Doncaster Rovers

Richie Wellens sat down with the press ahead of a visit from Morecambe in Sky Bet League One on Saturday.

The manager gave an update on the skipper, talked about training, and set-out his side’s mentality for the upcoming match.

On Tom Anderson:

“Tom Anderson will be fit to play but Cameron John will be four to six weeks.

“We’ve conceded a few goals recently where we feel that if Tom was there – just through sheer size and aggression – we don’t concede.

“I’ve spoken in the past and given my thoughts on how good Tom is and how good he can be. He’s our best leader and a well-established centre half in this league.”

On how the squad is shaping up ahead of the weekend:  

“Tiago wasn’t eligible for the weekend, but he trained well on Wednesday, and he’ll be available for selection on Saturday.

“We’ve got another week’s training into Joe Dodoo and Jordy Hiwula. Rodrigo Vilca joined us having played no games but he got 60 minutes and has trained really well over the last three days so he’s in contention.

“We’ve got some good options.

“We had 21 training this week and they’re all our players so that’s the first time we’ve really had that. The training over the last few days has been really good and the players have worked hard. This is the best I’ve felt ahead of a game in terms of the players we have available.”

On messages at training:

“No excuses anymore. The message this week is to go for it.

“Be expressive, get forward, get numbers in the box. Pass forward, run forward, if you’ve got the opportunity then drive forward.

“Training has been really, really good. We’re going full throttle at the weekend.”

On the fans' role:

“I’m not sure that our supporters know how crucial they’re going to be over the next six or seven weeks.

“We’ve got a young group of players who are learning – we need everyone to get behind them because with the fans behind them, these players will start to grow and improve.

“I believe we’ve got the making of a really good football team.”