Doncaster Rovers v Rochdale Official Matchday Magazine 2019/20 by Mark Hughesman

THE OFFICIAL MATCHDAY MAGAZINE OF DONCASTER ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB 2019/20

vs ROCHDALE

Saturday 8th February 2020 KO: 3:00pm | Â£3.00

1879-2019

CONTENTS

MAIN CLUB SPONSOR LNER ASSOCIATE CLUB SPONSOR Stoneacre Motor Group TECHNICAL KIT SUPPLIER Elite Pro Sports Chairman: David Blunt Major shareholders: Terry Bramall, David Blunt, Marion Watson, Gavin Baldwin Directors: Terry Bramall, David Blunt, Andy Watson, Gavin Baldwin Chief executive: Gavin Baldwin

FOOTBALL STAFF

Manager: Darren Moore Assistant manager: Jamie Smith Goalkeeping coach: Paul Gerrard Physiotherapist: Jonathan Chatfield Club doctor: Dr Tim Douglas

CLUB STAFF

Director of finance: Richard Poole Head of administration & football operations: Mary Lally Head of stadium & operations: Marie Hepburn Head groundsman: Andy Thompson Head of commercial: Jon Warburton Lottery manager: Ken Porter Ticket manager: Tracy Bawden Head of marketing & communications: Shaun Lockwood Media manager: Luke Thornhill Marketing manager: Mark Hughesman Supporter liaison officer: Dean Medcalf

CLUB DONCASTER FOUNDATION

Chair of trustees: Linda Tully Trustees: Gavin Baldwin, Nigel Brewster, Natalie Shaw, Allan Stewart, Rupert Suckling, John Wallbank Honorary ambassador: Stuart Highfield Chief operating officer: John Davis Chief executive: Lucy Nickson NCS programme manager: Jan Budtz

CLUB DONCASTER SPORTS COLLEGE Principal: Adi Turnpenny Deputy principals: Joe Burton, Ben Thompson

THE OFFICIAL MATCHDAY MAGAZINE OF D ONCASTER ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB 2019 /20

PROGRAMME

Contributors: Robbie Andrews, Clare Bailey, John Coyle, Paul Mayfield, Sophie Scargill, Jon Warburton, Alex Gibbings, Dan Breslin, Hayley Ford Photography: Phil Ryan, AH Pix, Heather King, Rex Features Design: Daniel Parker ACA Creative Limited www.aca-creative.co.uk

vs ROCHDALE

Saturday 8th February 2020 KO: 3:00pm | Â£3.00

1879-2019

Darren Moore

Action replay

Gavin Baldwin

Player sponsorship

Feature interview

Commercial

Head to head

Supporters liaison officer

Four to watch

Supporters club

Shared five-a-side

Away travel times

Past record

On the road

In the hot seat

Club Doncaster Foundation

Youth academy

League One stats

Junior Rovers

Fixtures and results

Doncaster Belles

Rovers roll-call

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THE MANAGER

DARREN MOORE Good evening, I’d like to welcome Brian Barry-Murphy as well as the fans, players and staff of Rochdale. Brian has and is continuing to do a fabulous job at Rochdale and I like the way he structures his team. We had a close game at their place back in August and I’m sure today will also be a strongly contested match. I was really pleased with the allround performance on Tuesday night, it was a perfect reaction to last Saturday’s game. We had to find our way into the game, not least because of the conditions, but we worked hard and showed some excellent decision-making to run out comfortable winners in the end.

We spoke before the game about managing the conditions, but the players did their jobs really well. It was a perfect response to the previous game where we didn’t feel we had the right performance which led to us not getting the result. We need to maintain those standards today and find consistency to our game and performances. Jacob and Fejiri got the goals on Tuesday night, showing the different dynamic they can bring to us. We are trying to get them, as well as our other new signings Devante and Jason, integrated into the squad quickly and ready to go. It takes time, but with games coming thick and fast they will all have a key part to play as the season progresses. We had to be patient in the transfer window, we stuck by our guns and got the players in we wanted from the start. I was pleased when we got through the window so I

can now focus solely on the team - and the press will have to find something else to ask me! The board gave me the backing we needed to strengthen, working with our chief executive Gavin and Adam Henshall. They were both sat at the Keepmoat Stadium until late on transfer deadline day ensuring we got our business done, along with Mary Lally and Kirsty Cavanagh as

well as Luke and Hayley from our media team - fans don’t always see the hours put in by these people but it really is a team game on and off the pitch and everyone at the club plays their part. Enjoy the game.

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THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

GAVIN BALDWIN Good afternoon and welcome back to the Keepmoat Stadium, I’d like to welcome the supporters, owners, players and staff who have travelled over from Lancashire today. I hope you share my belief that we had a very positive January transfer window. We had to be patient, but were effective in ensuring we got the players that we wanted. With Seny Dieng and Ben Sheaf’s loans extended early we got the month off to a great start, then had a busy final week. The nature of the transfer window is most deals are only completed in the final few days, and while we always want to get work done early it’s sometimes simply impossible.

Credit should go to Darren Moore and our talent identification manager Adam Henshall, as well as the owners for providing the backing to ensure we got our targets. It was fantastic to see Jacob Ramsey score twice on his debut at Tranmere on Wednesday night, with Fejiri Okenabirhie also getting off the mark quickly. Devante Cole also had an excellent game on his first start, meaning all the new boys really hit the ground running. I’m sure those of you who were unable to get to Prenton Park in midweek are relishing today as a first opportunity to see some of the new boys in action. I hope some of you have already managed to get down to see our Rovers140 Hub in the Frenchgate shopping centre, with our

It was fantastic to see two new boys get on the scoresheet in midweek

Foundation putting on various events there throughout the month. I’d like to thank club statistician John Coyle who gave up his time yesterday to give a talk on the club’s history - with more events to come. It is a busy period around the place at the moment. It was great to see Andy Butler step in as the new Belles manager and has clearly already been accepted by the girls with two great wins, both with clean sheets, in his first two league games. We turned to a coach who was already known to

us due to his work with the Rovers’ Academy, another example of the benefits we feel the Club Doncaster structure has. The Dons are also getting their season underway with a Challenge Cup game away at Thornhill Trojans today - good luck to Richard Horne and the boys as they head into the campaign. Enjoy the game.

F E AT U R E I N T E R V I E W

FEATURE:

DEVANTE COLE Rovers’ patience in the transfer window paid off towards the end of January with the signing of striker Devante Cole from Wigan Athletic. 08

The 24-year-old brought with him a lot of experience at Sky Bet League One level, as well as a good goalscoring pedigree in the third tier. Although he is still in the early stages of his time in Souh Yorkshire, he feels he has settled into his new surroundings quickly. “It’s really early days for me and I’m still settling in, but everyone at the club has been really good with me so far,” he says. “In general I’m the type of person that settles in quickly, so that wasn’t something I was worrying about too much. “The other boys are great and a similar age to me so I’m enjoying getting to know them as people and players. “I probably needed a couple of substitute appearances to get used to

the way the team plays and how I fit into that. “It will probably take me a few games to get up to speed but fortunately we have quite a lot in a short space of time.” After a frustrating time at the DW Stadium, and finding himself sent out on loan to Scottish Premership side Motherwell for the first half of the campaign, Cole knew his next career move was an important one. The January window isn’t always the easiest to get deals done, but the striker says he knew Rovers were the club for him when he considered his options. “I had to try and choose a place that was suited to me and one that was in a good position in the league table,” he says. “It’s a big part of my career right now and I’m determined to do what I can for the team in the next few months.

F E AT U R E I N T E R V I E W

“All stages are important but my focus now is on doing well here and if I impress individually then that will benefit the team. “The few days I’ve spent with the manager have been really good, the boys have nothing but good words to say about him. “I spoke to a few people away from the club when I was making my mind up, they were mainly players who I knew from other clubs.” Despite still being at a relatively young age, Cole has made more than 150 appearances in the third tier alone throughout his career. He has two promotions on his CV as well, something which will benefit the Rovers dressing room between now and the end of the season. “I’ve won promotion from this division in the past and this team has a lot of similarities to those I’ve been involved in,” says Cole. “We play good football and have a strong squad, with the manager using us as he does we all want to do well for him. “I feel I have a point to prove as things didn’t go as I would have liked at Wigan, I know I can score goals so hopefully I can show that here. “I feel like my pace can hurt teams and with the style of play we have I can get on the end of plenty of chances.

F E AT U R E I N T E R V I E W

EVANTE COL

“I’m still young but feel with the amount of football I’ve played I can help the players around me by using my experience.” Cole was the first of four signings in the final week of January, with FejiriOkenabirhie, Jacob Ramsey and Jason Lokilo all following him through the door at the Keepmoat Stadium. He believes the whole squad are relishing that competition for places, as it what every side chasing promotion needs at this stage of the season. Those additions will compliment the players that are already at the club, with the creativity in the side creating chances in abundance for the forward line. “It was nice to see more players brought in after me because having plenty of competition brings out the best in players,” he says. “Any team chasing promotion needs to have different options and people pushing you all the time in case you slip up. “The fact there was a game the day after I signed meant that I didn’t have much time to think

and could get straight into it which was good. “There is so much creativity within the side and that is something I’m looking forward to being a part of. “I’ve seen a lot of Jon Taylor in particular at this level and he is always a threat for opposing defenders so it will be good to play alongside him. Obviously

James Coppinger is a really smart player and has so much experience at this level, he’s seen it all and knows the division.” After winning one of their games in hand at Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday night, Rovers are now just a few points off the top six. Cole sees no reason why they can’t mount a serious challenge to push even further up the table, with a run of games coming up that the squad see as winnable. “Obviously we’ve managed to win one of our games in hand the other night so now we’ve put ourselves in an even better position,” Cole adds. “We’ve all been in the game long enough now to deal with this type of pressure so it’s something we’re all relishing. “If we win our next few games then we’ll be right up there in the table, it’s a very tight league and a run of positive results can help you put the pressure on the other sides. “It’s nice to get a move to a club that are fighting at the right end of the table, it makes it easier to hit the ground running.”

IN OPPOSITION

HEAD TO HEAD DONCASTER ROVERS v ROCHDALE | COMPLETE RESULTS COMPETITION Football League FA Cup League Cup League Trophy Grand Total

FOOTBALL LEAGUE - HOME LEVEL SEASON DATE 3N 1923 03/11/1923 3N 1924 18/04/1925 3N 1925 21/11/1925 3N 1926 26/03/1927 3N 1927 24/12/1927 3N 1928 29/12/1928 3N 1929 26/12/1929 3N 1930 21/03/1931 3N 1931 13/02/1932 3N 1932 17/09/1932 3N 1933 07/04/1934 3N 1934 12/01/1935 3N 1937 18/09/1937 3N 1938 12/09/1938 3N 1946 31/08/1946 3N 1948 30/10/1948 3N 1949 25/08/1949 3 1958 27/12/1958 4 1959 19/09/1959 4 1960 01/10/1960 4 1961 03/02/1962 4 1962 30/10/1962 4 1963 24/03/1964 4 1964 03/04/1965 4 1965 04/03/1966 4 1967 23/09/1967 4 1968 17/09/1968 3 1969 23/01/1970 3 1970 27/04/1971 4 1974 13/09/1974 4 1975 20/01/1976 4 1976 11/01/1977 4 1977 10/03/1978 4 1978 02/12/1978 4 1979 26/04/1980 4 1980 29/11/1980 4 1983 05/05/1984 4 1988 04/02/1989 4 1989 28/04/1990 4 1990 25/01/1991 4 1991 20/04/1992 4 1992 02/01/1993 4 1993 02/10/1993 4 1994 25/02/1995 4 1995 23/09/1995 4 1996 25/03/1997 4 1997 22/11/1997 4 2003 21/10/2003 3 2014 11/04/2015 3 2015 21/11/2015 3 2017 29/12/2017 3 2018 01/01/2019 FOOTBALL LEAGUE - AWAY LEVEL SEASON DATE 3N 1923 10/11/1923 3N 1924 24/02/1925

H A N Total H A N Total H A N Total H A N H A N Total

P 52 53 0 105 1 2 0 3 2 1 0 3 2 1 0 3 57 57 0 114

W 34 17 0 51 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 37 19 0 56

D 10 10 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 10 11 0 21

L 8 26 0 34 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 10 27 0 37

F 107 75 0 182 0 4 0 4 4 0 0 4 3 1 0 4 114 80 0 194

OPPONENT Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale

VENUE RES F H D 0 H W 2 H D 2 H W 3 H W 5 H W 4 H W 3 H W 4 H W 2 H W 1 H W 5 H W 1 H W 5 H W 5 H W 2 H W 1 H D 0 H D 1 H W 2 H W 3 H L 1 H D 2 H W 2 H D 2 H W 2 H W 2 H W 2 H W 3 H L 1 H W 4 H L 1 H W 2 H D 1 H W 1 H W 2 H L 1 H W 3 H D 1 H W 4 H W 1 H W 2 H D 1 H W 2 H L 0 H L 0 H W 3 H L 0 H W 2 H D 1 H L 0 H W 2 H W 5

A PENS SCORERS 0 1 McLean, Keetley T 2 Keetley T (2) 2 Keetley T (3) 2 Keetley T (2, 1 pen), Phillipson (2), Hall 2 Keetley F (2), Bott, Patterson 1 Gregory, Wadsworth, Patterson 0 Vickers (2), Smith R, Atkin 0 Pattison, Atherton 0 Emery (pen) 0 Turner (3), Dodd, Flowers 0 Turner 0 Perry (3), Allen, Killourhy 0 Little (2), Killourhy (2, 1 pen), Perry 1 Maddison (2) 0 Tindill 0 1 Callan 1 Fernie, Walker R (pen) 2 Broadbent (2), Walker R 2 Bonson 2 Rooney, Booth 0 Thompson (og), Hale 2 Jeffrey, Grainger 0 Sheffield (2) 0 Gilfillan, Jeffrey (pen) 0 Johnson, Gilfillan 1 Briggs, Regan, Harker (og) 2 Kitchen 1 Murray (3), Kitchen 2 Kitchen 0 Miller, Kitchen (pen) 1 Owen 0 Owen 0 Bannon (og), Nimmo 2 Snodin G 0 Snodin I, Brown, Moss 1 Brockie (pen) 0 Muir (2), Jones D (2) 0 Noteman 0 Worboys, Jeffrey 1 Richards 1 Roche, Jones 1 3 0 Hill (og), Cramb, Esdaille 3 1 Tierney, Brown 1 Bennett 2 0 Whiteman, May 0 May, Crawford, Marquis (2), Coppinger

OPPONENT Rochdale Rochdale

VENUE RES F A L 0 A L 2

A 2 5

SCORERS Keetley T, Gascoigne

A 44 96 0 140 1 2 0 3 2 4 0 6 3 1 0 4 50 103 0 153

IN OPPOSITION

3N 1925 03/04/1926 3N 1926 06/11/1926 3N 1927 05/05/1928 3N 1928 25/08/1928 3N 1929 25/12/1929 3N 1930 15/11/1930 3N 1931 03/10/1931 3N 1932 28/01/1933 3N 1933 13/01/1934 3N 1934 06/04/1935 3N 1937 29/01/1938 3N 1938 06/09/1938 3N 1946 28/12/1946 3N 1948 26/03/1949 3N 1949 30/08/1949 3 1958 26/12/1958 4 1959 06/02/1960 4 1960 18/02/1961 4 1961 16/09/1961 4 1962 23/10/1962 4 1963 31/03/1964 4 1964 21/11/1964 4 1965 12/02/1966 4 1967 03/02/1968 4 1968 07/04/1969 3 1969 16/03/1970 3 1970 31/08/1970 4 1974 26/12/1974 4 1975 16/04/1976 4 1976 30/10/1976 4 1977 15/10/1977 4 1978 07/04/1979 4 1979 12/02/1980 4 1980 17/01/1981 4 1983 02/01/1984 4 1988 20/09/1988 4 1989 11/11/1989 4 1990 15/09/1990 4 1991 28/09/1991 4 1992 28/11/1992 4 1993 26/03/1994 4 1994 01/10/1994 4 1995 09/12/1995 4 1996 14/09/1996 4 1997 28/03/1998 4 2003 30/03/2004 3 2014 22/11/2014 3 2015 02/04/2016 3 2017 12/09/2017 3 2018 13/10/2018 3 2019 10/08/2019 FA CUP - AWAY ROUND SEASON DATE 1 1930 29/11/1930 1 1984 17/11/1984 LEAGUE CUP - HOME ROUND SEASON DATE 1 2006 22/08/2006 1 2013 06/08/2013 LEAGUE CUP - AWAY ROUND SEASON DATE 2 1961 04/10/1961 LEAGUE TROPHY - HOME ROUND SEASON DATE 1 1997 09/12/1997 1 2000 05/12/2000 LEAGUE TROPHY - AWAY ROUND SEASON DATE 2 2017 28/11/2017

Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

L L L W W W L W W W W D W W W L L L W L D L W L D L L L L L L L L D D L W W D D W L L L L D W D L W D

1 2 0 3 4 5 1 3 2 1 5 1 3 2 1 0 0 1 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 3 0 3 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 3 2 1 3 1

4 7 1 1 2 3 3 2 0 0 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 2 2 3 2 2 0 2 0 2 1 2 1 1 3 2 3 2 3 2 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 2 4 1 1 2 2 2 1

Keetley H Keetley H, Keetley T

OPPONENT Rochdale Rochdale

VENUE RES F A W 2 A W 2

A 1 1

SCORERS Bott W, Smith R Philliben, Snodin G

OPPONENT Rochdale Rochdale

VENUE RES F H W 3 H W 1

A 2 0

SCORERS McCammon (2), Coppinger Khumalo

OPPONENT Rochdale

VENUE RES F A L 0

A 4

SCORERS

OPPONENT Rochdale Rochdale

VENUE RES F H L 0 H W 3

A 1 2

SCORERS

OPPONENT Rochdale

VENUE RES F A D 1

A 1

Longden, Tippett, Keetley T Patterson (2), Smith R, Bott Bott W (3), Gladwin, Smith R Emery Waterston (2), Martin Dodd (2) Baines Malam (2), McFarlane, Little, Killourhy Perry Todd, Maddison, Kirkaldie Barritt, Tindill Doherty (pen) Brettell Veall, Ballagher, Leighton Booth Jeffrey, Hale Tait Jeffrey

Hemsley Lister, Little Snodin I, Pugh Higgins (og), Douglas, Moss Jones D (3) Muir (2), Gormley Milner (og) Morrow Yates Clark Tedaldi Albrighton Bennett, Robinson, Main Lund, Butler Marquis Crawford, Butler, J. Anderson Sadlier

Turner, Penney (pen), Campbell 4-5

SCORERS Mandeville

IN OPPOSITION

2019-20 STAT PACK DONCASTER ROVERS

MATCH FACTS

Doncaster remain unbeaten in their last four league games against Rochdale (W3 D1), since a 1-2 defeat in September 2017.

15.3

YELLOW CARDS

152

% GOALS TO SHOTS

281

231

SCORED

108

CORNER KICKS

CLEAN SHEETS

1.6

355

AV.GOALS CONCEDED PER GAME

302

FOULS

GOAL TIMES CONCEDED

5 31-45

46-60

SCORED

16-30

1.0

GOALS CONCEDED

0-15

43.3

% SHOTS ON TARGET

44.8

SHOTS (EX. BLOCKED)

GOAL TIMES 20

Rochdale have lost their last two trips to Doncaster in the EFL by an aggregate scoreline of 0-7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they last lost three consecutive visits between 1990-1992.

RED CARDS

1.2

AV.GOALS PER GAME 14.7

MATCH FACTS

39 1

1.5

GOALS

ROCHDALE

61-75

76-90

0-15

16-30

CONCEDED

31-45

46-60

61-75

76-90

IN OPPOSITION

ROCHDALE:

FOUR TO WATCH ROBERT

SÁNCHEZ The Spaniard joined on loan from Premier League side Brighton at the beginning of the 2019/20 season. Brian Barry-Murphy brought in the goalkeeper to provide competition for Josh Lillis who has been between the sticks at the Crown Oil Arena since 2012 after joining from Scunthorpe. He made an instant impact upon his arrival, featuring in most of Dale’s games this season. Last season the 6ft 6in keeper featured in League Two for Forest Green Rovers where he helped them achieve a fifth placed finish.

OLLIE

RATHBONE Was brought up in Manchester United’s Academy, but after being released in 2016, joined Rochdale on a free transfer at the age of 19. Four years down the line and he is still ever-present in Dale’s midfield and is two games away from making 100 appearances for the club. His father is former Birmingham, Blackburn and Preston full-back Mick Rathbone and has also worked in the coaching set-up at Everton in the Premier League.

LUKE

MATHESON One of the most promising prospects to come out of Rochdale in recent times did actually leave the club last month in a transfer to Premier League side Wolves, but Nuno Espirito Santo loaned him back to the Lancashire outfit for the remainder of the season. He made his debut for the club in January 2019, during a 1-1 draw to Fleetwood Town and scored his first professional goal the following September against Manchester United in the EFL Cup third round at Old Trafford. His first league goal came against Bolton last month. Last October he made his debut for England’s U18 team – shortly after his 17th birthday – in what was 5-2 win away to Poland.

IAN

HENDERSON One of the most experienced forwards in League One at the age of 35. Before he arrived at Rochdale he spent three years in Essex with Colchester, but left them in January 2013. Rochdale had faith in the striker, however, signing him on an initial deal until the end of the season. Upon the return of Keith Hill for his second spell in charge of the club that summer, he decided to keep Henderson and seven years down the line he remains one of the most featured players for Dale, making 291 appearances, scoring 110 goals in blue and black.

IN OPPOSITION

SHARED 5-A-SIDE BEN SMITH

Rovers picked Smith up from Stockport County at the age of 18 in 2006. He made his debut for the club against Wycombe Wanderers in October of the same year. His performance against the Chairboys handed him a run of matches in goal but the eventual arrival of Scotsman Neil Sullivan resulted in less game time. Two-years after leaving the Keepmoat Stadium in 2010, he signed for Rochdale in League Two on non-contract terms to cover for Josh Lillis but failed to play and moved to the National League for the remainder of his career.

GEORGE FLOWERS

The Rochdale-born full-back started his career in Doncaster at Edlington Colliery Welfare in the early 20s but moved to Rovers in 1927, where he would spend most of his professional career making 161 appearances. He played for Rochdale for a period in the early years of the second World War, before hanging up his boots for good in 1940.

DAVE SYERS

Syers worked hard to make it to the Football League as he begun his career in non-league. He made the jump to full-time football with Bradford City where after two seasons he transferred to Rovers and helped earn promotion to the Championship, going up as champions one point ahead of Bournemouth. He joined Scunthorpe on a permanent deal in January 2014 and after two-years with the Iron moved across the Pennines to Rochdale where he spent six-months. After his release that summer, Syers returned to non-league football.

SIMON WHALEY

The rapid winger started his career in his home county at Bury, but that was followed by moves to Preston and Norwich. While at Norwich he was loaned out to Rochdale for a month in which he played every game for them. In November 2010 he was invited to train with Rovers to regain fitness due to an injury problem he picked up at Chesterfield earlier that year. He signed on noncontract terms in the Championship but did not make a single appearance, being an unused substitute against Portsmouth once.

PAUL WILLIAMS

The former Northern Ireland international had a varied Football League career bobbing between different clubs like Carlisle, Sheffield United and West Brom. His last permanent club was Rochdale where he played for between 1993 and 1996, but in the final year of his contract â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and before retirement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he joined Rovers on a short-term loan where he scored once in three games.

IN OPPOSITION

PAST RECORD PAST PASTRECORD RECORD

Rovers and Rochdale have been regular sparring partners in recent years, and today’s clash will have to go some way to match the entertainment value of last season’s meeting. That match, on New Year’s Day 2019, started and finished with impressive headers - Alfie May lofting Mallik Wilks’ cross into a top corner in the first minute, and James Coppinger making it 5-0 with a diving header from Matty Blair’s delivery. Ali Crawford also scored a memorable free-kick from an almost impossible angle - a strike which went on to be voted Goal of the Season at the end of the campaign. That 5-0 result matched Rovers’ record win over Dale, but was the fourth time they have achieved it after three successes by that margin at Belle Vue in the 30s. Today’s sides have been regular opponents with 114 encounters dating back to November 1923, with Rovers claiming victory in 56 of those meetings. Kieran Sadlier rescued a point for Rovers in the reverse fixture at the Crown Oil Arena back in August with a late leveller.

