Saturday 15th October 2016 (3pm), Sky Bet League Two, Keepmoat Stadium.
Rovers will look to crown Darren Ferguson’s first anniversary in charge with a win over Colchester United at Keepmoat Stadium.
More importantly than the manager’s year long tenure however, will be desire from the hosts to extend their unbeaten home run to double figures in their quest to bounce back to the third tier.
A win would go a long way to avenging a sorrowful 4-1 hammering at Easter against the U’s which pulled Rovers deeper in to their eventual relegation mire and underlined the seriousness of their plight.
They duly followed the Essex side in to League Two but their recent form is good enough to show positive signs of a turnaround.
The omens are good for Rovers who have won their last three home games against the U’s without conceding a goal and are unbeaten on home soil since that fateful day in 1998 where a 1-0 defeat brought the curtain down on more than 80 years of uninterrupted league football at Belle Vue.
Colchester provided the first home opposition for Darren Ferguson in his reign at the club and loanee Conor Grant swept home on debut before Andy Williams secured all three points.
The honeymoon didn’t last, however, and manifested itself at the Weston Homes Community Stadium in March. Rovers are a different team now, though, with only four starting players from that day likely to do so on Saturday.
TEAM NEWS: The signs do not look good for leading goalscorer Andy Williams who took a knock late in the 3-2 win over Barnet. Mathieu Baudry, Niall Mason and Paul Keegan will be in and around the squad while John Marquis will return from suspension.
LAST TIME:
Friday 25th March 2016:
CUFC - 4 (Porter, 62; Lee, 71; Gilbey, 72; Brindley, 87)
DRFC - 1 (McSheffrey, 21)
League One
Weston Homes Community Stadium
Attendance –3771
CUFC - E Parish, L Chambers (F Kent, 16), N Shorey, T Eastman, J Edwards, G Moncur, O Garvan, A Gilbey, C Porter (M Bonne, 83), G Massey, E Lee (R Brindley, 79)
DRFC - R Matthews, C Alcock, C Evina (G MacKenzie, 65), A Sinclair, A Butler, C Stewart (A Williams, 67), J Coppinger (R Calder, 74), H Middleton, T Rowe, G McSheffrey, N Tyson
HEAD TO HEAD: Results (in Doncaster): Rovers – 15, Draws – 4, CUFC – 2.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS? DRFC 4/6, Draw 3/1, CUFC 19/5
ROVERS PLAYER: Listen to live coverage from 14:45 with Tom Biltcliffe and Paul Goodwin.
ROVERS WALL: Follow all the action as it happens from 14:00