Recap the action as Tom Anderson silences his critics in Doncaster Rovers’ win over Rochdale
and live on Freeview channel 276
Patience is wearing thin with stop-start Rovers following another defeat last time out as they lost 3-0 to a team who hadn’t won in ten matches, or even scored in their last three.
Inconsistency has been the story of Doncaster’s season so far and threatens to undermine their hopes of promotion and further alienate some sections of the fanbase, who have become disillusioned with the club’s plight.
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Hide AdAs recently as February last year Rovers were chasing promotion to the Championship.
Now they find themelves in the bottom half of League Two with just as many defeats as wins this term and one of the worst defensive records in the Football League’s basement division.
Tonight’s opponents Rochdale have lost their last four and occupy the final relegation spot.
Doncaster have come unstuck against similar opposition this season – will tonight be the same story?
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Doncaster Rovers v Rochdale AFC
Key Events
- Doncaster 13th in League Two heading into the clash, four points off the play-offs
- Rochdale have lost their four games and occupy the second relegation spot
A word on the atmosphere
It’s very flat inside the ground with 20 minutes until kick-off. Can’t be more than a few thousand in the building currently.
Three changes for Doncaster Rovers
Ro-Shaun Williams, Kyle Hurst and Luke Molyneux come in for Jon Taylor, Adam Long and Adam Clayton.
No Clayton, Tommy Rowe or Taylor in the squad.
Expect changes.
Jon Taylor is almost certain to miss out and could have another serious injury. We’ll know more after the match.
Neither Tom Anderson or Adam Long - both of whom also came into the starting XI with Taylor on Boxing Day - covered themselves in glory against Tranmere. Would expect to see Ro-Shaun Williams back in, therefore.
In truth it was a shock to see him dropped in Birkenhead, having seen him play so well against Newport.
Tommy Rowe could be fit to feature this evening, if he has recovered from a back spasm.
Good evening
After tonight we’ll be at the halfway point of the season. We don’t need to know what the conclusion will be, however: must do better.
While there’s plenty of games left and points still to play for, it’s been a poor first half of the campaign for Doncaster. I think everyone can agree on that. Perhaps the only reason they’re still in with a shout of the play-off is because the rest of the division is, frankly, pretty average.
Tonight’s match is also the first reverse fixture of the season in the league. Rovers overcame Rochdale 2-1 in October while Gary McSheffrey was still in charge thanks to goals from Kieran Agard and George Miller.
Jim Bentley’s side looked poor that day despite heading into the game on the back of back-to-back wins, so we’ll see what tonight brings given they’ve lost four in a row.