Manager Grant McCann says the form book will be irrelevant when local rivals Scunthorpe United arrive at the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.
Rovers will be looking to make it seven unbeaten in all competitions when the Iron visit in Sky Bet League One, whilst Scunthorpe have lost their past five games, but with the added edge of local bragging rights at stake, McCann believes recent form will be irrelevant.
“The game will be a tough one there’s no doubt about it, derby games always are, people need to forget about form, forget about this, forget about that, it means absolutely nothing at all to me,” he said.
“We have to make sure we give a good account of ourselves and get the result, derbies will always see form become irrelevant, the clubs are so close together and both teams want to beat each other, we know we’ll have to fight and be aggressive, but we’re up for it.
“The players are in the same mindset as me, we’re obviously going to treat this game very seriously, we’re approaching it calmly, just like we have done every single game before this, yes it’s a derby, but we’re playing the game not the occasion.”
Saturday’s game with the Iron is Rovers’ third of six over the month of December, and McCann is keen to ensure that his side maintain what they have been doing over the past month and head into 2019 in a strong position.
“We just need to make sure we keep doing what we’ve been doing over recent weeks, we’ve shown how good a team we can be, how strong we can be, the players believe in themselves and once that carries on, we can be even better,” he added.
“We will never settle for what we’ve got, we have a tough run of games coming up over the festive period with some long trips to come, we’re going to keep our feet on the ground and make sure we work hard every day.
“We want to make sure we put a good show on for the fans whenever we play, and we want to make sure that they go away pleased with what they have seen, we want to entertain, but we’re going out to make sure that we rack up those wins.”
Tickets for Saturday's big Sky Bet League One local derby with Scunthorpe United are still available via the Club Doncaster Box Office. Purchase yours now by either visiting in-store at the Keepmoat Stadium, by calling on 01302 762576, or online at tickets.clubdoncaster.co.uk.
Fans are also reminded that Saturday's game is an early kick-off, with the game kicking off at 12:15pm.