Coventry City host Rovers this Good Friday at the Ricoh Arena in npower League One action
If the December 15thfixture is anything to go by, then Rovers will have to find every ounce of the quality they have shown on the road this season. The 4-1 home defeat to the Sky Blues was a stark indication of the unpredictability of League One with the game proving that teams outside the playoffs are capable of producing dominant performances over the top of the league sides.
but a Frank Moussa goal on three minutes quickly reminded Rovers of the dangers that Coventry possess as the best attacking away side in the division. The game then got away from Doncaster who were stung by further goals from top scorer David McGoldrick and a last minute nail in the coffin from Adam Barton capping a miserable outing for Rovers.th place going into the previous Coventry game with the visitors in 13thDoncaster were sat in 4
Coventry have since continued to stalk the playoff places with an impressive away record and an notable ‘goals for’ tally this season but due to recent financial issues off the pitch the prospect of promotion may have been taken out of the club’s hands with the penalty for administration now confirmed.
The loss of a key front man pairing in David McGoldrick to his parent club and Leon Clarke to injury had already threatened to derail the club’s chances but despite losing two of the clubs top scorers, Coventry have continued to find enough form to stay in touch winning five games out of the last ten.
Rovers’ five point gap at the top of the division gained from last weekend’s win away at Scunthorpe has come at a welcome time as the club enter a potentially tricky three game stretch against their Good Friday opponents and two home games against playoff opposition in Swindon Town and Tranmere Rovers.
Brian Flynn will be looking to make the best possible start with a third away win on the bounce on Friday as the club enters the last seven games of the season, very much back in form, scoring eleven goals in the last six outings.
With today’s confirmation that the game will go ahead at the Ricoh Arena and Coventry’s agreement to play the remainder of their games till the end of the season, the Sky Blues will be lifted by the possible return of 14 goal captain Carl Baker.
Last Meeting – League – 15/12/2012
Result –
Doncaster Rovers – 1 (Brown 76mins)
Coventry City – 4 (Moussa 3mins, McGoldrick 27, 58mins, Barton 90mins)
Teams –
ROVERS –Gary Woods, Paul Quinn, Rob Jones, Tommy Spurr, James Husband, David Cotterill, Paul Keegan, James Harper, Kyle Bennett, Iain Hume, Billy Paynter.
Subs –Chris Brown (Cotterill 25 mins), Andy Griffin (Quinn 46 mins), Sammy Clingan (Harper 73 mins), Shelton Martis, Robbie Blake, Jamie McCombe, Jon Maxted.
Coventry City –Joe Murphy, Cyrus Christie, Richard Wood, William Edjenguele, Blair Adams, Franck Moussa, James Bailey, Steven Jennings, Adam Barton, David McGoldrick, Gary McSheffrey.
Subs -Jordan Clarke (Moussa 49 mins), Connor Thomas (Barton 90+1 mins), Nathan Cameron, Cody McDonald, John Fleck, Roy O’Donovan, Chris Dunn.
Team News
Dean Furman will be available for selection despite suffering a facial injury whilst on international duty with South Africa.
Paul Quinn will miss the game after suffering a family bereavement.
Mostly bright with some sunny spells. A slight risk of snow showers due to the low temperatures.
Weather
Although there are no scheduled roadworks, please allow extra time for your journey to avoid an unexpected delays.
Travel