Doncaster Rovers F.C.

Doncaster Rovers

Full name	Doncaster Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Rovers Donny
Founded	1879
Ground	Keepmoat Stadium
Capacity	15,231
Chairman	John Ryan
Manager	Dean Saunders
League	Football League Championship
2010–11	Football League Championship, 21st
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.

The club was founded in 1879 and turned professional in 1885. Doncaster have spent the majority of their playing history between the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system and are one of three clubs to win the Division 3/League Two title 3 times.

Since 2008 they have been playing in the second tier of English football. This marks only the fourth time they have played at this level in their history and is the highest league the team has ever played in. They were elected into the old Second Division in 1901 where they only spent two years before going back into the regional league. They were once again re-elected to the league in 1904, but only lasted a year before failing to be re-elected in 1905. Their third stint at this level of English football was for 8 years from 1950 to 1958. This is seen as the club's most successful period.

The club's colours have traditionally been red and white. Their home strip is red and white hoops which has been the main design of the club’s home shirt since 2001.

On 23 September 2011 it was announced that both manager Sean O'Driscoll and assistant manager Richard O'Kelly had been sacked following a poor start to the 2011-12 season, Rovers having lost 6 and drawn 1 of their first seven games of the season. Up to this date O'Driscoll had been the ninth longest-serving manager in English football. Wrexham manager Dean Saunders has been named as O'Driscoll's replacement. The current club captain is George Friend.

History

The 1891 Sheffield and Hallamshire Challenge Cup winning Doncaster Rovers team.

The club was formed in September 1879 by Albert Jenkins, a fitter at Doncaster's Great Northern Railway works in response to the emerging popularity of the game in the nearby city of Sheffield. The team turned professional in 1885 and were first elected to the Football League in 1901, as a replacement for New Brighton Tower. Their first season in the League was precisely the one when Doncaster achieved their highest position ever (7th in the Football League Second Division). They only lasted two seasons in the league before being voted out in favour of local rivals Bradford City due to finishing the 1902–03 season in the bottom three. They spent the subsequent season in the non-league Midland League. A second attempt, in 1904–05, lasted only one season with Doncaster finishing dead last and being voted out once again. They would have to wait until 1923 before playing English league football again, when they were elected to the Football League Third Division North to replace Stalybridge Celtic.

The club did not have a permanent ground until 1885 when they started playing their games at the Intake Ground. They played their football there until August 1914 when the club went into liquidation. A new company did take over the club soon after but all English league competition was suspended in 1915 due to the First World War and the club was closed down and the ground was turned into an Army base. The club reformed in 1920 after the war's end and due to losing their old ground to the Army were forced to build a new ground. The ground was called Belle Vue and initially had a capacity of 10,000. Doncaster played their first game there in 1922. Belle Vue was Doncaster's home for 84 years and in that time only received one major upgrade when in 1938 the grounds capacity was increased to 40,000.

They hold the record for the most games won in a league season (33 in 1946–47, when they won the Third Division North title). In 1997–98, Doncaster also set the record for losses in a season, suffering the humiliation of enduring 34 league defeats as they finished bottom of Division Three and went into the Football Conference. Just after this relegation, the then chairman Ken Richardson was sent to prison for four years after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson after a fire in June 1995 within the Main Stand at Belle Vue. They returned to the Football League five years later as Conference playoff winners, and were Division Three champions the following season.

Doncaster were the first team to win the Fourth Division/Third Division (fourth level) championship three times, in 1966, 1969, and 2004). Football League rules state that any team who wins a trophy 3 times can keep it. When Rovers tried to retain ownership of the actual Third Division trophy, the Football League claimed that Rovers could not keep the trophy because the league names had changed and so they had not won that particular league 3 times. The titles won in 1966 and 1969 were in fact Fourth division (albeit the same in all but name) and Doncaster were the last team to win the Division Three before it was renamed League Two.

In 2005–06, Doncaster beat two Premiership teams in the League Cup – Manchester City and Aston Villa. They reached the quarter finals of the competition where they met Arsenal. They went ahead in normal time and Arsenal equalised, and in extra time Rovers went up for a second time but Gilberto Silva equalised in injury time and the North London side went on to win on penalties.

Harry Gregg kept goal for Doncaster in the 1950s, and was sold to Manchester United in December 1957 for £23,500. At the time, he was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world. He went on to help save lives in the Munich air disaster and was a regular goalkeeper for Northern Ireland.

