by Adam Stubbings

Andy Williams' brace ensured a happy end to a turbulent 2015 with a 2-1 win at Oldham to banish the Boxing Day blues inflicted by local rivals Scunthorpe. Consistency is the key and Rovers are still searching for it, unable to register consecutive wins in seven outings. We now hold wins over all of League One's bottom eight clubs but boast not a single victory over anybody else in the division. Saturday's opponents Southend sit 7th in the table but will be keen to bounce back from a shocking 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Millwall last time out, a result which ended an eight match unbeaten run in the league and sees them shy of the top 6 on goal difference.

Rovers may not have made much headway in the league standings recently, remaining 15th, but the gap to those above has closed and we are now just three points shy of Millwall in 9th spot. We are closer to the Play Offs than the relegation zone, a crucial distinction heading into the New Year as Darren Ferguson seeks to push us on up the table to compete for promotion, an ambition not out of the realms of possibility.

This is our first trip to Roots Hall since the League One Play Off Semi-Final of 2008 that eventually ended up in a historic promotion for Rovers. A goalless draw that evening was tempered by a late red card to striker Paul Heffernan, but even without him we blew Southend away in the second leg 5-1, James Coppinger netting a hat trick. Indeed we have lost only one of ten meetings with the Shrimpers dating back to the mid-90's, a 3-2 loss early in that promotion season away from home.

Conor Grant and Felipe Mattioni look set to have their loan spells at the club extended, providing Mattioni's latest injury isn't too serious, whilst Harry Forrester is on the verge of departing for Scotland's former giants Rangers, linking back up with old coach Mark Warburton. Forrester has seen his chances limited since the arrival of Darren Ferguson, and a move looks ot suit all parties. Rovers changed to a 4-5-1 set-up at Oldham and may continue with it after winning the game, but Mitchell Lund may return to the starting XI due to the aforementioned injury to full back Mattioni.

by Adam Stubbings

A Christmas Derby Day dampener may have taken the gloss off of a productive festive month of results, but there is a quick chance for Rovers to redeem themselves and end the year on a positive note. Eight teams lie below us after our defeat by Scunthorpe but we boast victories over seven of those eight teams this season. Only our next opponents Oldham have managed to take a point from us since the start of the season, so victory at Boundary Park in this fixture would set things right.

The worry with this fixture is the prospect of it falling foul of the atrocious weather being suffered in the North West at present. Oldham's trip to Blackpool on Boxing Day was postponed, and the Latics' last home game against Millwall two weeks ago was also called off due to a waterlogged pitch. Let's hope that the game goes ahead and allows the team to banish the gloom brought on by the Scunthorpe result.

The 1-0 loss ended a five game unbeaten run for Rovers that had seen us net 14 goals in that time and take points away from home against League One's leading sides. It also represented a first loss to the Iron in 10 meetings, ending a seven match winning run in the process. Oldham languish in 22nd place, have won only three matches in the league all season (the division's lowest tally) and are five matches without a victory in all competitions, only ending four straight losses in a home draw with Coventry last weekend.

Darren Ferguson may look to change things up after a poor performance on Boxing Day, with Mitchell Lund hauled off before the hour mark for a second game in a row and the trio of Conor Grant, Harry Middleton and James Coppinger failing to put a stamp on the game and win the midfield battle against Scunthorpe. In addition, Paul Keegan is pushing for a start whilst Nathan Tyson took a knock in the last match and may need to be assessed with the next game so soon after. Oldham's players may be refreshed having not played in nine days, but Rovers will be eager to get out on the front foot and make up for losing to bitter local rivals in front of a bumper home crowd.

by Adam Stubbings

Rovers fought hard to earn a deserved point away at league leaders Burton last Saturday, stretching our unbeaten run to five games in all competitions going into the Christmas weekend. The team should take plenty of positives from the 3-3 draw despite losing the lead in the dying minutes, and the visit of local rivals Scunthorpe presents the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways and give us all a belated Christmas present.

Fans of the Iron might not like it, but the ‘DN Derby’ has been dominated by the Red & White side of the border for almost a decade now. As has been mentioned often in the build-up, Rovers are currently on a seven game winning run against Scunthorpe, and we appear to be meeting at a favourable time once again. 8 points in the last four games compared to Scunthorpe’s 4 have seen us move ahead of the Clarets in the table, and victory on Boxing Day will give us a shot at ending 2015 back in the top half of the table and looking at a realistic push for the Play Offs in the New Year.

Rovers have netted at least 3 goals in each of the last four matches played between the teams at the Keepmoat, with a 5-2 drubbing on the final day of last season our latest triumph.  Nathan Tyson netted a hat trick that day, and also scored the winner at Glanford Park in a 2-1 comeback victory earlier in the season. Indeed our only defeat to Scunthorpe since we last met on Boxing Day (a 1-0 victory in our Division 3 championship campaign) was a 2-0 away loss dealt by Billy Sharp and Andy Keogh in one of Sean O’Driscoll’s first games in charge. Since then we have earned two draws, the second of which was a controversial game in which we had two men sent off and threw a two-goal lead to a last minute penalty, a match which also saw Sharp bag his first of many goals for the Rovers, and seven straight wins beginning with a 4-3 result that went down as one of the best matches in Keepmoat Stadium history, Shelton Martis heading home a late winner.