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ROVERS MANAGERS

IN THE HOT SEAT:

DONCASTER ROVERS MANAGERS FROM 1920

IAN SNODIN (1998-2000) After the disastrous 1997-98 season, Doncaster Rovers found themselves out of the Football League and facing a very uncertain future. Eventually some hope emerged in July 1998 when Westferry Ltd., a company based in the Republic of Ireland, secured an agreement to buy the club from Ken Richardson and Dinard Trading. Rovers were finally rid of the man whose actions had brought them to the lowest point in their history.

from the foot of the table and into safety. Two of Snodin’s signings were key: striker Ian Duerden, who had arrived from Burnley, gave the team much-needed firepower, while former Liverpool and Scotland legend Steve Nicol shored up things in defence.

There was only a month to go before the start of the Football Conference season when the deal was done, but the new owners acted quickly to hire a manager, and the appointment was bound to inspire hope amongst Rovers fans. Ian Snodin had come through the ranks at Belle Vue and the gifted midfielder had been involved in two promotions before moving on to play for Leeds United and Everton among others. Now winding down his career at Scarborough, he would join Rovers as player-manager with older brother Glynn as his assistant.

There was much optimism at the start of 1999-2000 that Rovers could earn back their place in the Football League, even though only the Conference Champions were then promoted. Despite the signing of recent Premier League winner Mike Newell, Rovers were inconsistent and by mid-season it was clear that promotion was off the agenda for this season. Worse was to follow from February 2000 Rovers embarked on a run of only one win in 12 games and slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone. In April, Rovers chairman John Ryan and his board took the difficult decision to dismiss the Snodin brothers. Rovers enjoyed an upturn in results under caretaker-bosses Mark Atkins and Dave Penney and avoided the drop.

Snodin’s first job was to gather a team to play in the opening game at Dover on 15th August and this he did by calling in several favours. Rovers gave a decent account of themselves, losing only by an odd goal on a day that was about showing that Doncaster Rovers were still alive. A week later, Snodin enjoyed his first win as manager, Rovers beating Kidderminster Harriers 1-0 at Belle Vue. Nevertheless, Rovers’ form was patchy, and by Christmas they were in the relegation zone, facing the possibility of dropping into the Northern Premier League. However, a run of better results clawed Rovers away

There was even a nice little end of season bonus. Rovers progressed through the early rounds of the Conference League Cup. They reached the two-legged Final against Farnborough Town and having won 1-0 in the away leg, pulled in a crowd of 7,160 for the home leg. Goals by Colin Sutherland and Duerden (2) secured a 4-0 aggregate victory and some long overdue silverware. The attendance also showed that support was still there for Rovers.

Ian Snodin was exactly the managerial appointment Rovers needed after the Richardson years, a club legend who could unite the fans behind the team. To a point he did well and certainly he deserved massive credit for what he did to pull a team together. Ultimately, he couldn’t reverse a dreadful slump in results in 1999-2000 and unfortunately paid the price. John Coyle

SENIOR RECORD FIRST MATCH: 15th August 1998 v Dover Athletic (away) lost 0-1 LAST MATCH: 15th April 2000 v Morecambe (away) lost 1-2 PLAYED

97 WON

37 DREW

22 LOST

38 WINNING PERCENTAGE:

38.1%

THE ACADEMY

THE ACADEMY CENTRAL LEAGUE DEVELOPMENT SQUAD FIXTURES 2019/20

DATE OPPOSITION SEPTEMBER Tue 24 Portsmouth OCTOBER Tue 1 Rotherham United Tue 15 Rotherham United NOVEMBER Tue 5 Huddersfield Town Mon 11 Aston Villa Tue 19 Scunthorpe United Tue 26 Exeter City DECEMBER Tue 3 Grimsby Town Tue 10 Walsall JANUARY Tue 7 Rochdale Tue 14 Shrewsbury Town Tue 21 Portsmouth Wed 29 Aston Villa FEBRUARY Tue 4 Rotherham United Mon 24 Exeter City MARCH Tue 3 Scunthorpe United Tue 10 Grimsby Town Tue 31 Walsall TBA Mansfield Town TBA Mansfield Town

COMP SCORE GOALSCORERS H

PLC

1-0 Wright

H A

CLC CL

W W

4-2 Trialist, Gomes, Kiwomya, Gibbons 2-3 Watters, Myring

H A H A

CLC PLC CL PLC

W W D L

6-2 1-0 1-1 0-1

H H

CL CL

L W

2-3 Gibbons (2) 3-2 Wright, Horton, Trialist

A A A H

CLC CLC PLC PLC

L W W W

0-3 1-0 4-2 4-0

H H A A A H A

CL PLC

CL CL CL CL CL

Bingham, Watters, Blaney, Longbottom, OG, Boocock

Watters Boocock -

Watters Amos, McLean, Gibbons, Trialist Watters (2), Trialist B, Trialist C

1-5 Watson

P-P P-P

GD PTS

1 ROTHERHAM

2 GRIMSBY

3 MANSFIELD

4 SCUNTHORPE

5 DONCASTER

-5

6 WALSALL

-4

All home fixtures will be played at Cantley Park Training Ground

EFL YOUTH ALLIANCE UNDER 18 NORTH EAST FIXTURES 2019/20 DATE OPPOSITION AUGUST Sat 3 Grimsby Town Sat 10 Notts County Sat 17 Rotherham United Sat 31 Burton Albion SEPTEMBER Sat 7 Bradford City Sat 14 Mansfield Town Sat 21 Mansfield Town Sat 28 Scunthorpe United OCTOBER Sat 12 Huddersfield Town Tue 29 Mansfield Town NOVEMBER Sat 2 Lincoln City Sat 9 Fleetwood Town Sat 16 Chesterfield Sat 23 Bradford City Fri 29 Burton Albion DECEMBER Sat 14 Scunthorpe United JANUARY Sat 25 Huddersfield Town FEBRUARY Sat 1 Mansfield Town Sat 8 Chesterfield Sat 22 Lincoln City Sat 29 Grimsby Town MARCH Sat 7 Notts County Sat 14 Rotherham United

COMP SCORE GOALSCORERS H A H H

YA YA YA YA

W W D W

4-1 1-0 2-2 4-1

Smith (2), Bojang, Dimou Watson McGowan, Watson Watson (4)

A H H A

YA YAC YA YA

L L L W

0-2 3-6 0-1 2-1

Bell, Hasani, McGowan Smith, Watson

H A

YA FAYC

W L

4-0 Smith (3), McGowan 3-4 Smith (2), McGowan

H A A H A

YA YAC YA YA YA

W L D W L

2-0 0-1 2-2 3-0 0-2

2-3 Dimou, Smith

A H A A

YA YA YA YA

H A

YA YA

Smith, Dimou Smith, McGowan Watson, Smith, Conradi -

6-2 Smith (3), McGowan, Watson (2) 2-1 Watson, Smith

GD PTS

1 DONCASTER

2 SCUNTHORPE

3 MANSFIELD

4 BRADFORD

5 LINCOLN

6 CHESTERFIELD

-1

7 ROTHERHAM

8 GRIMSBY

-4

9 NOTTS COUNTY

-1

10 BURTON

-2

11 HUDDERSFIELD 13 -16 13 All home fixtures will be played at Cantley Park Training Ground

N E W S F E AT U R E

Gary McSheffrey was pleased with his side’s progression to the knockout stages of the Premier League Cup. Rovers U23s registered an impressive 4-0 win over Category One Academy team Aston Villa at the Keepmoat Stadium to secure their place in the next stage of the competition with one game to spare “It was a good result and good performance,” McSheffrey said. “There were one or two things in the first half that we weren’t happy with but we sorted that out at half time and second half we were quite comfortable at times. “Once we kept our shape and discipline we had the pace and firepower to punish them and that proved the difference.” Four U18s players featured in the match with Will McGowan and Elliott Walker completing 90 minutes and Lirak Hasani and Junior Smith coming off the bench. “We blooded quite a few youngsters and I was happy with how they all played and responded to playing at the Keepmoat Stadium for the first time in a long time,” McSheffrey added. “I was delighted with how they performed. Will McGowan did well in the middle. I thought he controlled the game at times.” The final group game will take place at the Keepmoat Stadium on Monday February 24 (7pm). Admission is £3 for adults and £1 for fans 17 and under - Silver Members can get in for free.

