Retained list

[steve@dcfd]

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2024/may/retained-list/

Rovers can confirm the retained and released list following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.

We express our sincere thanks to those departing for their contributions during their time at the club and wish them the very best for their futures.

Players remaining under contract

Tom Anderson
Owen Bailey
George Broadbent
Jack Goodman
Kyle Hurst
Joe Ironside
Louis Jones
Ian Lawlor
Jay McGrath
George Miller
Joseph Olowu
Jack Senior
Jamie Sterry

Players agreed to new contracts starting July 1, 2024

Ben Close
James Maxwell
Zain Westbrooke
Richard Wood

Players offered new contracts

Hakeeb Adelakun
Harrison Biggins
Luke Molyneux

Transfer listed

Deji Sotona

Players not offered new contracts

Maxime Biamou
Ben Bottomley
Caolan Lavery
Liam Ravenhill
Tommy Rowe
Charlie Seaman
Jon Taylor

Options exercised on

Jack Degruchy
Bobby Faulkner
Tavonga Kuleya

Loan players returning to parent clubs

Hakeeb Adelakun
Conor Carty
Matthew Craig
Thimothée Lo-Tutala
Tom Nixon
Billy Waters

Scholars offered professional contracts

Freddie Allen
Will Flint
Jake Oram

Scholars not offered professional contracts

Max Adamson
Justin Bennett
Will Green
Chris Pooley
Harry Wood
DRFC_SM_970pix250pix copy.jpg

[colincramb]

Confirming what we thought about Tommy then. He’s been a great servant to the club over the years. Best of luck Tommy for the future.

[DonnyOsmond]

Personally wouldn't have got rid of Biamou but if the prognosis isn't great then understandable.

Everything else sounds good.

[mushRTID]

Stunned one of Jones or Lawlor haven't been transfer listed.

Tommy Rowe I wish you all the best sir, what a great professional and guy who has given us everything.

Disappointed we aren't looking at something for Biamou but full confidence Grant has great attacking options up his sleeve.

[pib]

Hopefully something will be put out on the website/social media honouring Tommy Rowe. Right decision to release him but deserves some acknowledgement. Been a great servant for the club and seems a top guy and a great pro.

[colincramb]

Personally wouldn't have got rid of Biamou but if the prognosis isn't great then understandable.

Everything else sounds good.

I don’t think his injury record is great. Might be one of those where we have him train pre-season and see how he gets on and then possibly offer him something at a later date

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Right decisions all round I think, be quite a big surprise if all three of those sign but they have to offer them contracts.  I am slightly surprised we didn't see a GK transfer listed.  Obviously for the trainee rules keeping Jones as the backup is the right decision but thought Lawlor may have been listed.

Sad for Biamou but we have to be ruthless on fitness.

Hopefully something will be put out on the website/social media honouring Tommy Rowe. Right decision to release him but deserves some acknowledgement. Been a great servant for the club and seems a top guy and a great pro.

Absolutely agree.  Feels like time's caught up with him but he's given the club plenty over the years.

[Copps is Magic]

Good luck Tommy. I think the only position he didn't play in the end was goalkeeper. Shame about Taylor's injuries through the years, hope he can eventually sort it out, but releasing him helps the balance sheet significantly.

I did not agree with the new contracts for Close and Westbrooke and still don't, but what do I know. Let's see if the three offered contracts sign, and I hope TLT returns.

[Upton Rover]

Stunned one of Jones or Lawlor haven't been transfer listed.

Tommy Rowe I wish you all the best sir, what a great professional and guy who has given us everything.

Disappointed we aren't looking at something for Biamou but full confidence Grant has great attacking options up his sleeve.

Got to agree with you on Lawlor & Jones, not even L2 standards, they wouldn’t get any other EFL club showing any interest in them both

[Prez]

Yes, I’m very surprised also that at least one of the keepers have not been transfer listed. Gutted about Max. Looked very good, but we can only come to the conclusion the decision not to offer him a contract is on medical grounds.

The rest of the list is pretty much expected. Wish them all the best especially Tommy Rowe.

[Filo]

Biamou must be an injury concern and not worth the risk, I wonder if Grant is looking at Josh Magennis, scored a few goals under Grant at Hull

[pib]

I can see one of Lawlor/Jones moving on (potentially on loan until their contracts end) if we manage to get somebody of TLT's ilk in. Wouldn't be surprised if GM is keeping his powder dry on that though until he's weighed up the options/costs. Plus if the only option with TLT is to get him back on loan, we might want to keep three on the books in case of a recall (remember Bursik?)

[steve@dcfd]

Either Lawlor and Jones will have to go eventually I said beginning of the season neither is good enough and I’ve was proved right. We need a No1 keeper on season long loan or permanent as good as TLT.  Aiming to be Champions that is a must.

[IDM]

Were we crap for the first two thirds of the season due to the keepers, or because we were crap as a whole?

The only big player released apart from loanees is Rowe.  Biggins and/or Moly would be ideal - Haks a bonus if we can get him.

[Barmby Rover]

Sad to see one or two on the list to go, but as a club we cannot afford to pay people who cannot guarantee fitness. Nice to see three progressing through the ranks too.

[ncRover]

Biamou must be an injury concern and not worth the risk, I wonder if Grant is looking at Josh Magennis, scored a few goals under Grant at Hull

Would make a lot of sense that one. We need some cover for Ironside because Miller is a completely different centre forward.

The goalie situation has me worried. Grant going in to the season with them two was him underestimating the quality of league 2. Surely he has realised, along with the GK coach.

