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by Adam Stubbings

Having fallen into the relegation zone in cruel circumstances, Rovers are desperate for a 'Good Friday' to lift the spirits at the club.

On this Easter weekend, Darren Ferguson and his players must at all costs find a way to resurrect the season with two critical fixtures over four days. First a trip to Colchester, bottom of the league and almost certain to be dropping into League Two next season, followed by a true 'six-pointer' against fellow relegation rivals Blackpool at the Keepmoat Stadium on Easter Monday.

The players pulled their socks up and put in a good showing last time out against Peterborough, but calamitous defensive errors once again cost us dear as an early lead was squandered and the visitors snatched all three points in injury time when Riccardo Almeida Santos capitalised on the brainlessness of goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann to tap home a rebound. The manner of the defeat has become all too familiar for Rovers fans, suffering through a season of slapstick stupidity at the back.

The club has to put things right this weekend, taking on the division's bottom club who recently ended a 19-game winless run that still just about puts our current slide to shame. A 2-1 victory at Bradford their only win in the last 23 League One outings, a run that has seen them fall to the brink of dropping out of the third tier for the first time in almost two decades. Rovers even defeated the U's in that time, a 2-0 victory at the back end of October that gave Ferguson his first home win in charge.

The manager has finally sought to reinforce a youthful squad lacking fight, first bringing in Wolves winger Tommy Rowe who made a solid debut off the bench on Saturday, then bringing in Scunthorpe forward Gary McSheffrey. Both have vast experience at this level and have a better idea of how to handle a relegation dogfight than some of our younger heads, and a promise to sign one or two more players before the loan deadline should encourage fans. Time is running out now to save our League One status, but these two games over Easter could be the makings of survival for Rovers.
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by Adam Stubbings

It's another 'cup final', the latest 'most important game of our season', but all hope may well fade away if Rovers can't finally find a way to win a game of football when they host Peterborough this weekend.

When these two sides met at London Road back in October, they were going in very different directions. Rovers, struggling at the foot of the table thanks to a bad start to the campaign under Paul Dickov, had traded one Scotsman for another and brought in Darren Ferguson, a man who made his managerial name at Peterborough.

However, returning to his old stomping ground in only his second game as Rovers boss proved a miserable one. The players struggled to get to grips with the newly implemented 3-5-2 formation and the Posh ripped us apart, winning 4-0 in a game they could easily have scored double figures in. Graham Westley's side were on a superb upturn in form after changing the manager early in the season themselves, and they occupied a play off position as recently as the new year.

It has all gone wrong for them since though, much in the same manner as it has for Rovers. The two sides are together at the bottom of the League One form table, meaning this match has to be seen as one of the most winnable of the remaining ten for a desperate Rovers team.

Peterborough have lost six of their last seven and have slid into the lower reaches of the table, but Rovers went a twelfth game without victory when they lost 2-1 at Bradford last time out. It was by all accounts another poor performance, but a small ray of hope came late on when Nathan Tyson netted, an achievement in itself for the side at present. If the players can build on this and take a modicum of confidence forward, it may translate into improved performances and results, which are sorely needed now.

A win for Oldham in midweek put Rovers on the very brink of falling into the bottom four, and Rovers loanee Curtis Main has had his part to play for our rivals lately. Main has been asked to return to the club but it is now down to the forward himself whether he wishes to or not. If he refuses and goes on to help his new club survive at our expense, it will make Ferguson and the club look very silly indeed.
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by Adam Stubbings

Rovers find themselves in dire straits after yet another defeat in midweek. Starting with the trip to play off chasing Bradford this weekend, the manager, players and fans alike need to find a way to become brothers in arms and steady the ship currently sinking into League Two.

For anyone that had the misfortune of attending the 2-0 defeat to Scunthorpe on Tuesday evening, the plight of this proud club could not be any more apparent. Not a single shot on target was registered in the game, and in truth the game looked lost as soon as Tom Hopper converted to make it 1-0 in just the 7th minute. That was the tenth time in this eleven game winless run that Rovers have conceded the first goal, and the reality of this situation is now too stark to ignore any further.

The 'Romeo and Juliet' love affair between the manager and the fans has also ceased, with large sections of the support vocally turning on the team for their perceived lack of heart and desire at Glanford Park. That toxic atmosphere is borne out of the growing concern for our third tier status. At Valley Parade this Saturday, the team need to dig deeper than they have before to grind out a result much the same as they had to last season, when a cold autumn afternoon in Bradford yielded three points courtesy of a stunning Curtis Main strike. The Reds hadn't won in five games going into that fixture but found a way to win, and the players still here from that day will do well to remember what it took back then.