JUNIOR ROVERS

Hello everyone! Welcome to our game against Rochdale. I got to play Jenga in my kennel at the last game which was really exciting. Thank you to those of you who joined in and the time before that we played Connect 4. We have so much fun and hope you all enjoy the activities today. We have our latest Trax FM winners from Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School who are here today.

Enjoy the game, Donny Dog

Happy 10th Birthday to a lovely granddaughter

TILLEIGH BERRIMAN

With love and kisses From Nanna June and Grandad Chris xxx

DEVANTE COLE

JUNIOR ROVERS

MASCOTS CHARLIE McCLONE

Age: 10 Hobbies: Football, reading and Pokemon Favourite Player: Jon Taylor

DARCIE McCLONE

Age: 6 Hobbies: Football, school and spending time with family Favourite Players: Ian Lawlor and James Coppinger

WILLIAM BEARDMORE

Age: 5 Hobbies: Playing with my friends, school, playing football and riding my scooter Favourite Player: All of them

OLIVER PETERS

Age: 6 Hobbies: Football, video games and superheroes Favourite Player: James Coppinger

Donny Dog

score prediction

2-0

JAMES POTTER

Age: 8 Hobbies: Football and cars Favourite Players: James Coppinger and Louis Jones

CALEB REYNOLDS

Age: 5 Hobbies: Swimming, football, PlayStation Favourite Player: Jon Taylor

ISAAC JAMES DUFFY

Age: 6 Hobbies: Swimming, art at school and watching Rovers Favourite player: James Coppinger

Erik the Viking score prediction

3-1

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY WISHES TO: Elliott Barker, Matthew Bell, Harry Daniels, Lauchlan Duffy, William Elworthy, Tommy Humphrey, Riley James, Evan Jarvis, Rhys Jipson, Thomas Kent, Cole Lazzari, Lexi Moore, Ashton Neal, Jake Pearson, Oliver Peters, James Potter, Max Robinson, Ethan Round, Cienna-Grace Rowe, Ellie Ryan, Ava Sewell, Evie Sheldrake, Jack Squires, Ashton Stewart, Siena Winstanley

DONCASTER BELLES

Andy Butler felt his side put in a complete performance as they picked up their second FAWNL Division One Midlands win in a row on Sunday. The Belles beat Solihull Moors 5-0 at Oxford Street to move 10 points clear of the bottom two, and Butler was pleased to see everyone in the team taking on board everything he and assistant Nick Buxton have asked of the group so far.

“I can’t fault anyone on the pitch, the application and desire from everyone was clear to see. We asked them to switch the play in training and they took on board all the information and showed what they could do,” he said. “We defended from the front and they all did that superbly, Ellie in goal did well again, the back four were excellent, the two holding midfielders were great again and so were the front four. “I thought Solihull were a good team, but we managed to force them into mistakes in places where they didn’t want to be so, again, it was good game management from the girls as a whole.” Goals from Hannah McWilliams, Jasmine Saxton, Chloe Starling and Emily Burgin saw the Belles run away with three points at Rossington. “All the goals we scored were well-worked, even the way we set up from their goal-kicks showed we wanted to win the ball higher up the pitch, and when you do that, you’re always going to be a threat,” he added.

“Kirsty Smith puts a great ball in and it was nice to see one of those set-pieces working out as well, it was a great header from Chloe Starling and she managed to get it a couple yards over the line in the end. “It’s good to see we’re getting goals from all over the pitch now, that’s something that is pleasing to see. We have another tough game coming up and we’re looking forward to getting to work on it straight away, we’re all focused on it already.” The Belles head to Leafield Athletic tomorrow before hosting Long Eaton United on Wednesday evening (kick-off 7.45pm).

M AT C H A C T I O N

3-1 TUESDAY 28TH JANUARY 2020 SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

M AT C H A C T I O N

2-1 SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 2020 SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

P L AY E R S P O N S O R S H I P

DONCASTER ROVERS

SPONSORSHIP

02 IAN LAWLOR

BRAD HALLIDAY

REECE JAMES

TOM ANDERSON

MAIN

THE WHEATSHEAF, CIRENCESTER

STEVEN BELL TRUE POTENTIAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT

HOME

IN MEMORY OF TIM HOLT

RETFORD SUPPORTERS CLUB

MAIN BRANCH SUPPORTERS CLUB

AWAY

DR ERSKINE

NORTH BRANCH SUPPORTERS

AVAILABLE

BEN WHITEMAN

07 BEN SHEAF

KIERAN SADLIER

MAIN

TIBERIUS BATCHELOR & ROSSINGTON HALL

HOME

06 JOE WRIGHT

METRO ROD

HOME

IRENE HOLT

KEITH McGLONE

RETFORD SUPPORTERS CLUB

AWAY

RETFORD SUPPORTERS CLUB

DAVID SHERLOCK

AVAILABLE

FEJIRI OKENABIRHIE

JON TAYLOR

MADGER GOMES

LOUIS JONES

JACOB RAMSEY

ALEX BAPTISTE

MAIN

IAN AND JOY MILLER

RETFORD SUPPORTERS CLUB

AVAILABLE

HOME

MAIN BRANCH SUPPORTERS CLUB AWAY

LAUREN AND HOLLY BYTHEWAY

COLEMANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STEAK HOUSE HOME

HOME

AVAILABLE

DAVID SHERLOCK

MAIN BRANCH SUPPORTERS CLUB

KEVIN & GRAHAM JONES

AVAILABLE

AWAY

AVAILABLE

KEVIN & GRAHAM JONES

AVAILABLE

P L AY E R S P O N S O R S H I P

DANNY AMOS

MATTY BLAIR

JASON LOKILO

SHANE BLANEY

MAX WATTERS

ALEX KIWOMYA

SENY DIENG

MAIN

AVAILABLE

HOME

IN MEMORY OF JILL McGARRY FROM PAUL AND DAN

AVAILABLE

AWAY

AVAILABLE

EMA BAXTER

AVAILABLE

26 RIAN McLEAN

JAMES COPPINGER

ANTHONY GREAVES

BRANDEN HORTON

RIEVES BOOCOCK

MYRON GIBBONS

NIALL ENNIS

MAIN

DANIEL CALOW

JOHNSON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

AVAILABLE

HOME

AVAILABLE

MAX PEARSON AND C&K DECORATORS

AVAILABLE

SELINA FOX

AWAY

AVAILABLE

44 CAMERON JOHN

DEVANTE COLE

DARREN MOORE

DONNY DOG

MAIN

AVAILABLE HOME

HOME

SEWA SINGH

AVAILABLE

AWAY

AVAILABLE

FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT SPONSORING YOUR FAVOURITE PLAYER CALL OUR COMMERCIAL TEAM ON

01302 764665

DONCASTER ROVERS

OFFICIAL PARTNERS PLATINUM+

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER PD FABRICATION

BRONZE 247 Properties Alpha Mini Cabs Atherton Godfrey Solicitors Bidfood Big On Bounce Brewster Partners Burnett Mortgages Copyprint Dunkin' Fleet Cars Direct Frenchgate Shopping Centre iPort Academy Jenkinson Electrical Engineering

Keyhole Creative Lakeside Village L&H Cairns Nuffield Health Pristine Commercial Cleaning Services Ringways Motor Group Signum Facilities Management Sovereign Wealth Taco Bell Urban Burgers Venatu Visit Doncaster YESSS Electrical

COMMERCIAL

DONCASTER ROVERS

COMMERCIAL

Good afternoon and welcome back to the Keepmoat Stadium as we host Rochdale. Darren Moore’s men will be in high spirits following their fantastic result away at Tranmere on Tuesday night: new boys Jacob Ramsey and Fejiri Okenabirhie both notched to bring home a vital three points. I’m sure you’ll be just as excited as we are as we welcome them on home turf today as we look to continue the winning ways against Rochdale. We are delighted to welcome today’s match sponsor, and official partner, Venatu. Pioneers in recruitment, with a reputation for excellence, Venatu have created a new approach that was totally empathic with clients and provided a new level of service based on special expertise. The recruitment company don’t just fill vacancies, they provide support to candidates along a career path, and

provide employers with the talent they needed to thrive. Since entering the world, Venatu have acquired a hard earned reputation for successfully recruiting key personnel for organisations of all sizes, nationwide, offering executive search, selection and contingency recruitment services for permanent, contract and temporary positions. We hope they have a fantastic time with us in the Jibba Jabba restaurant here today, and hopefully they witness another impressive performance on the pitch. For more information on how to become a match sponsor, an official partner, or enjoy hospitality with us here at Doncaster Rovers, contact the team on 01302 764665 / commercial@ clubdoncaster.co.uk.

