by Rich Colby

Rovers face the short trip to West Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon to face mid-table Bradford City at Valley Parade (now formally known as the Coral Windows Stadium).

Paul Dickov will be desperate for a turn in fortune as many of the Rovers faithful still have him under incredible pressure.  Two astute loan signings in the last ten days suggest that he has the boards full backing, so its up to the fans to try and accept that and give the team their full support.

Centre back Andy Butler proved a vital acquisition at the back last week against MK Dons in what was a much better performance from the squad as a whole.  And that stability in the back line will look to be continued again at Valley Parade as we welcome back goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on loan.  The Manchester United shot stopper showed to many Rovers fans last season his clear ability between the sticks.  He will look to put in the same kind of performances in his second loan spell.

In other team news, Rovers could potentially have captain Jamie Coppinger back after he missed last weeks game.  Rob Jones remains sidelined, and goalkeeper Jed Steer has returned to Aston Villa after his successful loan spell at the Keepmoat.

The Bantams currently occupy 12th spot in League One.  Manager Phil Parkinson will be another man watching from the sidelines in hope of a turn in fortune.  Bradford have only won twice in their last ten league games.  The recent acquisition of John Stead will be a boost for them.  Stead has always seemed to like scoring a goal against Rovers, and he will be the one to watch.

This is a vital game for both sides who will be trying to turn recent poor form around.  Lets hope it’s the reds of Doncaster who will be having a happy Saturday evening.

Come on you reds!

Overall record Vs Bradford:   P 75/W 23/D 23/L 29

The Viking Supporter's Co-operative is pleased to announce that this year's Annual General Meeting will be held on the 15th November 2014 at 11:00AM ahead of the local derby against Sheffield United.

The venue will once again be the Belle Vue Bar at the Keepmoat Stadium and all VSC members are invited to attend. Non-members are invited to observe proceedings and may join the trust once the AGM has been closed. Gavin Baldwin will be in attendance for a question and answer session following the close of the AGM.

The board would like to thank both Dave Burkitt and Jenny Lee, who have left the board this year, for their work in moving the trust forward. Nominations to become a director for this year have now closed, however the board can co-opt members on to the board all year round, so if you have a few hours of spare time you can dedicate to working on the behalf of Doncaster Rovers' supporters and representing them in projects with the club and community, please speak to one of the directors or email the secretary at secretary@drfc-vsc.co.uk.

Election to the VSC board is for a 2 year term, and the following directors are seeking re-election this year: Andy Audsley, Martin O'Hara, Glyn Wigley and Martyn Bentley.
Jay Baker, who was recently co-opted onto the board, will also be seeking his position ratifying.

The agenda for the AGM will be posted in the members section of the Viking Chat forum shortly. If you would like an agenda emailing out to you, please email the secretary at secretary@drfc-vsc.co.uk.

We hope to see you there.

by Rich Colby

Doncaster supporters will be hoping to see a drastic improvement in performance and organization as they take on MK Dons at the Keepmoat Stadium.  Manager Paul Dickov is firmly under fire from large proportions of the Rovers faithful after two poor performances against Fleetwood Town and Leyton Orient.

One piece of positive news this week is the loan signing of experienced centre-half and Doncaster born Andy Butler from Sheffield United.  Butler has a mass of experience at this level and will bring with him a leading voice as well as physical presence in the back four.  I’d imagine he will go straight into the team to face MK Dons probably along side Luke McCullough at centre half.

Rob Jones remains the only absentee for Rovers.  Apart from the skipper, Paul Dickov has a fully fit squad at his disposal.

MK Dons come into the game flying high in 4th position in the league and will be looking to take the points from a Doncaster side who look devoid of confidence over the last couple of weeks.  Top scorer with eleven goals already this season Benik Afobe will be the man to watch for them.  He will need to be severely watched by Butler & co in order to stop him getting to the 12+ mark.  3 points for the Dons could push them into the top two providing other results go their way.

Victory for Rovers could push them further towards the mid-table mark and hopefully move them a little further away from the drop zone.  Currently one point from the bottom four with a vastly dropping goal difference is getting a little worrying for even the hardened Rovers fans.

Come on Donny!  Give the fans something to shout about with a positive performance, leadership and passion for the shirt.  That’s all we want!

Come on you reds!

Overall record Vs MK Dons:   P 6/W 3/D 2/L 1

by Rich Colby

After five successive games on the road, its home sweet home (hopefully) for Rovers on Tuesday as they take on Leyton Orient at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Paul Dickov will quickly want to ‘right the wrongs’ of Saturdays under-par performance at Fleetwood Town.  There usually is a good reaction after a defeat in the previous game.  Rovers have only lost back to back league games on one occasion so far this season, and Rovers will want to keep that record intact by walking away with at least 1 point.

The only absentee from the Rovers team will be skipper Rob Jones who remains sidelined with a knee injury.  Apart from that, Paul Dickov has a full squad at his disposal.  Expect at least one change from the side that lost a Fleetwood.  Dean Furman may return in an attacking midfield role and Theo Robinson could play a part.  Dickov has admitted that his patience with the current squad has snapped after the weekend, and is actively looking at the loan market for at least 2 players.  Whether any materialise in time for the Orient game is another matter.

The O’s are currently in a bit of disarray themselves lying 20th in the league with only 2 wins so far this season.  However, they did get a decent draw at home to high flying MK Dons on Saturday so there are signs of progress at Brisbane Road.  Defender and joint top scorer Roman Vincelot will be the man to watch for them, especially from set-pieces.

Rovers haven’t lost in the last 8 games to Leyton Orient.  Heres hoping that run is extended to 9 games come 9.45pm on Tuesday night.

Come on you reds!

Overall record Vs Leyton Orient: P 29/W 10/D 6/L 13

by Rich Colby

After spending last weekend without kicking a ball due to the international break, Rovers are back in action on Saturday as they travel to Lancashire to face Fleetwood Town.

The ‘Cod Army’, as they like to call themselves, had an excellent start to the season and occupied top spot at the end of August, but they have stuttered a little in the last month or so winning just once in their last nine games. Rovers will want to take advantage of that, but in order to do so, they’ll have to stop striker Stephen Dobbie. His experience and craft will count for a lot for the opposition and he is the one to watch for them.

Paul Dickov’s men went into the international break on a high following the league victory against Scunthorpe and beating Burton Albion in the JPT.  Rob Jones remains out with a knee injury, but Curtis Main could feature. One man bang in form at the moment is midfielder Dean Furman, but its 50/50 whether he’ll start the game having just returned from South Africa.

Rovers will probably field a side very similar to the one that beat Scunthorpe two weeks ago with hopefully the same outcome. This will be Doncaster’s first ever visit to Fleetwood, and they’ll be looking for a result to push them into the top half of the table. The fans will be back on the terracing in the Percy Ronson Stand behind the goal making plenty of noise as usual. Hopefully the players can give them something to shout about in this interesting League One clash.

Come on you reds!