“I think he will be good for us and will bring his experience from the time at West Bromwich Albion.”


The only previous visit to the Keepmoat Stadium to play Doncaster Rovers was on 14th August 2007 in the First Round of the League Cup. It finished 4-0 to Donny, in front of a crowd of 5,084. The goalscorers for Rovers that night were James Hayter (23′), Richie Wellens (55′), Paul Heffernan (59′) and Mark McCammon (73′), with Jamie Forrester scoring a consolation for The Imps in the 80th minute. A certain James Coppinger was in the Doncaster Rovers line-up that night and is likely to be in it today at the age of 38.

You have got to go back to 23rd January 2004 for the last league meeting (Division 3) between the two sides. An own goal scored by Tim Ryan (12′) and one by Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the 58th minute were enough to secure all three points at Belle Vue, in front of a crowd of 8,774.

Match Thread: Doncaster Rovers v Lincoln City

Time for the Q&As. Thank you to Doncaster Rovers supporters John and Derek for answering our questions. The answers have been published on two pages. To get to the second set of answers, simply click here!

First up, the answers provided by John:

How long have you supported Doncaster Rovers?

Since our Second Division days, so about 60 years.

Where did you finish last season?

6th and lost in the play-offs to Charlton.

What do you think of your Manager?

I think he will be good for us and will bring his experience from the time at West Bromwich Albion.

Who Are The League One Managers? No.9: Darren Moore (Doncaster Rovers)

What are your hopes and expectations for the 2019/20 season?

Personally, think we will be “ok” this season and be around 10th at the end.

One(s) to watch?

Kieran Sadlier and Ben Whitehouse will attract attention plus that young Coppinger could yet develop!

Who do you think will finish in the top six of League One?

Surely Sunderland WILL be in there with Ipswich Town, Coventry City and Rotherham United. Then it will be a case of picking any 2 of “the pack” behind them.

Who do you think will finish in the bottom four of League One?

Probably Bury and Bolton are handicapped with -12 and -11 and Accrington will make it a bad season for the North West and maybe AFC Wimbledon won’t do a great escape this time.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

Seem to be a well-run Club and those Cup runs raised their profile (please lose the Air raid siren if you haven’t already lol)

What do you think the score will be?

I do a prediction competition so don’t want to give away the score, but Rovers will win narrowly.

Random fact about your Club?

Currently 140 years old (older than most) and paying homage to that with Away Kit in original colours Dark Blue/Yellow. We won’t use the Tam o’ Shanter though thankfully.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

If I could turn the clock back Jason Shackell for sure. He was a class defender. I really rated him and very disappointed when he did not sign for us.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Doncaster Rovers Supporter?

Probably returning to the League after the “Richardson era” – when winning in Conference Final with Tierney’s Promotion Goal.

Personally, I went once to Scunthorpe for a night game v Rovers and found we were at home. I still made the kick-off, but we lost.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

Me without a doubt – if they could see me in the stand tackling, getting shots in etc they would sign me on. I have scored 6 already this season.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

Yes, and they play a huge role – deserve a bigger mention but space/words are tight.

Which was your favourite match involving Doncaster Rovers?

Like all fans of all teams, there are lots of games to pick from, but I go back time and again to Stoke’s Britannia Stadium and Rovers play-off win v Dagenham. The moment we were BACK!

Which was your least favourite match involving Doncaster Rovers?

Most of the ones we lose or draw when we should have won.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Doncaster Rovers?

Pass. The club is proactive in all areas so probably “yes”.

What’s the best thing about Doncaster?

Most people are very friendly and have a great sense of humour – though you can’t tell from these Q&As.

Do you actually consider us rivals?

Rivals in the sense of where we will finish in the League and will we get 6 points from you – yes – but in the sense of Barnsley, Rotherham United and Scunthorpe United, NO! Our fans split age-wise on greatest “rivals” and The Iron seems to the biggest now.

With the loss of several important players from last season – Marquis, Rowe, Wilks, Kane, Marosi, Butler and Andrew – do you think Moore’s objective this season is just consolidation?

I think the Managerial change happened really late so there will be a period of “catching up” by DM but he will do it.

How much better is it now to waltz down to the excellent Keepmoat Stadium for matches rather than trudge along to dilapidated Belle Vue?

Much better x 100 – it was for me a great day when we moved – and I still get a “kick” out of seeing the ground even when it’s not a game day. Don’t forget your roots but don’t ignore improvement which the Keepmoat is.

What is it about Rovers and non-English managers? The last ‘proper’ one you had was Dave Penney and he left in 2006!

Well, Sean O’Driscoll was born in Wolverhampton and Darren Moore in Birmingham thus making them “more” English than Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

How old will James Coppinger be when he finally retires?

Personally, it would be good if he went on forever but I think he will go at the end of this season.

Why did we never see the best of Dany N’Guessan at Rovers?

His famous damaged toe held his career back.

Has anyone ever had a shinier head at Donny than Paul Keegan?

Yes. Those as old as myself would remember Keith Kettleborough who to me seemed a really old man when I watched him but in fact, was only 32 ish.

Page Two: The answers provided by Derek!

