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by The Rovers Review Darren Ferguson is backing his side to spoil Wigan's party by beating them at the Keepmoat this afternoon. Not much rides on the game for Rovers but if they beat Wigan and Blackburn win elsewhere then the title will be Blackburn's. Ferguson said: "It has been spoken about [how sick they are of teams celebrating on their turf]. Unfortunately, we've ran out of gas a bit - I feel some of the players have played too many games, similar to last season. "The energy is there to a degree but there are people who have played too many games and if the injuries hadn't occurred I could have perhaps would've mixed my squad around a little bit more. "It's going to be a tough game but also a good game for us because a lot of people are probably expecting us to get nothing and I think it's important that we try to finish well." Captain James Coppinger will be a doubt for the final match after being sidelined for the last two games with a 'niggle'. Long-term absentee Danny Andrew could return with Ferguson saying the 27-year-old could play around 15-20-minutes on the last day of the season. Wigan come to the Keepmoat with the best away form in the league, collecting 48 points from 22 games played away from the DW Stadium - Rovers' home form is average with them collecting 30 from 22 games. Paul Cook's side is undefeated in their last seven games - with their last defeat coming away at Portsmouth. Ferguson's team, on the other hand, have only won two games out of eight towards the final part of the season. Rovers got played off the park in the reverse fixture, with the Latics coming out with three goals to the good on that occasion. The last time Wigan came to Doncaster they lost 3-1, after going a goal up through Will Grigg in the first-half but being shunted by two Andy Butler goals and an Andy Williams penalty - this was also the same season Wigan were aiming for the title too.
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by The Rovers Review Darren Ferguson spoke of his admiration for Neal Ardley's AFC Wimbledon side, ahead of their visit to the Keepmoat this Tuesday evening. The Rovers manager has highlighted the Dons' attacking threat ahead of their encounter, "I like them [AFC Wimbledon], I think they're a good team. They're full of energy and they played very well on Saturday in the first-half against Wigan. "They've been playing with two strikers which we don't face all the time. They have good experience and they still need something to make sure they're safe. It will be a tough game." There are no new fresh injury concerns for the Rovers manager with him debating about captain James Coppinger's involvement on Tuesday night. It's believed the Scotsman wants Coppinger to complete near to 90-minutes against Wigan on the final day of the season. So far this season the Keepmoat has witnessed a Rovers goal on an average every 44 minutes, whereas they've seen the away side scored every 48 minutes. Lyle Taylor is the Dons' top goalscorer this term with him netting 17 goals while making 6 assists. He's managed to convert 50% of his shots on target this season and will surely be a real handful for the Rovers back-line. In the previous encounter, Rovers succumbed to a dismal 2-0 defeat which was dubbed this sides 'poorest' performance of the season, alongside Walsall away.
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by The Rovers Review Rovers’ latest League One test is their final away game of the season at Oldham Athletic. Gavin Strachan is aware that Oldham will be throwing everything at Rovers this Saturday to help their bid for survival, “[Changes] wouldn’t really be performance related, we don’t feel anyone has let us down in terms of that. If there was to change it would be on merit or to have a look at certain things. “Oldham will be very motivated. We need to be more ruthlessness if you look at the Oxford game that would be the key thing. “The type of the team they are [suggests they’ll come at you]. They’ve got lots of attackers, lots of wingers, lots of creative players and they like to play out quickly from the back and with that they’ve got to play for, they will come at us, but you’ve got to impose yourself on the opposition.” The assistant manager confirmed there are no new injury concerns but there is a bit of “wear and tear” from a few individuals after playing a high volume of games. Former Rovers midfielder Richie Wellens will be the man in the opposite dug-out as he aims to keep Oldham in League One after taking charge in September 2017. Tics striker Eoin Doyle is the fifth-top goal scorer in League One after netting 15 goals for Wellens’ side. The 30-year-old striker is on loan from Championship club Preston. Should Oldham draw or beat Rovers then that will send MK Dons down and help the Tics’ bid for survival, however a win for Rovers would keep Oldham right into the relegation mix.
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by The Rovers Review Doncaster Rovers want to halt Blackburn's promotion party tonight as Tony Mowbray's side visit the Keepmoat for Rovers' latest test. Rovers manager Darren Ferguson is in awe of the Blackburn side Mowbray has assembled, but he still keeps his confidence that his squad can still get a result, "I think they've set the standards and set consistency very well and that's the key, consistency to results and they've managed to do that and they deserve to be where they are in the league. "It's a game I'm really looking forward to and I've said to the players they should do as well. I think they'll bring good support, they're bringing a good team and a very good manager with them. "It's a very good game for us too: a good atmosphere and two good footballing teams but it will be a difficult game we know but it's a winnable game." Ferguson has also said he no qualms about "freshening it up" again ahead of a tough clash against Blackburn Rovers. Midfielder Tommy Rowe has been officially ruled out for four months after undergoing an operation on a recurring tendon injury, meaning he'll miss the remainder of the season for Rovers. Previously, Rowe had only missed one league game for Rovers since signing permanently almost two years ago. Rovers' defense will have to deal with League One's third top goalscorer on Tuesday as Bradley Dack could be playing, who has managed to net 18 goals so far this term. In the reverse fixture Donny came out 3-1 victors on the second day of the season as goals from John Marquis, James Coppinger and Alfie May helped the South Yorkshire side run riot. The last time Blackburn came to Doncaster was when both teams were in the Championship during the 2013/14 season and Rovers won 2-0 with goals coming from Theo Robinson and James Husband on either side of the half. Blackburn haven't won in Doncaster in over 60 years - a 5-1 win in Division 2 in 1958.
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by The Rovers Review Doncaster Rovers take on Karl Robinson’s struggling Oxford United at the Keepmoat this Saturday. Rovers’ assistant manager Gavin Strachan is looking forward to the occasion with the team hitting a good run of form with them only losing 6 out of 31 games, “Oxford is a team that are full of energy, and they have two very strong strikers, if he chooses to use them, and they have good experience and strength at the back. “We are in a really good spell of form at this moment in time and my message to the players would be just to embrace the challenges that we have coming up, because everyone has something to play for. “Whether it is for a place in the team now and next season, new contracts for next season, young players trying to get their foot in the door, we do give opportunities to people and they have to take them when they come.” Most of the players seem to have come through the Bury test okay with them having the entire of Thursday off to recover and spend time with their families. Rovers are joint top of the form table with Blackburn Rovers after collecting eleven points from five games. Oxford is 18th, picking up a dismal four points from five games. The last time these two sides met was back in December last year, when Oxford edged out a 1-0 win. However the last time they visited Doncaster, Rovers won 2-0 back in 2003 at Belle Vue, with goals from Paul Green and Tim Ryan. |