The mood change Gary McSheffrey has sensed among Doncaster Rovers fans

Relations have understandably dipped in recent times amid a sustained decline in Rovers’ fortunes on the pitch, which culminated in last season's relegation to League Two.

McSheffrey inherited a sinking ship when he took over from Richie Wellens in December, but has managed to avoid a hangover this term.

Doncaster have won all three of their league games at home and picked up two very credible draws on the road at Bradford and AFC Wimbledon.

Unsurprisingly, that has coincided with an improvement in the atmosphere at the Eco-Power Stadium.

Despite several late shows, the home crowd has stayed patient and largely full of encouragement.

Some even applauded the players off after the 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Lincoln, which thankfully looks like a blip.

“I’m definitely feeling like we’re bridging some gaps with them,” McSheffrey said after last week’s win over Stockport County.

"It definitely feels like there’s a bit of a relationship coming back.”

He continued: “We have worked hard at that over the summer and we will keep continuing to bring them the performance level that they deserve.”

Part of the club’s charm offensive saw McSheffrey and several first-team players personally deliver around 100 season tickets to fans ahead of the new campaign.

The Rovers boss also held a Q&A session with the club’s official supporters group at their AGM last month, where he received the backing of those in attendance.

Earlier this summer head of football operations James Coppinger admitted he didn’t think players had shown enough pride pride in the badge over the last 18 months.

But change is seemingly afoot, even if it is early days.

“I would like to think the fans know they have got a team that’s going to come out and give everything for the shirt," said McSheffrey after Saturday’s come-from-behind win over Salford City.

"We started poor. Sometimes when you start poor it can look like some people aren’t working hard but that’s just because they’re a little bit unorganised and disorientated.

"Confidence is massive. Once we got a couple of shots, openings and good bits of play they knew that we could beat this team.”