The late Billy Bremner, who achieved fame for his playing career with Leeds United and Scotland, managed Doncaster twice, his final spell ending in November 1991 – six years before his death.

Doncaster Rovers were involved in the longest ever football match, against Stockport County at Edgeley Park on 30 March 1946. The match was the second in a Division Three (North) two-legged cup tie and, after 30 minutes of extra time, was deadlocked at 2–2 (also the score in the first leg). After the referee had sought advice from the authorities, it was decided that the game would carry on until one team scored. However, after 203 minutes, and with darkness closing in, the game was finally stopped. Stories abound of fans leaving the game, going home for their tea, and coming back to watch the end of the game. The replay, at Doncaster, was won by Rovers 4–0.

The club underwent difficult times in the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in relegation to the Conference in 1998. This was the third time Doncaster had been demoted from Football League status. Only Lincoln City have left the league more times. However, Doncaster's fortunes soon began to turn round, due to owner John Ryan's commitment to invest heavily into the club. The club returned to the fourth tier (known at the time as Division Three) after winning the 2003 Conference Play-Off and they found their best form in 50 years in the 2000s. The club has few financial worries and a new stadium was completed in December 2006. Their first game at the new Keepmoat Stadium was against Huddersfield Town on New Year's Day, 2007 and the first goal scored at the Stadium was by Mark McCammon.

Promotion the first season back in the Football League in 2003–2004 under the helm of manager Dave Penney returned them to the third tier, now renamed Coca Cola League I. Penney left in August 2006 feeling he had taken the club as far as he could and was swiftly replaced with former AFC Bournemouth manager Sean O'Driscoll, with Richard O'Kelly as assistant manager.

On 1 April 2007, Doncaster Rovers travelled with their new manager to the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to play Bristol Rovers in the Johnstones Paint Trophy final. Playing in front of over 59,000 people, this was Rovers' first major cup final in the club's history. They got off to the perfect start when a tap in from Jonathan Forte and brilliant finish from Paul Heffernan put Rovers 2–0 up within the first 5 minutes. However, after a brave fight back from Bristol, the game finished 2–2, so it went to extra time. In the second half of extra time a Sean Thornton corner was headed home by skipper Graeme Lee who had come forward from his central defensive position. Doncaster held on to claim their first major trophy.

Doncaster Rovers celebrate victory against Leeds United in the Football League One play-off final on 25th May 2008 at Wembley Stadium.

2007–08 proved to be one of the most exciting seasons in Doncaster's history. After a slow start they were in serious contention for a top-six finish for much of the second half of the season. Defeat away at Cheltenham Town on the final day of the season cost them automatic promotion and they finished third, with Nottingham Forest taking 2nd place. After a 0–0 draw away to Southend United in the playoff semi-finals first leg, Rovers beat their opponents 5–1 at home in the second leg including a James Coppinger hat-trick to advance to the League One play-off final at Wembley on Sunday 25th May 2008 where they beat Leeds United 1–0 to move into Football League Championship after a half century absence. A James Hayter headed goal in the 47th minute was enough to secure victory in front of over 75,000 fans at Wembley.

The first half of the 2008–09 season saw Doncaster struggling to adapt to the Championship despite a promising start with an away win over newly relegated Derby County. A long run of bad results saw them bottom of the Championship on 20 December 2008 following a narrow 1–0 defeat to Wolves at home. Rovers managed to turn things around soon after and enjoyed an undefeated run of 8 Championship games, starting with a thrilling 4–2 win at relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. This run included derby victories against Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. The win against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday 14 February was especially memorable considering it was the first time Doncaster had defeated the Owls in any league competition. The streak ended at the hands of Swansea City on Saturday 21 February after a 3–1 defeat at the Liberty Stadium. Doncaster Rovers secured their place in the Championship for the 2009–10 season after an emphatic 3–0 win at Home Park against Plymouth Argyle. Doncaster ended their first season in the Championship comfortably in 14th position, finishing above 8 former Premier League teams, including Charlton Athletic, Watford, Crystal Palace and Derby County. The survival was also a major feat, as before the start of that season, they were tipped by many as strong favourites for relegation.

The 2009–10 season's success became a football league record. Having become the first team to be bottom of the table at Christmas, but still managed to survive the drop.

