Saturday 19th September 2015 (3pm), Sky Bet League One, Keepmoat Stadium.
Doncaster Rovers – under the stewardship of interim head coach Rob Jones – return to Keepmoat Stadium this Saturday against a beleaguered Oldham Athletic.Following a 5-1 thumping at the hands of (also) managerless Peterborough United at the weekend, David Dunn has taken the reins of the Latics in a similar fashion to Jones.
The man affectionately regarded as ‘The Corporal’ – due to his imposing stature and commanding influence – has prior experience in a similar capacity during the 2012/13 season where he ably assisted Brian Flynn in guiding Rovers to the League 1 title.
Jones is under no illusions as to the enormity of the task before him as his troops sit 22nd in the League 1 table – one point and two places shy of Saturday’s opponents – but can draw positives from Athletic’s slow start in a bid to gain a second league win of the campaign.
Rovers’ last outing at home in the league resulted in a 2-0 win (Coppinger & Main) over a Fleetwood side that had started the season admirably.
In fact, until last season’s 2-0 reverse – in which two former Rovers, Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jonathan Forte netted – the Lancashire side had never won a league game in Doncaster!
Rovers were to gain their revenge, however as the pair met at Boundary Park twice within five weeks.
Firstly, in the FA Cup, a late George Elokobi own saw Rovers progress to the third round of the FA Cup before a league encounter in which late strikes from Nathan Tyson and James Coppinger earned Doncaster an unlikely share of the spoils against the ten man hosts (who had seen ANOTHER former Rover in Joseph Mills dismissed!)
TEAM NEWS: Luke McCullough, Nathan Tyson, Harry Forrester and Rob Jones remain injured.
Attendance – 4181
Boundary Park Stadium
League 1
DRFC - 2 (Tyson, 78; Coppinger, 90+5)
OAFC 2 (Ibehre, 23; Elokobi, 54)
Sat 10th Jan 2015:
LAST TIME:
OAFC - P Rachubka, G Elokobi, J Wilson, J Mills, B Wilson, M Jones, L Kelly, D Philliskirk, C Winchester (D Mellor, 78), J Forte (A Morgan-Smith, 82), J Ibehre
DRFC - S Johnstone, L McCullough (L Wakefield, 78), E Stevens, R Wabara, A Butler, R Wellens, K Bennett (C Main, 60), H Forrester, J Coppinger, P Keegan, T Robinson (N Tyson, 60)
HEAD TO HEAD: League results (in Doncaster): DRFC - 8 OAFC - 1, Draws – 8.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS? DRFC 23/20; Draw 12/5; OAFC 9/4.
ROVERS PLAYER: Listen to live coverage from 14:45 with Tom Biltcliffe.
ROVERS WALL: Follow all the action as it happens from 14:00