Preston are the visitors to the Keepmoat Stadium tonight, and manager Dean Saunders is looking for his side to continue the good form shown of late against a team which, he believes, will be challenging for promotion towards the end of the season.
Dean admits his pre-match preparation is focused more on how his side will play rather that trying to speculate how North End will approach the game.
‘I have watched them [Preston] but we have our own game plan, and we have concentrated more on what we do rather than waste time on them. Sometimes it is a waste of time because come game time there might be three players missing, or they could play a completely different way. All we can control is what we do, and on the day the players have to adjust when they are out there.
‘The teams that spend money will be up there normally, although you might get one a season which is down at the bottom and shouldn’t be, but normally the teams that have spent the money will be up near the top. That’s
why I thought it was really good to get a point against Sheffield United and Stevenage because I think they will be up there, as will Preston.
‘This game is going to be a tough one. I’m sure that they will come here and be hard to play against. We want to win our home games if we can, and I’ve told the players if we don’t play well or things don’t go our way then the worst thing that should happen to us is that we draw and not lose.
‘Teams are coming to the Keepmoat and thinking that a point is a good result. That’s not happened for the last four or five years, and our supporters have got to get used to the fact that teams are going to sit back against us and try and frustrate us.
‘Take the game against Stevenage for example; we’ve not had a home game like that in a long time. They scored early against us then sat in their own half and let us have the ball. Sometimes it might take 80 minutes to break down these sorts of teams. It is a change in thinking for everyone; we are now one of the biggest clubs in the league and teams are going to come and try and frustrate us and our supporters.’
Rovers Player subscribers can hear the full interview HERE
Rovers Player is available FREE of charge for two weeks starting from today. Sign up now for access to premium Rovers content without the premium price tag. Click HERE for more details or to sign up.