Doncaster started the 2009–10 season away at Vicarage Road with a 1–1 draw against Watford. Their first win of the season came at home against Cardiff City 5 games into the season when they won 2–0. Doncaster finished the 2009–10 season marginally better than their first season back in the Championship, finishing two places higher in 12th and earning two more points than the previous season finishing on 60 points. This was despite a promising period towards the end of the season which saw Doncaster close to the play-off places, thanks in part to Sheffield United loanee Billy Sharp who scored 15 goals for Doncaster during his stay.

The 2010–11 season proved to be Doncaster’s most trying season in the Championship thus far. Despite a club record signing of £1.15 million for Billy Sharp, the season was plagued by injuries to key players, as well as poor form. Doncaster did however manage to ensure their Championship survival, finishing in 21st place, 6 points clear of relegated local rivals Sheffield United and Scunthorpe United. This meant Rovers would spend a fourth successive season in the second tier of English football.

Doncaster Rovers have struggled in the first few games of the current 2011-2012 season; at the time of writing, Rovers had played seven games, losing six and drawing one. This poor start has led to the sacking of manager Sean O'Driscoll and assistant manager Richard O'Kelly. On Friday 23rd September 2011, Dean Saunders was unveiled as boss leaving Wrexham.

League History

Doncaster Rovers have played their football in the following leagues:

Midland Football League:
1891–92 to 1900–01, 1903–04, 1905–06 to1922–23

Football League:
1901–02 to1902–03, 1904–05, 1923–24 to1997–98, 2003–04 to Present

2nd Tier – Division 2, Championship:
1901–02 to1902–03, 1904–05, 1935–36 to1936–37, 1947–48, 1950–51 to1957–58, 2008–09 to Present

3rd Tier – Division 3 North, Division 3, League 1:
1923–24 to1934–35, 1937–38 to1946–47, 1948–49 to1949–50, 1958–59, 1966–67, 1969–70 to1970–71, 1981–82 to1982–83, 1984–85 to1987–88, 2004–05 to2007–08

4th Tier – Division 3:
1959–60 to1965–66, 1967–68 to1968–69, 1971–72 to1980–81, 1983–84, 1988–89 to1992-93, 1997–98, 2004–05

5th Tier – Football Conference
1998–99 to 2002–03

Last 10 Seasons

Doncaster Rovers: League Standings for last 11 Seasons

Season League Pos P W D L F A GD Pts 2010–11 Championship 21st 46 11 15 20 55 81 −26 48 2009–10 Championship 12th 46 15 15 16 59 58 1 60 2008–09 Championship 14th 46 17 7 22 42 53 −10 58 2007–08 League 1* 3rd 46 23 11 12 65 41 +14 80 2006–07 League 1 11th 46 16 15 15 52 47 +5 63 2005–06 League 1 8th 46 20 9 17 55 51 +4 69 2004–05 League 1 10th 46 16 18 12 63 60 +3 66 2003–04 Division 3 (Now League Two) 1st 46 27 11 8 79 37 +42 92 2002–03 Conference* 3rd 42 22 12 8 73 47 +36 78 2001–02 Conference 4th 42 18 13 11 68 46 +22 67

Pos = Position; P = Played; W = Won; D = Drawn; L = Lost; F = Goals For; A = Goals Against; GD = Goal Difference; Pts = Points

∗ Denotes promotion via the Playoffs.

Managerial History

Below is a list of all the permanent managers that Doncaster Rovers have had since the appointment of Arthur Porter in 1920. In the 41 years prior to Newbould's appointment, the team was selected by club committee, a standard practice by football clubs at the time. The club's current manager, Dean Saunders, is their 27th in all, and was appointed in September 2011, as a successor to Sean O'Driscoll who was sacked in September 2011 following a run of poor results.