The two meetings since then, both at the Keepmoat, have ended in defeat, a 3-0 reverse on Good Friday one of the worst showings of the Paul Dickov era, and a 1-0 loss under Rob Jones back in October just prior to the arrival of Darren Ferguson settled after just 45 seconds. It is in many ways the story of the season, slack defending costing the team early on and no recovery being mounted. Bradford are now a better side than they were back then and despite a recent home loss to bottom of the table Colchester, the Bantams are in good form and knocking on the door of the top six. They defeated runaway leaders Burton in their last match, so there is no doubt this will be a tough ask for Rovers to end their miserable run.

You don't get money for nothing in this sport and the financial implications of a second relegation in three seasons mean that every person from the boardroom down to the turnstile operators will feel the aching woe of dropping into League Two. If Rovers don't halt this slide now then they will soon run out of chances to. This game is the first of eleven remaining opportunities to take control of the situation and save the season.

Finally, a word on the ticketing situation that has engulfed the build-up to this game. Whether you are braving the price to support the team in person or taking part in the organised peaceful protest co-ordinated between the club's supporter groups, stand together and get behind the team for this, the most crucial period in the recent history of Doncaster Rovers.
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by Adam Stubbings

It's panic stations now as Rovers stare down twelve games to save their League One status, starting with the rearranged local derby against Scunthorpe.

Dubbed a 'six-pointer', defeat in our last match against Shrewsbury Town is a bitter blow for Darren Ferguson and his side and the manner of the defeat makes it all the more galling. Shaun Whalley's corner evaded everybody and went straight in to gift the Shrews a vital 1-0 win, taking them above Rovers in the table and leaving ourselves mired in trouble, sat in 20th place and edging ever closer to the bottom four.

This match, rearranged from a month ago when a late decision by the referee to deem the pitch unplayable due to standing water left many travelling Rovers fans with a sour taste. The postponement gave Rovers an extra week off ahead of two crucial South Yorkshire derby matches but both were squandered with 1-0 defeats, and it is now nine league matches without victory, an alarming run that has seen the club slide perilously close to the drop zone.

Scunthorpe ended a seven game losing run against Rovers on Boxing Day as they came away from the Keepmoat with three points courtesy of a lone goal from top scorer Paddy Madden. The manager who masterminded that victory, Mark Robins, has since been relieved of his duties at the club leaving Andy Dawson and Nick Daws in charge until the end of the season, but the Iron will be in no doubt about how important a match this is to both clubs despite their relative comfort in midtable.

Fergie rang the changes for the Shrewsbury game but an inexperienced, lightweight midfield needs to be altered. If Keegan is fit, he should return to the starting XI whilst Andy Williams could also return after an ineffectual performance by Liam Mandeville in that fixture. It is also hoped that Cedric Evina, arguably the club's best player throughout the season, will come back in to provide a threat down the left hand side.

A win in this game would take Rovers five points clear of the bottom four and provide a desperately needed boost to confidence. With it being a local derby to boot the incentive could not be higher to put in a winning performance.

Finally, we would like to pay tribute to former DRFC Media Manager Steve Uttley, who sadly passed away at the weekend. Steve was part of the fabric of the club for many years and was known as a kind, helpful individual to a great many people here. He will be sadly missed by all associated with Doncaster Rovers.
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Joint Statement from Doncaster Rovers Supporters Club, the Viking Supporters Co-operative and the Doncaster Rovers Supporters Group regarding Bradford City's ticket pricing for this weekend's game.

Earlier in the season Doncaster Rovers and Bradford City made a commitment to a reciprocal pricing agreement to encourage both home and away fans to attend the fixtures when the two teams meet. Doncaster Rovers reduced the tickets for the Bradford City home game to £15 earlier in the season and this was very successful,  with 8410 supporters attending, including over 2,000 Bantams fans.

We have now been informed that Bradford City will not be doing the same in the coming fixture at Valley Parade next week and will charge Doncaster Rovers fans full price. 

This is wholly unacceptable to ALL the recognised supporter groups of Doncaster Rovers; the Doncaster Rovers Supporters Club,  the Viking Supporters Co-operative and the Doncaster Rovers Supporters Group.  

Bradford City are a football club who received praise from many fans of other clubs for their radical approach to Season Ticket pricing and making football more accessible.  On this occasion they are failing supporters. 

Our away support has been nothing short of fantastic this season and it's no secret that away fans often get the short end of the stick in terms of treatment from some clubs - we are proud to support a club that opposes the trend and it's a shame that Bradford City don't share the vision to treat us as equals.

We urge fans to join in with a peaceful protest on the day of the game. We believe that as a body of fans we should make our feelings known that this isn't an acceptable way to treat supporters. Anyone who is interested in joining us are welcome to attend an open meeting on Wednesday at 7PM at the Staff Of Life pub, Waterdale, Doncaster, where we will discuss our plans for the game.

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