Does this mean no contract offered to Tom Nixon then?

Can’t see Haks signing. If the Mansfield rumour is true, why would he?

[IDM]

Biamou must be an injury concern and not worth the risk, I wonder if Grant is looking at Josh Magennis, scored a few goals under Grant at Hull

Would make a lot of sense that one. We need some cover for Ironside because Miller is a completely different centre forward.

The goalie situation has me worried. Grant going in to the season with them two was him underestimating the quality of league 2. Surely he has realised, along with the GK coach.

Does this mean no contract offered to Tom Nixon then?

Can’t see Haks signing. If the Mansfield rumour is true, why would he?

McCann’s influence?  The freedom he has playing how we play?

[roversdude]

I have utmost faith in Grant and I’m sure he realised what a difference TLT made. In Jones and Lawlor we have 2 decent second choice keepers

[Jonathan]

I think it would be hard to offer Biamou a new deal at this very moment while he is injured. But I doubt the door is slammed shut there.

Other than that there are few surprises. Echo the thoughts of others that I would have expected to see one or both of the senior keepers transfer listed. Jack Degruchy must have something over the hierarchy here. No disrespect to him but I can’t ever see him breaking through. Needs to go elsewhere.

Eyes turn to agreeing new deals now. Interesting days and weeks ahead.

[ncRover]

Biamou must be an injury concern and not worth the risk, I wonder if Grant is looking at Josh Magennis, scored a few goals under Grant at Hull

Would make a lot of sense that one. We need some cover for Ironside because Miller is a completely different centre forward.

The goalie situation has me worried. Grant going in to the season with them two was him underestimating the quality of league 2. Surely he has realised, along with the GK coach.

Does this mean no contract offered to Tom Nixon then?

Can’t see Haks signing. If the Mansfield rumour is true, why would he?

McCann’s influence?  The freedom he has playing how we play?

I thought that before but like someone’s said before there has been a body language change.

Geography works for him there and they play attacking football.

Hope I’m wrong.

[Dutch Uncle]

One name I am missing is Sam Straugham-Brown - I thought he was offered a deal about the same time as Flint?

[GazLaz]

Jack Degruchy getting another year? Incredible.

[steve@dcfd]

One name I am missing is Sam Straugham-Brown - I thought he was offered a deal about the same time as Flint?

He is only 17 so he will be in the under 18 team next season. Like others keeping the options open on Degruchy and Kuleya is surprising

[GazLaz]

One name I am missing is Sam Straugham-Brown - I thought he was offered a deal about the same time as Flint?

He is only 17 so he will be in the under 18 team next season. Like others keeping the options open on Degruchy and Kuleya is surprising

If he gets fit Liam Ravenhill could still end up being a player. If I was Scunny manager I’d sign him.

[keyser_soze]

No surprises there and not supporting sentimentality but Tommy Rowe does feel like a loss. When McCann joined he identified the triumvirate of Rowe, Taylor and Anderson as leading senior characters in the dressing room.

I have significant faith that the next Luke Molyneux/Hakeeb Adelakun is identified and will be brought in once we know where their future lies. It would be an important signing to keep at least one of those forward three for consistency sake going into next season - but i think the fact that others signed new deals several weeks ago now says a lot about the two that have held out.

[Chris Black come back]

Some people made this point last summer. Jones or Lawlor can definitely compete for the starting spot, but not both of them. We need a very strong keeper, and then one of those two as the experienced competition. As it stands, this is not a strength for us, especially compared to those sides we are aiming to be competing with next season.

Perhaps another loan is the McCann plan.

[Mike_F]

Biamou must be an injury concern and not worth the risk, I wonder if Grant is looking at Josh Magennis, scored a few goals under Grant at Hull

Would make a lot of sense that one. We need some cover for Ironside because Miller is a completely different centre forward.

The goalie situation has me worried. Grant going in to the season with them two was him underestimating the quality of league 2. Surely he has realised, along with the GK coach.

Does this mean no contract offered to Tom Nixon then?

Can’t see Haks signing. If the Mansfield rumour is true, why would he?

McCann’s influence?  The freedom he has playing how we play?

I thought that before but like someone’s said before there has been a body language change.

Geography works for him there and they play attacking football.

Hope I’m wrong.

I would like to think that the change in body language from Haks was due to him carrying a bit of a knock/being absolutely knackered having gone from not playing a great deal at Lincoln to running himself into the ground week after week here.

I'd love it if we sign him but if we don't I have faith in Grant to find another diamond out there. That task will be harder if neither winger signs and we need to find two replacements. Obviously Sotona isn't rated as having the potential to do any sort of job even as backup. We don't get many signings wrong but that appears to be one that we rushed into.

[Mike_F]

One name I am missing is Sam Straugham-Brown - I thought he was offered a deal about the same time as Flint?

He is only 17 so he will be in the under 18 team next season. Like others keeping the options open on Degruchy and Kuleya is surprising

If he gets fit Liam Ravenhill could still end up being a player. If I was Scunny manager I’d sign him.

I can see him taking a similar trajectory to Branden Horton. Not good enough for league football at the time of release but could end up working his way back there from Non-League. I was thinking he'd get a National League club but Scunny would very much make sense and Andy Butler will know Liam so there's a clear link.

[Chris Black come back]

Sotana a truly amazing signing. Came in on two year deal, made a few eccentric appearances, then out on loan, comes back, immediately transfer listed. One for the ages.

[Nudga]

Can you imagine Adelakun and Wilks on either flank (if Molly goes)