2011–present: Dean Saunders 2006–2011: Sean O'Driscoll 2001–2006: Dave Penney 2000–2001: Steve Wignall 2000: Dave Penney, Mark Atkins 1998–2000: Ian Snodin 1997–1998: Mark Weaver 1997: Danny Bergara 1996–1997: Kerry Dixon 1994–1996: Sammy Chung 1993–1994: Ian Atkins

1991–1993: Steve Beaglehole 1989–1991: Billy Bremner 1987–1989: Dave Mackay 1985–1987: Dave Cusack 1978–1985: Billy Bremner 1975–1978: Stan Anderson 1971–1975: Maurice Setters 1968–1971: Lawrie McMenemy 1967–1968: George Raynor 1966–1967: Keith Kettleborough

1964–1966: Bill Leivers 1962–1964: Oscar Hold 1961–1962: Danny Malloy 1960–1961: Norman Curtis 1959–1960: Jackie Bestall 1958–1959: Jack Crayston 1958: Jack Hodgson 1958: Syd Bycroft 1949–1958: Peter Doherty 1946–1949: Jackie Bestall

1944–1946: Bill Marsden 1936–1940: Fred Emery 1928–1936: David Menzies 1923–1927: Dick Ray 1922–1923: Arthur Porter 1921–1922: Harry Tufnell 1920–1921: Arthur Porter

Crests

The coat of arms of the town of Doncaster that was used by Doncaster Rovers prior to 1972.

The Viking crest used by Doncaster Rovers from 1972.

File:Old Doncaster Rovers FC logo.svg

The golden Viking crest used by Doncaster Rovers from the early 1990s till 2006.

Like most of the early English football clubs, the original crest adopted by Doncaster Rovers was that of the local coat of arms. The coat of arms of Doncaster at the time was of two lions holding Yorkshire roses in their mouths as well as a red shield depicting the old medieval Doncaster Castle. The coat of arms is primarily red and white which explains the teams decision to adopt red and white as their colours. The club stop using Doncaster’s coat of arms in 1972 when the Viking crest was introduced.

The actual reason behind the Viking appearing on the crest dates back to a sponsorship deal struck between the club and a local Rover car dealership back in 1972 by then owner Morris Setters. The Rover Car Company’s mascot was the Viking, and therefore the decision was made to include a Viking as part of the club’s new crest to subtly symbolise the sponsorship deal between the club and car dealership. The fact that Doncaster was called ‘The Rovers’ was purely coincidental.

When the new crest was introduced it included a monochrome Viking image overlayed over a red and white circle, which denoted the club's colours, along with the year of the club’s formation 1879. The Viking image would become known as “The Turk's Head”. Also included on the crest was a shield with the club’s initials – D.R.F.C as well as the Yorkshire white rose in reference to the club’s location. The inset shield was also coloured red and white to denote the teams colours. In the early 1990s the crest was altered, omitting the red and white circle background and the Viking image was coloured gold.

A further modification to the Doncaster Rovers' crest was introduced in 2006 and is the one currently in use today. The new adaptation includes a new Yorkshire rose design on the shield as well as a slightly different Viking image in dark yellow.

Kits and Sponsorship

This was the first strip worn by the club when they were elected to the football league in 1901.

This was the first strip worn by the club in 1879.

The club's main colours have been red and white since 1885. However, from 1879 to 1885 they played in blue and white. The club's first strip was a navy blue and white strip with a yellow diagonal cross. The kit was worn along with a blue Tam O'Shanter with a red toorie at the centre. The pattern of the home shirts has varied throughout the years. However, it has always been either a solid red shirt, a solid white shirt, a red and white striped shirt, or a red and white hooped shirt. A solid red shirt with a black collar was the first design adopted when the club first entered the English Football league in 1901. Since 2001 the club has always played in a red and white hooped home shirt.

Season(s)	Shirt manufacturer	Main sponsor
1879–1977	none	none
1978–1979	Umbro
1979–1981	Sereena
1982–1984	Gertroot
1982–1984	Hobbott	CIL
1984–1987		Pilkington Glass
1987–1988	Spall	St. George's Car Centre
1988–1993	Ribero	Doncaster Free Press
1993–1994	Matchwinner	European Car Rental
1994–1995		Doncaster Star
1995–1996		Hayselden Motors
1996–1997	Patrick	East Riding Sacks
1997–1998	Olympic Sports
1998–1999	Asics	Beazer Homes
1999–2001	Ledger Mobility
2001–2002	Vandanal	One Call Insurance
2002–2003		Ledger Mobility
2003–2006	Carlotti	Streetwise Sports
2006–2007	Streetwise Sports	Carlotti
2008–2010	Vandenel	Wright Investments
2010–Present	Nike	One Call Insurance

Stadiums

Current home of Doncaster Rovers – the Keepmoat Stadium

File:Belle Vue.jpg

The former ground of Doncaster Rovers – Belle Vue. Photograph taken around 2003 when the stadium was renamed the Earth Stadium.