SAFETY Three points is not the only priority today. Making sure everyone goes home safe is the most important result. Over recent months we have been working closely with the police and the EFL to review security at the Keepmoat Stadium. Now we are asking you to do your bit. It is vital that everyone - players, staff and supporters - remains vigilant and reports any concerns to stewards or police. Attacks might be rare, and the chance of you being caught up in one unlikely, but the message is ACT #ActionCountersTerrorism. Rovers safety officer Sam Ramsden said:

"We want everyone to enjoy today’s game at the Keepmoat Stadium but if you see anything that causes you concern, tell a steward or staff member. Please do not worry that you might be wasting our time. "The stewards are here to help keep us all safe so please be patient and cooperate with their instructions. When it comes to security it has to be a team effort and we are all players." Here's a quick reminder of what you can do to help keep yourself and others safe: • Arrive early, allowing more time for security checks • Minimise what you carry, fewer bag searches will speed up entry to the ground

• Be vigilant at all times and if you see anything suspicious, tell a steward right away • If you see anything that could pose an immediate threat to safety, call 999 • In an emergency, listen to the public address instructions and follow them • If told to evacuate, do so immediately, do not wait around to film events on your mobile • Move right away from the stadium as quickly as possible for your safety and to allow clear access for any emergency vehicles • Once you are safe, follow the local police force on Twitter for updates To find out more, visit gov.uk/ACT or @TerrorismPolice

GAME CHANGER...

Together for Football is more than a motto. It’s a mission. A mission to improve the quality of grassroots facilities across the country. The Football Foundation is funded by the Premier League, The FA and Government.

To find out more about the Football Foundation visit footballfoundation.org.uk

SUPPORTERS LIAISON OFFICER

DONCASTER ROVERS

SUPPORTERS LIAISON OFFICER

Good afternoon and welcome to the Keepmoat Stadium and a very warm welcome to all the visiting fans from Rochdale. SLO SEMINAR During December I attended the annual EFL SLO seminar which is held at EFL House, in Preston. It is an opportunity for all the SLOs in the north of the country to get together, discuss our roles and share best practice. The day started with a presentation from the Independent Football Ombudsman (IFO), this was to discuss the process of raising issues and complaints with the IFO. Following on from this we had an update on match day safety and security by the EFL’s security and operations advisor, this is always an interesting discussion as it is around how the

SLO’s work with the safety teams at different clubs. The day finished with a workshop on safeguarding and looking at different reallife scenarios. Safeguarding is something that we take very seriously here at Rovers, if you ever come across any safeguarding issues please get in contact with myself, the stewards or our safeguarding officer. As always it was an enjoyable event and great to discuss many aspects of the role with my fellow SLOs. EFL NEWSLETTER Following the meeting, the latest edition of the SLO newsletter was released by the EFL and included in the newsletter was a great piece on the clubs new first time fans / away fans video guide. Many people on the day of the meeting came to chat with me about the video and all had great things to say about it. As far as I am aware, we are currently the only EFL club who has such a video and

hopefully following the meeting and the release of the newsletter it will encourage a few other clubs to produce a similar video. If you have not yet seen the video, it is available on my social media pages, the club’s first-time fan page on the official website and the club’s YouTube account. I am always looking for people opinions on the video, so if you have any feedback then please get in touch! CONTACT DETAILS As always if you have any questions or feedback then please contact me on the usual SLO social media outlets, @SLO_DRFC on twitter, DRFC SLO on Facebook or you can email me on dean.medcalf@ clubdoncaster.co.uk. I hope you all enjoy today’s game and have a safe journey home. Rovers Till I Die Dean Medcalf Supporter liaison officer

Red Bull OriginalÂŽ 11g sugar per 100ml vs. 4.5g in CarabaoÂŽ Green Apple and Mandarin Orange per 100ml.

Subject to availability. Selected stores only.

SUPPORTERS CLUB

SUPPORTERS CLUB A big warm welcome to all the supporters for tonight’s game. Especially we would like to welcome to all the Rochdale supporters who have made the trip up to the Keepmoat Stadium, I hope they enjoy their day out with us, and like the experience besides the result. We got a draw over at Spotland, with a great header from Kieran Sadlier in the closing minutes to salvage a point. We always enjoy the trip over to Rochdale, with a visit to the chippy opposite the away end a must. Again this season we will be running coaches to all home and away games, the sheet with times and prices on are included in the programme but are subject to change. We have tried to keep the prices as low as we can but had to introduce a travel policy for under 16s who have to have a responsible adult travel with them. Fans who are 16-17-years-old need a consent form from their parents or guardians to travel. These can be downloaded from the Supporters Club website, on the bus or at the Supporters Club office based in the Club Doncaster Academy. The next away game is away at Gillingham on Saturday February 15, dep Retford 8.15am Harworth 8.20am, Bawtry/Rossington 8.30am, Punches /Cantley lights 8.35am, Keepmoat Stadium 9am. The Main branch bus Wilfreda's yard 8.15am, Infirmary 8.45am, Keepmoat Stadium 9am. This will be followed by Shrewsbury on Saturday February 22, we will be leaving Retford 9.45am, Harworth 9.50am, Bawtry/Rossington 10am, Punches 10.10am, Keepmoat Stadium 10.30am. The Main Branch coach will be Wilfreda Adwick 9.45am, Infirmary 10.15am, Waterdale 10.20am and the Keepmoat Stadium at 10.30am.We are taking bookings also for the rearranged games midweek to Portsmouth and Bolton. As always we will run the home match bus from Retford, Harworth and Rossington Styrupp and Labour club, times are 1pm (6pm) 1.20pm (6.20pm) and 1.30pm (6.30pm). Times in brackets are night games, and there is no need to book. For fans’ safety we will be picking up on the inner circle adjacent to Car

Park 2 this season, so you can leave your car there. You can join the Supporters Club on the bus and get discount straight away, or join online or at the supporters shop located in the Club Doncaster Academy. The price is £7 adult and £5 concessions. Call Paul on 07961727769 or Len on 01302 817347 for more details and bookings. The North Branch also run coaches to most away games, from the Adwick, Carcroft, A19 corridor area. If you wish to travel with them call 07780316923. They are a great set of lads and lasses, and do a lot of raffles to support local charities. As in previous years the Supporters Club are having weekend trips away, the North Branch will be stopping in Blackpool for the Accrington game and the Retford Branch will also be stopping in Blackpool for the last game of the season at Bloomfield Road. Call Paul on 07961727769 if interested. Both trips will be £150, including two nights' bed, breakfast and evening meal. Not many places are left.

VIKING SUPPORTERS CO-OPERATIVE Football is the national game, and football supporters are the lifeblood of the game. While many privately owned football clubs are well run, ours included, there are numerous examples over the years where this model of ownership has failed the supporters of that club, and has led to a number of clubs becoming either partly or fully owned by those supporters. The Minister Of Sport set up the Expert Working Group with the intention of looking at ways to improve engagement and dialogue between clubs and fans, and therefore to improve transparency and trust.

The VSC and the Supporters Club are now involved the IAG in conjunction with the South Yorkshire Police, In a supporters-led initiative, to cut down on anti-social behaviour at games, how the policing of matches come about, trying to make it a more pleasurable experience going along to the games.

