Saturday 3rd September 2016 (3pm), Sky Bet League Two, Alexandra Stadium.
Rovers travel to Cheshire on Saturday in the hope of exorcising the demons of April this year when defeat to Crewe Alexandra all but condemned Darren Ferguson’s side to relegation.
Despite going a goal up through Tommy Rowe, the visitors crumbled 3-1 at Gresty Road and were dragged in to the fourth tier by the already relegated hosts.
How times change just 126 days on.
Having signed 14 players in the transfer window, Ferguson has also seen the tally of those injured reach double figures, yet still the South Yorkshire side find themselves third in the Sky Bet League Two table with ten points from five games.
Rovers, were they to win, would make it five successive victories in all competitions for the first time since December 2006!
Their opponents haven’t enjoyed the start they would have envisaged, with only 1 win from their opening five league games and find themselves in 16th place.
Saturday will be the 95th meeting between the two sides in all competitions; Rovers have run out winners on 40 occasions to the Railwaymen’s 30.
The last time Rovers took the spoils in Crewe’s backyard was back in April 2013 when a Billy Paynter double turned the game around for Brian Flynn’s men.
TEAM NEWS: Luke McCullough (knee), Aaron Taylor-Sinclair (knee), Joey McCormick (shoulder), Mitchell Lund (kidney), Craig Alcock (ankle), Niall Mason (groin), Tyler Garratt (ankle), Paul Keegan (knee), Mathieu Baudry (Achilles), Gary McSheffrey (groin) and John Marquis (head) are the players who may be doubts for the game. Defender Frazer Richardson could debut.
LAST TIME:
Sat 30th April 2016:
CAFC - 3 (Ainley, 43; Haber, 57; Inman, 89)
DRFC – 1 (Rowe, 28)
League 1
Gresty Road
Attendance – 4403
CAFC - B Garratt, O Turton, J Guthrie, Z Bakayogo, H Davis, J Jones, B Bingham, C Ainley (D Udoh, 81), D Fox, C Saunders (B Inman, 73), M Haber (G Ray, 84)
DRFC - R Matthews, A Butler, C Alcock, C Evina, M Lund (A Sinclair, 46), R Calder (L Mandeville, 72), T Rowe, L McCullough, J Coppinger, A Williams, N Tyson (C Stewart, 72)
HEAD TO HEAD: League results (in Crewe): CAFC 17, DRFC 15, Draws 12.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS? CAFC 9/4, Draw 12/5, DRFC – 6/5.
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 13:30.