Links


FSA logo


by Adam Stubbings

Another encouraging result for Rovers last time out saw us take a well earned point from a visit to league leaders Coventry, with this another example of the improvement seen in the side under Darren Ferguson so far. The 2-2 draw demonstrated our ability to compete with the best sides in League One, and show fortitude to twice come from a goal behind courtesy of Nathan Tyson's double. The striker is back in form and also had a chance to win it only to be denied by the width of a crossbar, and he will be hoping to link up with Andy Williams again to find the winning formula as we return to F.A. Cup action on Sunday.

Yes, we're playing our 2nd Round tie on Sunday this year after being selected to be part of the BBC's Final Score Special coverage, meaning that any Rovers fans not making the trip south for our trip to Cambridge United can still see the action as it unfolds by tuning in to Jason Mohamed and friends on the BBC. This is a first for Rovers and could be a fun way to follow the afternoon's proceedings, providing we don't get soundly beaten on national television.

Cambridge are having an unremarkable season so far in League Two and sit 15th going into the tie. They recently appointed former Notts County boss Shaun Derry as their manager after relieving Richard Money of his duties less than 18 months on from securing promotion back to the Football League, with the dismissal coming just prior to The U's 1st Round victory over Basingstoke Town. Derry has now managed back to back wins to earn his first points as Cambridge boss, a 4-2 result at Morecambe followed up last Saturday by a 3-1 win against his former club Notts County, and a bit of added spice comes from the fact that Derry was reportedly on the interview shortlist for the Rovers job prior to the appointment of Darren Ferguson.

This will be only the fourth competitive meeting between the two sides since the turn of the century, with both sides owning a single victory over the other in that time. Easily the most memorable of those fixtures was our 2-0 home victory on Easter Monday 2004, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Paul Green netting to secure a remarkable second successive promotion for Rovers and catapult us into the third tier less than a year on from playing in non-league. That day will live long in the memory for all Rovers fans, and another result like that this weekend could propel us into the mouth-watering territory of drawing a top Premier League side in the 3rd Round of the F.A. Cup.

Ferguson hopes to have more first team players at his disposal this weekend after the squad recovered from a recent sickness bug. Mitchell Lund should be fit to return, possibly filling the void left by Felipe Mattioni after the Everton loanee limped out of the Coventry game, whilst Paul Keegan could also be back in contention. There was also a boost on the loan front this week as Conor Grant extended his stay at the Keepmoat through to the New Year. Rovers enter as favourites but will be wary of the banana skin as they look to avoid being one of the talking points of Sunday's BBC showcase.
Share on Twitter! Digg this story! Del.icio.us Share on Facebook! Technorati Reddit StumbleUpon

Comments *

Commenting option has been turned off for this article.
TinyPortal © 2005-2012