Football Season Review

After his side defeated Colchester away from home in the fifth round of the season, Dean Saunders stated that his side's goal for the season was to finish inside the top ten. In hindsight, that seems like an attempt by the then-Doncaster manager to take pressure off his players, but it's perfectly possible that Saunders was honest in his statement, as not many expected the Rovers to push for an instant return to the Championship following a turbulent summer during which they changed almost their entire playing squad. Doncaster established themselves as the away specialists of the league from the very start - the tough defensive partnership of Rob Jones and Jamie McCombe made them extremely tough to score against, while they usually had enough threat on the counter-attack or from set pieces to sneak a goal or two past their opponents in their away games. Despite struggling to win their home games during the entire course of the season, the Rovers' away form was so good that they spent the entire campaign near the top - as the season approached it's second half, it was clear that they would be pushing for promotion, but their fans were left worried when Saunders left the club to take over at Wolverhampton in early January. The club opted to name a new manager from within it's ranks, as Brian Flynn took over. Flynn made Doncaster more competitive at home, but their away results deteriorated during his time in charge - with Tranmere and Swindon, who were above the Rovers when he took over, struggling in the later parts of the season, Doncaster managed to move to the top of the table and were the firm favourites to win promotion with four games remaining. However, they fell to shock back to back home defeats to Carlisle and Notts County and needed at least a draw in their final game away at direct promotion rivals Brentford in order to return to the Championship. What happened in the final round will be in the Keepmoat folklore for years to come, as Marcello Trotta crashed a 94th minute penalty against the bar, with the Rovers producing a quick counter-attack and scoring a goal that not only won them promotion, but also won them the league. They will therefore be back in the Championship next season, but Flynn won't be in charge, as he stepped down as their manager after the last round, preferring to return to his old job as the Rovers' director of football. The Rovers' playing style, that relies almost solely on brute force and power of their players, is unlikely to work too well against Championship opposition, and the club will need to bring in a few summer signings that are actually good ball-playing players if they are to stay up next season.

Player of the Season: Robert Jones