This tie really has seen it all over the years, and Darren Ferguson will know exactly what is expected of his team in such a fixture. He should have the majority of the squad available to call upon, with free kick hero Paul Keegan pushing for a start in midfield. Cedric Evina struggled against Burton but has a fantastic opportunity to hit the ground running again on Boxing Day, whilst Andy Williams and Nathan Tyson should both be afforded the chance to continue their recent good scoring runs. Gary McSheffrey and Tom Hopper are the long-term absentees for the visitors, with Stephen Dawson returning to the bench after a long lay-off in the home loss to Sheffield United last weekend.

by Adam Stubbings

The late, late show against Crewe will go down as one of the greatest moments in Keepmoat history, oddly enough up there with another 3-2 comeback win over Crewe in 2007, a result that sent us to Wembley courtesy of Jason Price's last minute winner. Rovers are in high gear now heading into the Christmas fixtures, and head to league leaders Burton brimming with confidence and belief. Defensive lapses belied a dominant display hampered only by the adverse playing conditions last weekend, and the ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is a rare attribute in a Doncaster Rovers side.

Our current four game unbeaten run includes a terrific draw away at Coventry, top of the league at the time. Saturday's opponents Burton are now back at the summit of League One and on a four match winning run of their own, but are stepping into the relative unknown when they face the Rovers with new manager Nigel Clough set for his first game in charge of the Brewers in nearly seven years. In 11 years as player-manager, Clough guided Burton from the Unibond League to the brink of the Football League before departing for illustrious neighbours Derby, but returns to a club now at the highest point in their history and with expectations of keeping their place at the top. Their game saw a superb 3-0 victory over promotion rivals Gillingham, the team who handed Paul Dickov his final defeat as Rovers boss back in September.

Four days prior to that result, Rovers and Burton met in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. A drab affair was scoreless at full time, and Rovers won 5-3 on penalties to advance. We also defeated Burton in last year's competition, running out comfortable 3-0 winners at the Pirelli Stadium but these are the only two meetings between the sides since both played in the Conference in 2003. Rovers actually take a 100% record against Burton into this weekend's fixture, but this will surely be the toughest of the five matches to date with our opponents five points clear at the top and boasting the best defence in the league. Clough was at the helm for those non-league meetings over a decade ago, but more recently guided Sheffield United to a pair of derby victories over Rovers last season.

Dany N'Guessan and Gary Mackenzie remain sidelined for Rovers, but Felipe Mattioni may be fit enough to return to the bench. Young trio Cedric Evina, Mitchell Lund and Harry Middleton all signed welcome new contracts this week and should be on the teamsheet again here, whilst Burton will be without midfielders Robbie Weir and Zeli Ismail as well as defender Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, whilst former Rovers winger Mark Duffy is expected to line-up against his former club.

by Adam Stubbings

Rovers booked their place in the 3rd Round of the F.A. Cup last time out with a superb second half comeback against League 2 Cambridge. Having fallen behind to an extremely dubious penalty, three goals in 11 minutes after the interval turned the tie on its' head in front of the BBC Final Score cameras, with Conor Grant netting twice, his second an outstanding curling effort from outside the box. The reward is Stoke City in Round 3, but until then there is the small matter of continuing to try and revive our fortunes in the league. Crewe are the visitors this weekend, fresh from a week off owing to their F.A. Cup 1st Round defeat at the hands of non-league Eastleigh a month ago.

Since then, Steve Davis' side have had an upturn in fortunes and have hauled themselves off the foot of the League One table. Successive wins over fellow strugglers Colchester and Oldham leave the Alex just a point shy of safety and five points behind Rovers. We are now unbeaten in three matches and return to the Keepmoat off the back of an impressive away draw against high-flying Coventry, and a sublime home win against Chesterfield in our last Keepmoat outing.

Rovers are unbeaten in three meetings with Saturday's opponents, winning this fixture 2-1 last season courtesy of goals from the now departed duo of Dean Furman and Richie Wellens, completing a 90th minute comeback win after an early goal from George Ray on a Tuesday night in February. Crewe haven't defeated us in the league since taking a 2-0 win on our turf in the League One title-winning campaign, the awe-inspiring midfield of James Harper and Martin Woods somehow failing to steer Rovers to a victory.

Loanees Conor Grant and Craig Alcock both extended their stays at the club this week, meaning they will be available through the Christmas period and into the New Year. Mitchell Lund scored his first senior goal in an impressive display last weekend after returning to the side to replace the injured Felipe Mattioni, and there are no new injury concerns for Darren Ferguson ahead of the game with Richard Chaplow and Rob Jones the only long-term absentees.