Rovers have the chance to go for their second ‘double’ of the season when they meet Colchester United at the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.
The two teams first met this season in Colchester back in September when a David Cotterill strike and an Andrew Bond own goal saw Rovers come away from Essex with all three points.
Dean Saunders’ men will go into the game with confidence levels sky high having only lost one game in the past nine and picked up seven out of nine points over the Christmas period.
Colchester, on the other hand, come into the game on the back of 7 straight defeats having not won since their November 17th victory over Bury.
Both clubs are having very different seasons with Rovers flying high in 3rd and pushing for promotion whereas defeat on New Years’ Day saw the U’s slip to 20th, only two points off the relegation places.
Head to head, the two clubs have a fairly even history in all fixtures but the stats show the home side usually comes out on top. In Doncaster, Rovers have won 60% (12) of the meetings between the two clubs, with Colchester only winning four, with four draws.
Goals are a regular occurrence in this fixture with Rovers outscoring the visitors with 31 goals to 22 in games in Doncaster, averaging 1.55 goals per game with
Rovers’ biggest victory over their Essex rivals was a 3-0 victory back in August 1994 with Colchester boasting the bigger margin of victory when they beat Rovers 5-0 in October 1966.
Team News:
Billy Paynter starts the first of his three match ban after the club decided against appealing his sending off against Sheffield United. Martin Woods remains doubtful for Saturday’s game and Dean Saunders is sweating on the fitness of Chris Brown and Paul Quinn who should be fit despite slight injuries.
New signing Lee Fowler should be available for selection after his arrival from Fleetwood Town.
Travel News:
Delays at the Lakeside Shopping Village roundabout due to ongoing roadworks. Access to the stadium via the Middlebank roundabout.
Weather:
A good deal of cloud around once again, but it should remain dry. Sunny spells developing in the east. Staying very mild.
Rovers Player: