Manager Grant McCann says he knows where his loyalties lie as Rovers prepare to face his former club Peterborough United in Sky Bet League One on Saturday.
McCann returns to the ABAX Stadium for the first time since his departure in February, having spent seven years as both player and manager with the Posh, captaining them to promotion in 2011, but says his focus is firmly on three points for Rovers at the weekend.
“Peterborough are a club that will always be close to my heart, but in football you have to move on, my only focus now is Doncaster Rovers, I have a great team here, we all want to go further in our careers and our focus is getting this club back to the Championship,” he said.
“It’s just another game for me, I’m looking forward to it, and it’s a game that we feel we can go there and win, they’ve started the season well, but so have Portsmouth, and we were unlucky just to come away with a point from that.
“We’ll go there and look to play our game, it’s a big pitch there, but that gives us plenty of space to create a lot of chances and cause them problems, we won’t be going there to sit back, we’ll be going out to win.”
Rovers head into their second month of the season under McCann when they face the Posh on Saturday, and the manager says he has seen a real difference in his squad since his arrival at the club.
“We have a real tight-knit group at this club, they all want to improve and they all want to get better, the players come in to training with a smile on their faces, and if they need picking up, they get back to it quickly and they’re ready to go again,” he added.
“We’re going along okay at the minute, but I’ll always demand more from my team, I say it all the time but win, lose or draw, we have to get ready and focus on the next game, and we just have to keep on doing what we’ve been doing already.
“It’s been a good first month of the season, the lads have loved every day, they’re enjoying the training and they’re enjoying their football, I think you can see how much they love the freedom, and they’ve got to grips with my style of play too, and we’re getting better.”
Rovers are back in action at the Keepmoat Stadium when Newcastle United U21 visit in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday September 4. Book your place now at tickets.clubdoncaster.co.uk.