And now for the answers provided by Derek:

How long have you supported Doncaster Rovers?

51 years.

Where did you finish last season?

Sixth and lost on penalties in the play-offs to Charlton Athletic.

What do you think of your Manager?

Daren Moore only joined us 7 weeks ago so it’s early days in that respect. He’s still starting to build his own squad, but being an ex-player for us gives him a great start with us fans.

Who Are The League One Managers? No.9: Darren Moore (Doncaster Rovers)

What are your hopes and expectations for the 2019/20 season?

Again, with a new manager, it’s a bit of an unknown quantity, but we hope to build on your last year’s finish and realistically the edge of the play-offs seems the goal.

One(s) to watch?

It’s the old and the new with Donny. A young lad called Kieron Sadlier in midfield is fast with a tendency to shoot from anywhere. The playmaker and fans favourite is number 26, Sir James Coppinger. Almost 39 years old. His vision, passing and dribbling skills make him still I’d say one of the best in League One.

Who do you think will finish in the top six of League One?

Ipswich Town, Sunderland, Lincoln City, Doncaster Rovers, Peterborough United and Oxford United.

Who do you think will finish in the bottom four of League One?

Bury, Bolton Wanderers, AFC Wimbledon and Accrington Stanley.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

With living in Lincoln I’ve been and watched them several times. They’re not just a long ball team with some excellent players. Danny Cowley and the City can be very proud of their last few seasons. A team transformed.

What do you think the score will be?

2-2.

Random fact about your Club?

The Imps are the team we’ve played most in our clubs history and also Sincil Bank was the first away ground I ever visited.

This season is our 140th anniversary.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

Always been a fan of Michael Bostwick. He solidifies things at the back and certainly is not frightened to put his foot in.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Doncaster Rovers Supporter?

Gaining promotion back to the EFL after five years in the conference via a golden goal winner at The Britannia Stadium.

The worst would be losing our league status and only winning three matches all season.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

Our most underrated player is number 8, Ben Whiteman. He WILL go on to player at a higher level. Sits in front of the defence and if given the chance to shoot, he will.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

Proud to say we do have a supporter’s trust and Donny has a superb relationship with our club. We meet every six weeks or so and the club totally embraces this close bond.

Which was your favourite match involving Doncaster Rovers?

That’s easy, any time we beat Barnsley for me. Proper banter, yet no animosity and fans just can’t wait for the next duel.

Which was your least favourite match involving Doncaster Rovers?

2008 season.

One-nil up at Barnsley and coasting. Barnsley have a player sent off and obviously down to ten. Should have been a breeze from there…cue the fight back. Donny hung on manfully to only LOSE 4-1. I wanted the ground to open and swallow me whole. Still having counselling for it.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Doncaster Rovers?

There isn’t an official former players association, but I do know the fans get them back together on a frequent basis for us to acknowledge them. We love nostalgia.

What’s the best thing about Doncaster?

Donny has been transformed, especially around the area of the ground with the landscape and new hi-tech firms. The racecourse and all the usual pubs are still there for all to visit.

Do you actually consider us rivals?

Despite the fact, there are only 39 miles between grounds I’ve never seen us as rivals, to be honest. With Lincoln now having so many of our old players and backroom staff (including Liam Scully & even our old groundsman) the friendship between the two clubs is evident.

With the loss of several important players from last season – Marquis, Rowe, Wilks, Kane, Marosi, Butler and Andrew – do you think Moore’s objective this season is just consolidation?

Darren will find it nigh on impossible to replace Wilks and Kane. The latter will become a top player in the PL. The aspiration is there and with a budget, I’d guess similar to Lincoln’s then the play-offs is the goal still.

How much better is it now to waltz down to the excellent Keepmoat Stadium for matches rather than trudge along to dilapidated Belle Vue?

I miss the old Belle Vue. It was like a pair of old slippers. They were old and tatty, but they fitted you perfectly and they were yours. The Keepmoat is a superb stadium with top-notch parking, ease of transport and so friendly in terms of visiting fans. It’s a pleasure to be there.

What is it about Rovers and non-English managers? The last ‘proper’ one you had was Dave Penney and he left in 2006!

Darren is English (although of Jamaican descent). Yes, you’re correct we seem to like the Scotch and Irish over the last decade or so. As long as it isn’t Steve Evans we’re happy.

How old will James Coppinger be when he finally retires?

The Donny fans panic every season that Copps will call it a day. There will be loads of tears when our Legend hangs up his boots (me included). Realistically the end of this or next season. I believe he’s now played 629 times for my little team and he’s now better than ever. To say he’s the fans favourite is a total understatement and is always magnificent with the fans whenever and wherever. A true gent.

Why did we never see the best of Dany N’Guessan at Rovers?

Ah, old Danny boy. We had two nicknames for him. Sick note and The toe. We signed him up and he was permanently injured and was a waste of fresh air.

Has anyone ever had a shinier head at Donny than Paul Keegan?

Keegs or “Shoot” as we called him must have been up all night polishing that noggin. Never the most naturally gifted, Paul would put his head & foot in places some men would fear to tread.

Page One: The answers provided by John!

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