Rovers return to Emirates FA Cup action this weekend when they host Sky Bet League Two side Oldham Athletic on Saturday.
Rovers made the fourth round after seeing off Championship opposition in Preston North End at the beginning of the month, with goals from John Marquis, Tom Anderson and Mallik Wilks seeing Rovers progress.
Oldham progressed to this stage after coming from 1-0 down against Premier League Fulham to win 2-1 late on at Craven Cottage, with Sam Surridge and Callum Lang securing a famous cup upset.
Brief history of Oldham Athletic
The club was founded in 1895, originally as Pine Villa FC and played in the Manchester and Lancashire leagues in their early days.
Oldham play at the 13,512-capacity Boundary Park stadium, which has been their home since 1904, and they are nicknamed the Latics.
The Latics were one of the 22 founding members of the Premier League upon its formation for the 1992/93 season, spending two seasons in the new division before their relegation in 1994.
Despite their relegation from the top flight that year, their FA Cup form didn’t suffer, and they reached the semi-finals of the competition for the third time in the 1993/94 season, losing out to Manchester United at Maine Road, also making the final four in the 1912/13 and 1989/90 campaigns.
Oldham currently find themselves in the fourth tier of English football, being relegated from League One on the final day of last season, and they lie in 12th position in the League Two table, seven points off the play-off positions.
Who’s the gaffer?
Pete Wild is the man currently at the helm for the Latics, taking temporary charge at Boundary Park following the departure of Frankie Bunn last month.
Lifelong Latics fan Wild, who was meant to be in the away end at Craven Cottage for Oldham’s famous third round win over Fulham, has taken charge of five games so far, winning three, drawing one and losing one, leaving him with a win percentage of 60 per cent.
Ones to watch
Callum Lang
The man on loan from current League One champions Wigan Athletic is the reason the Latics are into the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup, having scored the winner against Premier League side Fulham at Craven Cottage in round three. His header two minutes from time completed a remarkable turnaround for the Latics who were 1-0 down with 15 minutes left to play. Lang made his temporary switch to Boundary Park back in the summer, recently extending his loan to run until the end of the season. He spent last season in League Two with Morecambe, scoring 10 goals in 30 appearances as he helped the Shrimps to survive relegation on the final day of the season.
Peter Clarke
The central defender is a very experienced head across the Latics’ back-line, with the captain edging ever closer to his 700th senior appearance. Clarke began his career coming through the youth ranks at Everton, playing eight times for the England under-21 side during his time at Goodison Park too. More recently, Clarke is probably more well-known for his time playing in leagues across the EFL, with two spells at Blackpool sandwiching time with Southend United and Huddersfield Town, helping the latter to promotion from League One in 2012. Clarke joined the Latics in July 2016 on an initial one-year deal, going on to win the club’s Player of the Season at the end of his first year at Boundary Park.
Gevaro Nepomuceno
The Curacao international winger signed a one-year deal at Boundary Park in September 2017, with the option of a further year, following his departure from Portuguese top-flight side Maritimo. Nepomuceno began his professional career in the Netherlands, making his debut for FC Den Bosch in 2011, before signing for fellow Dutch side Fortuna Sittard a year later. He enjoyed a season playing in Romania with Petrolul Ploiesti, before his move to Portugal. Nepomuceno made his Latics debut against Fleetwood Town and scored his first goal for the club in a 5-1 victory at home to Northampton Town in December 2017 in League One.
Who’s the ref?
Peter Bankes will be the man in the middle when the two sides meet on Saturday, and you can read more about him here.
Last time out
Rovers and Oldham met at Boundary Park on the penultimate weekend of last season, playing out a goalless draw back in April 2018.
Rovers’ last win at home against the Latics was back in November 2012, with David Cotterill’s 69th-minute free-kick enough for Rovers to collect three points at the Keepmoat Stadium in League One.
Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup fourth round tie against Oldham Athletic is an ALL-TICKET fixture. There will be no cash turnstiles, though tickets are available up until kick-off from 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.