The detailed recommendations from the EWG led to the government instructing the EFL and the Premier League to enter into structured dialogue with those supporters, and especially with the supporters trust at that club.

The Rovers show on Trax FM has now moved to a Friday night spot from 6pm til 7pm, with me and Mellony Sheperd talking all things Rovers and local nonleague football, well worth a listen.

As you may be aware the club hold two Meet The Owners events each year which meet the criteria set down by the EFL. On top of that the club have a Supporters Board which meets on a regular basis during the season to discuss a very broad range of topics.

On behalf of the Supporters Club our thoughts go out to the family of Olga Eagen from Harworth, who husband Barry passed away recently. They used to be regulars on our away travels. Also to the family of Jordan Sinnott who recently lost his life, it was good to see Rovers and the Belles donate shirts with his name on it along with lots of local non-league clubs. Rovers Till We Die Paul Mayfield

Suffice to say that DRFC have not only met the requirements but have exceeded them in both frequency and content, and that is something we can once again be proud of. Martin O'Hara

07:15

15:15

08:30

11:00

10:45

09:30

08:15

08:30

11:45

10:15

09:00

10:45

07:30

11:15

12:15

09:45

13:15

10:00

09:30

03/05/20 Blackpool

20/08/19 Bolton Wanderers

11/01/20 Bristol Rovers

28/03/20 Burton Albion

28/09/19 Coventry City

01/02/20 Fleetwood Town

15/02/20 Gillingham

14/09/19 Ipswich Town

10/04/20 Lincoln City

07/03/20 MK Dons

12/10/19 Oxford United

26/12/19 Peterborough United

04/01/20 Portsmouth

10/08/19 Rochdale

18/04/20 Rotherham United

22/02/20 Shrewsbury Town

22/10/19 Southend United

26/01/20 Sunderland

26/10/19 Tranmere Rovers

23/11/19 Wycombe Wanderers

13/08/19 Grimsby Town (CC1)

Home Bus Night

16:30

08:15

Home Bus Saturday

10:30

14/12/19 AFC Wimbledon

RETFORD

23/03/20 Accrington Stanley

DESTINATION

16:35

09:35

10:05

13:20

09:50

12:20

11:20

07:35

10:50

09:05

10:20

11:50

08:35

08:20

09:35

10:50

11:05

08:35

15:20

07:25

08:35

10:35

HAWTH

16:45

09:45

10:15

13:30

10:00

12:30

11:30

07:45

11:00

09:15

10:30

12:00

08:45

08:30

09:45

11:00

11:15

08:45

15:30

07:35

08:30

10:45

BAWTRY

16:45

09:45

10:15

13:30

10:00

12:30

11:30

07:45

11:00

09:15

10:30

12:00

08:45

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11:15

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10:45

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11:10

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10:40

12:05

08:50

08:40

09:50

11:10

11:20

08:50

15:35

07:40

08:50

10:50

PUNCHES

PICK UP POINT ROSS

17:05

10:00

10:30

13:50

10:15

12:45

11:45

08:00

11:15

09:30

10:45

12:15

09:00

08:50

10:00

11:15

11:30

09:00

15:40

07:45

08:45

10:55

DRI

17:10

10:05

10:35

13:55

10:25

12:50

11:50

08:05

11:20

09:35

10:50

12:20

09:05

08:45

10:05

11:20

11:35

09:05

15:55

07:50

08:50

11:00

WATERDALE

DATE

17:15

10:15

10:45

14:00

10:30

13:00

12:00

08:15

11:30

09:45

11:00

12:30

09:15

09:00

10:15

11:30

11:45

09:15

16:00

08:00

09:00

11:15

KEEP

£22.00

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£16.00

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£15.00

£24.00

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£26.00

£19.00

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£27.00

£19.00

£12.00

£18.00

£30.00

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£25.00

£20.00

£17.00

£28.00

£21.00

£20.00

£18.00

£27.00

£19.00

£28.00

£19.00

£24.00

£17.00

£19.00

£25.00

£17.00

£11.00

£16.00

£28.00

£18.00

£23.00

£18.00

£15.00

£26.00

£19.00

£18.00

£16.00

£25.00

£17.00

£26.00

£17.00

CONC

NON-MEMBERS ADULT

£15.00

£13.00

£17.00

£15.00

Contact P. Mayfield for details of fares

£24.00

£17.00

£19.00

£25.00

£17.00

£11.00

£16.00

£28.00

£18.00

£23.00

£18.00

£15.00

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£19.00

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£17.00

£26.00

£17.00

CONC

MEMBERS ADULT

T R AV E L L I N G C O A C H T I M E S

SUPPORTERS CLUB

TRAVEL DETAILS

T R AV E L L I N G G U I D E

ON THE ROAD GILLINGHAM Rovers travel to Kent to face Gillingham at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium in Sky Bet League One on Saturday February 15. Ground: MEMS Priestfield Stadium Capacity: 11,582 (all seated) Phone: 01634 300000 Postcode: ME7 4DD Travelling by car: Take the A1, A14, M11 and M25 onto the A2, before taking the exit for the A289 from the A2. Continue onto A289 Hasted Road, and then take the second exit at Four Elms Roundabout, before taking the first exit at the next roundabout onto A289 Berwick Way. At the next roundabout, take the first exit, before taking the third exit at the last roundabout onto Church Street. Continue first onto Ingram Road, which leads onto Gillingham Road, before turning left onto Linden Road. Turn right onto Redfern Avenue and the ground is on the right. There is limited street parking nearby. Travelling by train: The closest train station to the MEMS Priestfield Stadium is Gillingham (Kent) station, which is located just over a half a mile from the ground.

SHREWSBURY TOWN Rovers travel to Montgomery Waters Meadow to face Shrewsbury Town in Sky Bet League One on Saturday February 22. Ground: Montgomery Waters Meadow Capacity: 9,875 Phone: 01743 289177 Postcode: SY2 6ST Travelling by car: Follow the M1, M42, M6 Toll and M54 before joining the A5, then take a left, continuing on the A5. At the roundabout, take the third exit onto B4380 Thieves Lane, before turning left and the ground is on your right. Travelling by train: The closest station to the ground is Shrewsbury station which is located just over two miles from the ground. There is a park and ride bus that runs from the train station towards the ground, as well as other public bus services which stop just a short walk from Montgomery Waters Meadow.

C L U B D O N C A S T E R F O U N D AT I O N

FOUNDATION UPD Ahead of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sky Bet League One match between Doncaster Rovers and Rochdale, an arguably bigger match took place between Howden Juniors and Dunsville Primary.

40 The two schools competed in the final of the EFL Utilita Kids Cup on the Keepmoat Stadium pitch to determine which of them will represent Rovers in the Northern Regional Final. The Northern Regional Final will feature schools from all of the northern Sky Bet League One teams. The winner of that tournament will travel to Wembley Stadium to play in the final against the winner of the Southern Regional Final - that match will be played ahead of the Sky Bet League One play-off final. The Utilita Kids Cup is an EFL Trust competition which aims to encourage children to be active and healthy through the power of football.

The nationwide tournament is growing year on year and in 2020 more teams took part in the Doncaster branch of the competition than before. More than 350 children from across 44 schools headed to the Club Doncaster Academy pitches on Friday January 24 to take part in the all-day tournament hosted by the Foundation. As well as matches, there were penalty shootouts and skills competitions to keep the players entertained the breaks. All the matches were played in a competitive and sporting manner with all schools involved showing excellent team-work and above all enjoying themselves. At todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s match a group of aspiring junior journalists wrote reports - keep an eye on the Club Doncaster Foundation website in the coming days to see how the two teams got on.