• 1885–1915: Intake Ground
• 1920-1922: Bennetthorpe Ground
• 1922–2006: Low Pasture, Belle Vue (renamed Earth Stadium from 2003 to 2006)
• 2007–present: Keepmoat Stadium

Doncaster Rovers' first permanent ground was established in 1885 after six years of playing football wherever they could. The ground was based near the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and so was known as the Deaf and Dumb Ground. A year later the stadium was officially named as the Intake Ground. When professional competition was suspended in 1915, the club closed down and the Intake Ground was taken over by the Army and used as a military depot. In the summer of 1920 Rovers were revived but were without a home ground as the Army were still using their former home. They then had a twi year lease at the Bennetthorpe Ground. When the the two-year tenancy came to an end, Rovers were offered some undeveloped land at Low Pastures. A stand from the Bennetthorpe Ground was moved to the new venue which would eventually become the main stand of Belle Vue. Large amounts of ash were transported from the nearby coal tips to create foundation for the pitch. The stadium opened in 1922. In 1938 the capacity of Belle Vue was increased to 40,000 and it was in 1947 that the stadium recorded its highest attendance of 37,099 against Hull City, although apocryphal accounts refute this and claim that many more gained entry to the ground by climbing over walls and thus avoided having to pay. Belle Vue was Doncaster's home for 84 years. In 2003 it was renamed the Earth Stadium after the Rotherham-based finance company Earth Finance started sponsoring the ground. When John Ryan took over the club in 1998 one of his first guarantees was to help establish a new stadium for the club. Belle Vue had never been upgraded heavily since 1938 and despite minor cosmetic changes and the addition of some seating was really showing its age by the time Ryan took over. A new 15,000 all-seated stadium was completed in December 2006 and their first game at their new Keepmoat Stadium was against Huddersfield Town on New Year's Day, 2007.

Board of Directors and Ownership

See also: List of English football club owners

Role	Name
Chairman	John Ryan
Vice Chairman	Dick Watson
President	Trevor J Milton
Chief Executive	David Morris
Head Of Football Operations	John Ryan
Director	Paul Aldridge
Director	Mike Collett
Director	Peter Hepworth
Director	Sarah Kell
Director	Andrew Watson
Director	David Blunt
Director	Paul May
Director	Richard Hirst
Director	David Morris

Management team

Role	Name
Manager	Dean Saunders
Assistant Manager	Brian Carey
Director of Football	Mickey Walker
Goalkeeping Coach	Lee Butler
Fitness Coach	Mal Purchase
Academy Manager	Paul Wilson
Academy Head Coach	Paul Stancliffe
Physiotherapist	John Dickens
Kit Manager	Dave Richards

Players

Current squad

As of 31 October 2011.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	SCO	Neil Sullivan
2	DF	ENG	James O'Connor
3	DF	ENG	George Friend (captain)
4	DF	CUW	Shelton Martis
5	DF	ENG	Richard Naylor
6	DF	ENG	James Chambers
7	MF	SCO	Martin Woods
8	MF	WAL	Brian Stock
9	FW	ENG	Chris Brown
10	FW	ENG	Billy Sharp
11	DF	ENG	Adam Lockwood
12	FW	ENG	James Hayter
13	FW	ENG	Ryan Mason (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
14	DF	ENG	Tommy Spurr
16	MF	WAL	John Oster
17	MF	ENG	Giles Barnes
18	MF	ENG	Simon Gillett

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	FW	SEN	El Hadji Diouf
21	DF	ENG	Sam Hird
23	MF	ENG	Kyle Bennett
24	DF	ENG	Mustapha Dumbuya
25	MF	ENG	James Baxendale
26	MF	ENG	James Coppinger
29	DF	ALG	Rachid Bouhenna
30	MF	IRL	Paul Keegan
31	DF	COD	Hérita Ilunga (on loan from West Ham United)
33	GK	ENG	Gary Woods
34	DF	ENG	Eddie Wilding
35	MF	ENG	Brett Lucas
36	MF	ENG	Liam Wakefield
37	FW	ENG	Jordan Ball
38	GK	ENG	Jonathan Maxted
39	DF	FRA	Pascal Chimbonda
40	DF	ENG	James Husband

Out on Loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
15	MF	ENG	Mark Wilson (at Walsall until 28.11.2011)
20	DF	ENG	Oscar Radford (at Matlock Town)
22	MF	NIR	Dean Shiels (at Kilmarnock until the end of the 2011)

Internationals

Players signed to, and have played for Doncaster that have had full international caps during their careers, those in bold gained caps during their time at Doncaster. Appearances and (goals).

