incident at Bootham Crescent earlier this year.
Brabin was charged with assaulting Simon Oliver and Paul Lovatt, and of committing a public order offence at York City's ground on April 19th, when Luton Town were the visitors in a Blue Square Bet Premier League game, which resulted in Brabin being sent from the dugout into the stands by the referee.
Brabin denies all charges, and the trial, which is expected to last three days, has been set for May 23rd at Selby Magistrates Court.

January 17, 2012

Voting results

Only one player that took to the field on Saturday failed to receive a nomination for the "Man of the Match" - and no, we're not going to reveal who the unfortunate player is!
Around half a dozen players received the vast majority of those votes, with a closely fought contest emerging between defenders Sam Hird and the returning Tommy Spurr.
Those receiving the most votes were:
1 Sam Hird (24.19%)
2 Tommy Spurr (20.97%)
3 Habib Beye (11.29%)
4= James Hayter, Brian Stock, James O'Connor (9.68% each).
We thank everyone for taking the time to send in their votes - the next poll will open following Saturday's away game at Bristol City.

January 16, 2012

Bristol City ticket information

Tickets for Saturday's away game at Bristol City are now on general sale from the Keepmoat Stadium's ticket office. Rovers have received an allocation of 550 tickets, with 134 confirmed sales to date.
The tickets are for unreserved seating, and are priced as follows:
Adults £25 - Senior Citizens (65+) £20 - Juniors (under 16) £1
Disabled supporters pay the appropriate price, although their carer will be admitted free of charge. Wheelchair users should book their tickets direct with Bristol City on 0871 222 6666.

January 16, 2012

McIndoe linked to failed investment scheme

Former Doncaster Rovers winger Michael McIndoe seems to have gone to ground after a story appeared in yesterday's Mail On Sunday that he is involved in an investment scheme that has collapsed, leaving many investors, including several Premier League footballers, out of pocket.
Star players, apparently including several household names, have been reported to have invested in the scheme, that promised a return of 20% per month on their capital. However, the scheme collapsed late last year, with many now well out of pocket.
McIndoe approached potential investors on behalf of the scheme, but the report does stress that there is no suggestion of any wrong doing on his part.
The Mail have reported that McIndoe became a director of a number of businesses last year, including one aimed at footballers which provided exclusive access to night clubs and private jets.
McIndoe retired from playing at the end last season when his contract with Coventry City expired.

January 16, 2012

Snodin pleas with fans to back Rovers' survival scheme

Ex-Rovers player and manager Ian Snodin has backed Doncaster Rovers' scheme to bring in players at low cost to the club, with the aim of surviving against the odds in the Championship.
Snodin issued the rallying cry in the Doncaster Free Press this week, and told them: “I think we’ll stay up. We had one point when Dean came in and since then we’ve won another 21 points. We’ve given ourselves a chance of avoiding relegation. And the players that have come in - the likes of El Hadji Diouf, Habib Beye and Pascal Chimbonda - have given us even more of a chance."
“Rovers fans should be pinching themselves that these type of players are at the club. Not only that, they’re enjoying themselves here and they want to help the club get out of trouble.
Snodin was also quick to add his own support to Dean Saunders and Willie McKay. He added: “I’ve known Willie for quite a while and obviously he’s one of the best agents in the world. January is his busiest month, but he’s sacrificed a lot of his other business so he can work tirelessly for Doncaster Rovers and get the players in to keep this club up. His commitment is unbelievable."
“The purpose of this is to keep Doncaster in the league and then we build from there. It’s taken a long time for the club to get back to this level and if we are to stay in this league we need everybody pulling in the right direction, including the fans.”

January 16, 2012

Council set to sell Belle Vue

The site has been derelict since Rovers moved out at the end of 2006, but that looks likely to change some time this year after elected mayor Peter Davies and Doncaster Council are progressing with a marketing plan to sell the six and a half acre site.
The joint marketing move is between Doncaster Council, who own the freehold, and Westferry Limited, who are the leaseholders, and has been launched to find out how much potential interest there is in the site. Any subsequent deal will still have to be agreed by the Council.
Peter Dale, the council’s director of regeneration and environment, told the Doncaster Star: “The council together with Westferry Limited is intending to market the former Belle Vue site. We are hopeful that there will be strong market interest and a further decision as to whether or not to proceed with a sale will be made by the council’s cabinet after the marketing process.”
Various proposals for the site in the years since Rovers moved out have included separate plots of luxury housing and apartments with views over the Racecourse.
The immediate future of Doncaster Town Moor Golf Club, whose club house remains on the site, is unaffected.

January 16, 2012

Timlin signs for Shrimpers

Former Doncaster Rovers loan midfielder Michael Timlin has moved to Southend United on a full transfer after being at the club on loan from Swindon Town since the start of the season.
Timlin, 28, has made 16 appearances this season, and has signed an 18-month contract with the Roots Hall club.
Southend boss Paul Sturrock told BBC Radio Essex of Timlin's signing as well as that of David Martin, who joined from Derby: "We wanted these players. They were our target players. I've got another one or two up my sleeve. But we also want to start moving players on."
A small, but undisclosed, transfer fee was involved.