C L U B D O N C A S T E R F O U N D AT I O N

DATE

41 The Foundation have opened a pop-up hub in Frenchgate to celebrate the 140 year anniversary of Rovers alongside a showcase of their activities. Rovers fans will be able to see the key points in the club's history as well as have the opportunity to see vintage memorabilia, peruse old programmes and become involved with a series of events spread throughout February. The Rovers140 pop-up hub is situated on the North Central Mall within Frenchgate – opposite New Look and River Island and will be open seven days a week until the whole of the month. Foundation chief executive Lucy Nickson said: “We are really excited to partner with Frenchgate, bringing our activities to the centre of Doncaster in order to showcase how our work benefits local

residents through education, fitness, wellbeing and so much more. Young people will be able to find out about learning opportunities via the Sports

College, summer opportunities with NCS, as well as everything else the Foundation offers.” Club Doncaster marketing manager Mark Hughesman added: “Frenchgate has given us a brilliant opportunity to celebrate 140 years of Rovers with such a prominent space. “Both fans and the community at large have an opportunity to engage with the history of their local club as well as learn more and enjoy taster sessions of the activities delivered by the Foundation. With events planned throughout the month within the hub, this presents a fun and engaging set of activities for young and old, fans and the wider community - everyone is welcome."

L E A G U E O N E FA C T S & S TAT S

2019-20 SKY BET

LEAGUE ONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

ROTHERHAM UNITED WYCOMBE WANDERERS PETERBOROUGH UNITED IPSWICH TOWN COVENTRY CITY PORTSMOUTH SUNDERLAND OXFORD UNITED DONCASTER ROVERS FLEETWOOD TOWN BURTON ALBION GILLINGHAM BRISTOL ROVERS LINCOLN CITY BLACKPOOL SHREWSBURY TOWN ACCRINGTON STANLEY ROCHDALE MILTON KEYNES DONS AFC WIMBLEDON TRANMERE ROVERS SOUTHEND UNITED BOLTON WANDERERS (-12)

P 29 29 30 29 27 27 28 27 28 27 28 28 28 30 27 27 29 29 29 28 28 28 26

W 16 14 14 13 12 13 12 12 12 11 11 9 10 11 8 8 8 9 9 7 5 3 5

D 5 8 7 9 12 8 9 8 8 9 8 12 8 4 10 10 9 5 4 7 7 7 8

L 8 7 9 7 3 6 7 7 8 7 9 7 10 15 9 9 12 15 16 14 16 18 13

TOP GOALSCORERS

F 53 36 56 41 38 41 37 45 43 41 39 33 32 37 34 24 39 34 31 34 28 32 22

A 30 34 37 29 27 29 26 27 27 33 36 27 38 38 33 31 43 47 40 42 51 70 55

GD 23 2 19 12 11 12 11 18 16 8 3 6 -6 -1 1 -7 -4 -13 -9 -8 -23 -38 -33

PTS 53 50 49 48 48 47 45 44 44 42 41 39 38 37 34 34 33 32 31 28 22 16 11

W D D W W L W W W D W W L D L D L W W L L D L

W L L D W D W L L L W D L W D L L W D D D D L

FORM W L W L W W W W D W W W W D L D D W D D W D D D L D W L L L D D L D L D L L L W L L D W L L

W W W L D W W D L D D D D L L L L L W D L L D

FIXTURES & RESULTS

PLAYER

TEAM

Ivan Toney

Peterborough United

GLS 19

Tyler Walker

Lincoln City

Paddy Madden

Fleetwood Town

Mo Eisa

Peterborough United

Ian Henderson

Rochdale

Armand Gnanduillet

Blackpool

Kieran Sadlier

Doncaster Rovers

SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY Accrington Stanley 2-1 AFC Wimbledon Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Tranmere Rovers Bristol Rovers 1-2 Coventry City Fleetwood Town 2-1 Doncaster Rovers Ipswich Town 1-4 Peterborough United Milton Keynes Dons 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers Oxford United 2-1 Blackpool Portsmouth 2-0 Sunderland Rochdale 1-0 Shrewsbury Town Rotherham United 3-2 Burton Albion Southend United 2-1 Lincoln City TUESDAY 4TH FEBRUARY Tranmere Rovers 0-3 Doncaster Rovers FRIDAY 7TH FEBRUARY Lincoln City v Rotherham United SATURDAY 8TH FEBRUARY AFC Wimbledon v Fleetwood Town Blackpool v Southend United Burton Albion v Gillingham Coventry City v Bolton Wanderers Doncaster Rovers v Rochdale Peterborough United v Oxford United Shrewsbury Town v Milton Keynes Dons Sunderland v Ipswich Town Tranmere Rovers v Portsmouth Wycombe Wanderers v Bristol Rovers

W L W L W W L W W W L W L L L L W W W L L W W

F I X T U R E S & R E S U LT S

2019-20 ROVERS DATE

OPPOSITION

COMP

STATISTICS SCORE

ATT

AWAY POS

STARTING XI

AUGUST Sat 3

Gillingham

EFL1

1-1

7,939

618

Lawlor

Halliday

Baptiste

Anderson

James

Sat 10

Rochdale

EFL1

1-1

3,587

805

Lawlor

Halliday

Baptiste

Anderson

James

Tue 13

Grimsby Town

CC1

0-1

2,470

478

Dieng

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

Sat 17

Fleetwood Town

EFL1

3-2

6,740

193

Lawlor

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

Sat 24

Lincoln City

EFL1

2-1

10,177

3,120

Lawlor

Halliday

John

Anderson

James James

SEPTEMBER Tue 3

Lincoln City

LTG

3-1

2,170

433

Dieng

Halliday

John

Anderson

Sat 7

Rotherham United

EFL1

2-1

11,407

3,392

Lawlor

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

Sat 14

Ipswich Town

EFL1

0-0

18,928

621

Lawlor

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

Tue 17

Blackpool

EFL1

0-1

6,964

424

Lawlor

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

Sat 21

Peterborough United

EFL1

2-0

8,940

1,767

Dieng

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

Sat 28

Coventry City

EFL1

1-1

7,010

811

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

Anderson

James James

OCTOBER Sat 5

Portsmouth

EFL1

1-2

8,962

1,351

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

Anderson

Tue 8

Rotherham United

LTG

2-3

2,192

557

Lawlor

Halliday

Wright

Blaney

Amos

Sat 12

Oxford United

EFL1

0-3

6,861

491

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

Anderson

James

Sat 19

Bristol Rovers

EFL1

2-0

7,659

563

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

Anderson

James

Tue 22

Southend United

EFL1

7-1

5,066

233

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

Anderson

James

Tue 29

Manchester United U21

LTG

1-2

3,845

545

Lawlor

Halliday

Daniels

Wright

James

NOVEMBER

Sat 2

Burton Albion

EFL1

2-2

7,492

361

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

Anderson

James

Sat 9

AFC Wimbledon

FAC1

1-1

2,777

369

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

Amos

Tue 19

AFC Wimbledon

H FAC1R

2-0

3,413

181

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

James

Sat 23

Wycombe Wanderers

EFL1

0-1

4,875

459

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

James

DECEMBER Sun 1

Gillingham

FAC2

0-3

3,216

205

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

John

James

Wed 4

Leicester City U21

LT2

0-3

1,322

Lawlor

Halliday

Daniels

Anderson

Blaney

Sat 7

Milton Keynes Dons

EFL1

1-1

7,193

271

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

John

James

Sat 14

AFC Wimbledon

EFL1

1-2

4,311

414

Dieng

Halliday

Daniels

John

James

Sat 21

Accrington Stanley

EFL1

1-1

7,444

216

Dieng

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

Thu 26

Peterborough United

EFL1

3-0

6,786

737

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

John

Sun 29

Sunderland

EFL1

1-2

12,432

4,070

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

John

JANUARY 2020 Wed 1

Oxford United

EFL1

1-0

7,524

759

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

James

Tue 7

Shrewsbury Town

EFL1

2-0

7,054

265

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

James

Sat 11

Bristol Rovers

EFL1

2-0

6,834

351

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

James

Sat 18

Coventry City

EFL1

0-1

9,537

1,902

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

James

Fri 24

Sunderland

EFL1

0-0

30,251

tbc

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

John

Tue 28

Southend United

EFL1

3-1

7,063

180

Dieng

Halliday

John

Anderson

James

FEBRUARY Sat 1

Fleetwood Town

EFL1

1-2

3,008

tbc

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

John

Tue 4

Tranmere Rovers

EFL1

3-0

tbc

Dieng

Halliday

Wright

Anderson

John

Sat 8

Rochdale

EFL1