Name	Country	Capps	Goals
Terry Cooper		20	0
Sam Cowan		3	0
Brian Deane		3	0
Kerry Dixon		8	4
Colin Grainger		7	0
Charlie Richards		1	0
George Shaw		1	0
Chris Kirkland		1	0
Billy Bremner		54	3
Steve Nicol		27	0
Neil Sullivan		28	0
Brian Flynn		66	7
Graham Moore		21	1
John Oster		13	0
Eddie Perry		3	1
Gareth Roberts		9	0
Neil Roberts		4	0
Stephen Roberts		1	0
Brian Stock		3	0
Gareth Taylor		15	1
Peter Doherty		16	3
Paddy McConnell		2	0
Christy Giles		1	0
Hugh Dowd		3	0
Stuart Elliott		36	4
Len Graham		14	0
Harry Gregg		25	0
Kevin Horlock		32	0

Name	Country	Capps	Goals
Jon McCarthy		18	0
Eddie McMorran		15	4
Dean Shiels		9	0
David Healy		87	35
Jimmy Walker		1	1
Gerry Daly		48	13
Paul Green		9	1
Alfie Hale		14	2
Kit Lawlor		3	0
Brendan O'Callaghan		6	5
John Sheridan		34	5
Mark McCammon		5	4
Jonathan Forte		2	0
Jamie Lawrence		24	1
Darren Moore		3	0
Anthony Griffith		1	0
Shelton Martis		3	0
Dave Mulligan		28	3
Colin Walker		15	10
Dean Walling		1	0
Warren Hackett		21	2
Quinton Fortune		46	2
Paul James		47	2
Pascal Chimbonda		3	0
		1	0
El Hadji Diouf		69	21
Hérita Ilunga		19	2

Notable players

• For notable Doncaster Rovers players in a sortable-list format, see List of notable Doncaster Rovers players
  
• For all Doncaster Rovers players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Doncaster Rovers F.C. players

Academy

The role of the Doncaster Rovers Centre of Excellence is to develop players and their abilities to their full potential for the club's first team. A number of players have come through the youth team such as Paul Green, Ian Snodin,Glynn Snodin, Brian Deane and Robert Betts.

The academy team plays in the Football League Youth Alliance, North East Conference and is only for players below the age of 18. Home games are played at the club's training at Cantley Park.

Squad

Under 18s Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
Youth	GK	ENG	Jon Maxted
Youth	GK	ENG	Aaron Busby
Youth		ENG	Brett Lucas
Youth	DF	ENG	James Husband
Youth	MF	ENG	Liam Wakefield
Youth		ENG	Nathan Davison
Youth		ENG	Jake McCormick
Youth		ENG	Paddy Mullen

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
Youth	-DF	NIR	Evan Finnegan
Youth		ENG	Harry Middleton
Youth		ENG	Jordan Binns
Youth		ENG	Joshua Meade
Youth	FW	ENG	Jordan Ball
Youth	DF	ENG	Alex Peterson
Youth		ENG	Chris Whinchop
Youth		ENG	Kreshnik Krasniqi

Youth team staff

Role	Name
Head of Youth	Paul Wilson
Youth Team Coach	Paul Stancliffe
Head of Technical Development	Colin Walker
U16's Coach	Shaun Mycroft
U16's Coach	Mark Illman
U15's Coach	Mick Tarmey
U15's Coach	Don Mckinna
U14's Coach	Paul Cavell
U14's Coach	Sean O'Neill
U13's Coach	Ollie Learoyd
U12's Coach	Steve Makin
U12's Coach	Ian Sutcliffe
U11's Coach	Terry Curran
U11's Coach	Jamie Irwin
U10's Coach	Ian Scotting
U9's Coach	Ricky Ravenhill
U9's Coach	John Mcgrath
Goalkeeper Coach	Mark Samways
Youth Physiotherapist	Oliver Freeman

Honours

Football League Trophy
2006/2007

English 3rd tier
Champions: 1934/1935, 1946/1947,1949/1950
Play-off winners: 2007/2008
Runner up: 1937-1938, 1938-1939

