Rovers take on Fleetwood Town at the Keepmoat Stadium in Sky Bet League One this weekend looking for their first win of the campaign.
Darren Moore’s side remain unbeaten after draws in their opening two fixtures, but will be looking to turn one point into three against the Cod Army.
Fleetwood come into the game on the back of consecutive wins to start the season, with a 3-1 opening day victory at Peterborough United followed up with a 2-1 win at home to AFC Wimbledon.
Brief history of Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood play at the 5,327-capacity Highbury Stadium, which has been the club’s home since 1934.
This current Fleetwood team is the third incarnation of the club, having twice reformed since they were first established in 1908, with the latest reformation coming in 1997.
Fleetwood reached the Football League for the first time in 2012, having won the Conference Premier title that year. Jamie Vardy top scored for the Cod Army in their title-winning season, grabbing 31 goals in the league which would then help him seal a move to Leicester City for £1 million, an amount that was a record fee paid for a non-league player.
The Cod Army were promoted to League One in May 2014 via the play-offs at Wembley Stadium, which would be their sixth promotion in 10 years, marking a meteoric rise from the North West Counties Football League First Division up to the third tier of England’s professional leagues.
Who’s the gaffer?
Joey Barton took over as Fleetwood Town head coach in July 2018 in what was his first managerial role. The former Manchester City, Newcastle, QPR and Burnley midfielder guided the Cod Army to an 11th placed finish in his first season at the club, and will be hoping to mount a serious push for promotion this time around.
Ones to watch
Danny Andrew
The left-back will need no introduction to Rovers fans after playing a key role in the club reaching the Sky Bet League One play-off semi-final last season. Andrew joined Rovers from Grimsby Town in the summer of 2017, with his first season at the Keepmoat Stadium cut short after suffering a serious knee injury just a handful of games in. He would have to wait almost a year for his next league appearance, but settled back into the starting XI well and made 56 appearances, scoring five goals before moving to Fleetwood in the summer.
Josh Morris
Morris started his career with then Premier League side Blackburn Rovers, coming through the system at Ewood Park and playing 20 games for the club before heading out on loan – which included two temporary spells with Fleetwood. The winger moved to Bradford City in 2015 but it was after signing for Scunthorpe United a year later when he really made his name in the EFL, scoring 20 goals in 52 games in his debut season at Glanford Park. He backed that up with 12 goals the following campaign, before joining Fleetwood on a permanent deal in the summer after the Iron’s relegation to Sky Bet League Two.
Paddy Madden
The Irish striker made his name in England with Yeovil Town after an initial stint with with Carlisle United. He joined the Glovers on loan early in the 2012-13 campaign, scoring 23 goals in all competitions which helped his side win promotion to the Sky Bet Championship. After a frustrating second season with the club, Madden signed for Scunthorpe United and re-discovered his goal scoring form. The 29-year-old spent four years at Glanford Park before joining Fleetwood in January 2018.
Last time out
Fleetwood ran out 3-0 winners the last time the two sides met on Boxing Day 2018. Two goals from Paddy Madden either side of a simple Ash Hunter finish sealed the win for Joey Barton’s side.
Rovers welcome Fleetwood Town to the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday August 17. Tickets are available online at tickets.clubdoncaster.co.uk, in person from the Club Doncaster Box Office or on the phone (01302) 762576