Rovers face their third game in the space of six days when they travel to take on Northampton Town in Sky Bet League One on Saturday.
Darren Moore’s side are looking to get back to winning ways after a narrow 2-1 defeat at league leaders Hull City on Wednesday night.
Northampton’s recent form
After something of an inconsistent start to the season, the cobblers have lost just one of their past six league matches, stretching back to a 3-2 win at Wigan Athletic at the end of October. They followed that up with a goalless draw against MK Dons, before being beaten at home to Accrington Stanley.
Northampton have continued to progress in the third tier and have won two of their past three games, beating Burton Albion and Fleetwood Town either side of a draw at Rochdale.
The man in charge
Former Mansfield Town and Carlisle United manager Keith Curle was appointed as the Northampton manager in October 2018. In his first full season in charge, Curle earned his first promotion in the EFL as the cobblers beat Exeter City in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final. Since taking the job, Curle has overseen 112 Northampton matches, winning 45, drawing 29 and losing 38, giving him an overall win percentage of 40.2%.
Ones to watch
Nicky Adams
Northampton re-signed the experienced winger on a two-year deal in the summer of 2019 after he left Bury. Having played for the likes of Rotherham United, Crawley Town and Carlisle United in his career, he won promotion with the cobblers in the 2015/16 campaign before repeating that feat with Bury in his final season at Gigg Lane. He tasted success once more last season and played a key role in Northampton’s promotion back to the third tier.
Sam Hoskins
After starting his career with Southampton, Hoskins spent time on loan with Rotherham and Stevenage before a permanent move to Yeovil Town in 2013. He spent two years at Huish Park before joining Northampton after a successful trial period. He has gone on to become an integral part of the setup at Sixfields, scoring the club’s goal of the season in 2018/19, before netting in the play-off final victory over Exeter last season. He signed a new deal with the club in the summer.
Harry Smith
The 6ft 5in front-man started his career with Millwall and scored six goals in 12 games for the lions, before joining Macclesfield Town in the summer of 2018. Smith played a key role in helping the silkmen stay in Sky Bet League Two under Sol Campbell, scoring nine times. Northampton snapped him up last summer, handing the 25-year-old a three-year deal.
Last time out
Goals from James Coppinger and Andy Butler either side of a Niall Mason penalty earned Rovers a 3-0 win over Northampton when the two sides last met in Sky Bet League One on Boxing Day 2017 at the Keepmoat Stadium.
More ahead of this match
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