Preview: Donny – Town
By Aston
November 14 2008
Town will be looking for their 3rd straight win tomorrow afternoon when they visit Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Town have all their players training again, but Ben Thatcher is still short on match fitness and Danny Haynes only started training again on Thursday. David Norris has been included in the squad despite the media wanting him hung drawn and quartered this week, Darren Ambrose is expected to make his second Town debut.
Town manager Jim Magilton: "It's going to be real test for us, the biggest of the season, with all that has happened this week, we know the spotlight will be on us and obviously David in particular and we have to deal with that.
"The game is on Sky as well and I'm sure Doncaster's players will raise their game in front of their fans and if we are not fully focussed, we will lose.
"We have to really dig in and show the unity that we have done. We have to continue the hard work the players have shown on our travels and build on the momentum that we have started.
"Defensively we have done well, with a couple of clean sheets on the trot now and that is obviously pleasing and it gives us the platform to go forward because I always feel we have enough in the locker to score goals.
"I always felt that when the new players started to settle in, things would turn around for us," he adds.
"There is a real work ethic running through the team now and our performances away from home are a massive step forward from last year but we have a long way to go yet.
"The important thing is the players maintain the tempo and desire they have shown. The lads that are not in the team at the moment, Pablo, Jon Stead, Tommy Miller, Alex Bruce and the rest - you can see their disappointment that they are not involved. They are chomping at the bit for their chance and that's important for the success of this Club."
Doncaster will be without Darren "baby boy" Byfield after he joined Oldham on-loan for a month earlier today. Defender Gareth Roberts is a doubt with a hamstring problem. James Coppinger and Shelton Martis could both return after missing Doncaster's game against Sheffield Wednesday last week.
Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll: "We have tried to get away from the fact that the game is on the television. I don't think that we've ever focused on that before.
"The 5:20 pm kick-off will give us some logistical problems as we've never kicked off at that time before.
"Whether we bring the players in for training in the morning is something we've not yet decided.
"But apart from that we've tried to carry on as normal. 99% of the things that we do we think we do well. We've just got to work that bit harder to finish of our chances.
"But we've got to create chances first and foremost; nobody is going to give you any chances in this league.
"We have tweaked training a little bit and we've made it more focused on certain aspects of our game.
"But the players are under pressure anyway so I'm very wary of putting more pressure on them because that defeats the object of what we are trying to do.
"Everybody has tried to be supportive of each other, which is what you need.
"They are capable; they have spent money and they've got a good fan base.
"They are organised and have got players who can score goals. Being an established Championship side gives them more of a hard edge because it is such a competitive division.
"Like any other team in this division, they are really difficult to beat if you go a goal down."
Match odds:
Town: 5/4
Draw: 12/5
Doncaster: 23/10
Got a view on the news above? Leave it below.
you have the basics of a decent team but cant really put my finger on what went wrong for you today. there keeper did make a couple of decent saves but i was never really convinced you would get back into it? there seemed to be a little lack of confidence in the team?
Does Jim still have the backing of the crowd or are you starting to get impatiant with him now?
I think we are firmly on his back now.