Tuesday 9th August 2016 (7.45pm), EFL Cup R1, Keepmoat Stadium.
Doncaster Rovers kick off their 2016/17 home season with an EFL Cup Round One tie against Championship side Nottingham Forest.
The pair experienced different fortunes at the weekend with the hosts going down 3-2 to Accrington Stanley while the visitors edged out neighbours Burton Albion 4-3, so goals should be expected!
And it’s only two and half years since the sides met on an even keel in a goalless Championship encounter at the City Ground.
There have been three previous meetings between Rovers and their Nottinghamshire opponents in the League Cup and the South Yorkshire club are yet to prosper. The most (in) famous result came almost 19 years ago to the day when Pierre van Hooijdonk, Dean Saunders and co ran riot in an 8-0 thrashing of beleaguered Rovers at Belle Vue in the dreaded campaign of 97-98.
Once Rovers returned to the league they once again succumbed 2-0 to the Reds – who boasted now goalkeeper coach Paul Gerrard in goal – but only after knocking out Ipswich in a stunning giant killing first.
Darren Ferguson’s men certainly fare better in this competition than the FA Cup – having progressed beyond the first round in each of the last five seasons – and will be hoping to perhaps emulate the club’s best ever performance; a quarter final appearance in 2005-06.
TEAM NEWS: There are no fresh injury worries for manager Darren Ferguson and Joe Wright, Harry Middleton and Paul Keegan are all in contention to start while loanees Jordan Houghton, Riccardo Calder and Niall Mason are free to play. Luke McCullough, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, Mathieu Baudry, Craig Alcock and Gary McSheffrey will miss out.
LAST TIME:
Sat 15th March 2014:
NFFC - 0
DRFC – 0
Championship
City Ground
Attendance – 27402
NFFC - K Darlow, J Lascelles, G Halford (M Derbyshire, 73), D Fox, D Collins, J Greening, G Jara, R Majewski, A Reid (J Mackie, 60), J Paterson, S Cox (D Henderson, 66)
DRFC – S Johnstone, P Quinn, J Coppinger, A Meite, J Husband, D Cotterill, R Wellens, P Keegan, M Duffy, B Sharp, C Brown.
HEAD TO HEAD: Results (in Doncaster): Rovers – 5, Draws – 6, Forest - 9
WHAT ARE THE ODDS? DRFC 9/4, Draw 12/5, NFFC 6/5.
ROVERS PLAYER: Listen to live coverage from 19:30 with Tom Biltcliffe and Jordan Owens.
ROVERS WALL: Follow all the action as it happens from 18:30.