by Paul Williams

I wish I had a flair for drama and an imagination like Bentley Bullet (see http://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=253472). ‘The camera’s shite on mine’ – classic!

But let’s get away from Wembley tears, distressed wheelie bins and all thought that this week’s Carling Cup tie against Leeds United is anything but a distraction from the important business of making a decent start in League One.

We’ve never beaten our west Yorkshire neighbours at the Keepmoat, but performances against Championship sides this pre-season suggest this latest encounter could be a bit closer than predecessors.

Saturday’s draw with Bury was an inauspicious beginning to the season and one that highlighted obvious deficiencies. But this match gives Paul Dickov the opportunity to be a bit more adventurous in his team selection – surely a place can be found for Harry Middleton in the starting line-up - and the Sky money and the likelihood of a decent gate, thanks in part to those ever-popular Donny Whites, should pay for a couple of loan signings should circumstances dictate as the campaign progresses.

At least there’ll be no Ross McCormack or Matt Smith to burst Rovers’ bubble this time. Our arch nemeses of recent years now ply their trade with Fulham, which is probably a cue for us to get the Londoners in round two should we progress against Uwe Rosler’s side. The German can’t have happy memories of the Keepmoat as his Brentford team lost here in our promotion side and he was in charge of Wigan (Sunday’s opponents) when the Latics lost 3-0 here in our last season in the Championship.

It can’t be easy working for an owner like Massimo Cellino and, after an opening draw with Burnley, Rosler will feel a lot more secure when he’s got a first win under his belt. But you’d like to think that Rovers’ new-look defence have enough of a physical presence to cope with Leeds’ big-summer signing Chris Wood and this is cup football after all, when anything is possible. Time for a new hero to step forward in red and white and give the legacy of James Hayter a rest!