Rovers return to league action this weekend when they travel to face Wycombe Wanderers in Sky Bet League One on Saturday.
Rovers come into the game off the back of Sunday’s 3-1 win over Championship side Preston North End at Deepdale in the Emirates FA Cup, with the goals coming from John Marquis, Tom Anderson and Mallik Wilks.
Wycombe, meanwhile, have not had a game since New Year’s Day, also at home, as they hosted Coventry City, losing 2-0 in Buckinghamshire after goals from Conor Chaplin and Jonson Clarke-Harris, and they will be out to get their first win in 2019.
Brief history of Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers play their home games at the 10,137-capacity Adams Park ground, which has been their home since 1990, following their re-location from Loakes Park.
They are nicknamed the Chairboys because of the tradition of chair-making in the town of High Wycombe, with their first ever team made from young furniture trade works in the late-1880s.
The Chairboys have domestic cup pedigree, embarking on two famous cup runs over the last 20 years. They reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup during the 2001/02 season whilst in Division 2, defeating Division 1 sides Grimsby Town, Wimbledon and Wolves, before beating Premier League side Leicester City in the quarter-final. They met Liverpool in the semi-final at Villa Park, narrowly missing out on an historic final place to the eventual winners, losing out 2-1.
They also made the semi-finals of the League Cup during the 2006/07 season, losing out over two legs to Chelsea, despite a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Adams Park.
Wycombe are making their return to the third tier this season, following automatic promotion from League Two at the end of April, ensuring they would be playing in this division for the first time since 2012. Their latest promotion would be their fourth rise from the league’s bottom tier, after promotions in 1994, 2009 and 2011.
Who’s the gaffer?
Former Chairboys player Gareth Ainsworth is the man at the helm at Adams Park, being in charge in Buckinghamshire since September 2012, initially starting in a caretaker role following the departure of Gary Waddock. He continued in his role as player-manager until the end of the 2012/13 season after steering the Chairboys away from the threat of relegation.
This will be Ainsworth’s seventh season in charge of the Chairboys, finally sealing his first promotion as a manager last season, after a failed play-off attempt in 2015, losing out to Southend United on penalties.
As of New Year’s Day, Ainsworth has taken charge of 344 Wanderers games, winning 140 of them, whilst drawing 88 and losing 116, leaving him with a win percentage of 40.7 per cent.
Ones to watch
Ryan Allsop
The former England under-17 international signed a three-year deal with the Chairboys this summer following his departure from AFC Bournemouth. He made his first appearance in English football with Leyton Orient in 2012, before leaving for the South Coast in January 2013 to join AFC Bournemouth. With the Cherries, Allsop helped to secure promotion to the Championship in 2012, but found much of his time later on at the Vitality Stadium spent on the bench, making just two appearances in the Premier League. Loan spells with Coventry City, Blackpool and Lincoln City, which included a Checktrade Trophy victory with the Imps, followed, before his move to another former loan club Wycombe this summer.
Adebayo Akinfenwa
One of the most well-known figures across the lower leagues of the EFL, the Chairboys front man can cause most defences problems with him powerful playing style. Akinfenwa arrived at Adams Park in 2016, following play-off success with AFC Wimbledon, where he scored a stoppage-time penalty in the 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle at Wembley Stadium. Akinfenwa spent time in red and white hoops in 2004, making nine appearances for Rovers, scoring four goals, including the opener in a 2-0 win over Cambridge United at Belle Vue, securing promotion from Division 3. Akinfenwa has made over 600 career appearances during his time around the EFL, including spells at Torquay United, Swansea City and Northampton Town.
Nathan Tyson
Another former Rover in the Chairboys’ attack, Tyson spent two seasons at the Keepmoat Stadium, with which he recently credited with helping him fall back in love with football. The forward is in his third spell at Adams Park, having spent a previous loan spell with the Chairboys in 2004, before making the move a permanent one later on that year. He joined Rovers in 2014 following their return to League One, and after 14 goals in his first season, including a hat-trick on the final day of the 2014/15 campaign against rivals Scunthorpe United, he was named as the club’s Player of the Year. Tyson re-joined Wycombe in 2017 after a season with Kilmarnock, and he scored eight times as he helped the Chairboys to promotion from League Two last term.
Who’s the ref?
Trevor Kettle 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 made it two wins from two in League One as they beat the Chairboys 3-0 in their first home game of this current season. Mallik Wilks scored the opener 10 minutes after the interval, before Joe Wright scored his first goal for the club on 78 minutes. John Marquis added a third goal just two minutes later to ensure that Rovers would kick off their Keepmoat Stadium campaign with a win.
Tickets for Rovers' next Sky Bet League One home game against Burton Albion 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.