English 4th tier
Champions: 1965/1966, 1968/1969, 2003/2004
Promoted: 1980-1981
Runner up: 1983-1984

English 5th tier
Play-Off Winners: 2002/2003

Conference Cup
1998-1999, 1999-2000

Yorkshire Electricity Cup
1995-1996

Midland Football League
Champions: 1896-1897, 1898-1899

Sheffield and Hallamshire County Cup
1890/1891, 1911/1912, 1935-1936, 1937/1938, 1955/1956, 1967-1968, 1985-1986

Club records

• Highest Overall League Finish: 7th, Second Division, 1901–02 Season.
• Record League Victory: 10–0 v Darlington at Belle Vue, Football League Fourth Division, 25 January 1964
• Record Cup Victory: 7–0 v Blyth Spartans at Belle Vue, FA Cup First Round, 27 November 1937
• Record Defeat: 0–12 v Small Heath, Division 2, 11 April 1903
• Record Home Attendance at Belle Vue: 37,149 vs Hull City, Football League Third Division North, 2 October 1948
• Record Home Attendance at Keepmoat Stadium: 15,001 vs Leeds Utd, Football League One, 1 April 2008.
• Record League Points : 92, Division 3, 2003–04
• Record League Goals: 123, Division 3 (N), 1946–47
• Record League Goal-scorer: Tom Keetley, 180 league goals, between 1923 and 1929
• Highest League Scorer in a Season: 42, Clarrie Jordan, Division 3 (N), 1946–47
• Most Goals in One Match: 6 by Tom Keetley in 7–4 win at Ashington, 1928–29
• Most Capped Player: Len Graham (14 caps for Northern Ireland)
• Record Appearances: Fred Emery, 417 league matches, 504 total matches
• Youngest Player: Alick Jeffrey (15 years, 229 days, 1954)
• Oldest Player: John Ryan (52 years and 11 months, 2003)
• Record Transfer Fee: £1,150,000 to Sheffield United for Billy Sharp
• Record Fee Received: £2,000,000 from Reading for Matthew Mills

Mascot

The team's mascot, previously portrayed by Andrew Liney, is a brown dog known as Donny Dog that wears a red and white Rovers jersey. Before a scheduled appearance during the game against Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm Stadium on 4 March 2006, police prevented Liney from entering the stadium in costume, citing unspecified "police intelligence", and refused him permission to wear any part of the costume within 50 metres of the stadium. Mr Liney later received a full written apology for these unfounded allegations from the head of West Yorkshire Police. The mascot was next portrayed by Tracy Chandler and in June 2011, she was relieved from the position after she posed in her underwear for a Sunday newspaper. Later in the same week she was reinstated back as the clubs mascot.

Rivalries

Doncaster Rovers main rivals are usually those of neighbouring football teams with Rotherham United considered by fans their main rival. Others include Leeds United, Barnsley, Scunthorpe United, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City, York City and Grimsby Town. A rivalry of sorts has also arisen with Nottingham Forest who were promoted alongside Doncaster to the Championship in 2008 and spent most of the 2008–09 season battling against the Rovers to avoid relegation back to League One. During Doncaster's days in the Football Conference, rivalries also emerged with clubs such as Chester City, Boston United, Rushden and Diamonds and Yeovil Town.

In popular culture

Ricky Tomlinson's Mike Bassett is said to have played for Doncaster in 1975. This is affirmed by Mike's wife who states "I first met Mike in 1975, when he was with Crewe Alexandra, and he was at loan from Doncaster at the time so I remember thinking they might ask for him back, luckily Doncaster told Crewe they could keep him". Due to the following statement of Mike; "playing for 14 clubs, in 9 different positions, including goalie" (which is followed by a clip of Mike in net, and an atrociously bad back pass going past him).

References

External links

Official

• Official website

Independent sites

• Doncaster Rovers.co.uk Unofficial Doncaster Rovers website
• Viking Supporters' Co-operative VSC forum
• Sound of the south stand Unofficial Doncaster Rovers forum
• Doncaster Rovers at footymad.net
• Doncaster Rovers at BBC Sport
• Doncaster Rovers at skysports.com
• Doncaster Rovers at teamtalk.com
• Doncaster Rovers at vitalfootball.co.uk
• Doncaster Rovers at NewsNow.com