Form
Doncaster Rovers secured promotion back to League One last season after finishing as League Two champions, four points clear of runners-up Port Vale. Promotion ended their three-year spell in the fourth tier, having been relegated from League One in 2022.
They currently sit 17th in the table and could yet get drawn into the relegation battle, sitting four places and four points away from Exeter City, who currently occupy the final spot in the drop zone. Their recent form has been mixed, seeing two
wins, one draw and two losses in their last five league games.
They come into this weekend’s game off the back of back-to-back defeats, with the most recent coming at the hands of Exeter, who won 3-0 at St James Park, with former Royal Jayden Wareham scoring a brace.
Reading and Doncaster faced each other back in October, playing out a 1-1 draw at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, with Kamari Doyle equalising after former Royals loanee Billy Sharp put Rovers ahead.
The boss
Grant McCann: McCann was appointed Doncaster manager in May 2023, replacing current Reading coach Danny Schofield, who was sacked after only seven months in charge.
The Northern Irishman had a 17-year career as a player, representing the likes of Cheltenham Town, Barnsley, Scunthorpe Town and Peterborough United, as well as his country. He ended his career in Northern Ireland at Linfield in 2015 but quickly took up his first coaching role at former club Peterborough.
It was at the Posh where McCann had his first managerial role, as he was appointed manager in May 2016. McCann was sacked in February 2018 but ended up at Doncaster four months later, where he had his first stint at the club.
He guided Rovers to the League One playoffs in his first season but they lost in the semi-finals. He went on to join Hull City that summer where he spent two and a half years, suffering a relegation and then promotion back to the Championship.
McCann had a spell at Peterborough before rejoining Doncaster in May 2023. He has since guided Rovers back to the third tier and has a League Two champions medal to his name after they won the title last season.
The 45-year-old likes his sides to play positive, high-energy football.
Squad
Doncaster signed seven players during the winter transfer window with three joining permanently and four coming in on loan.
Their permanent additions were defender Bayley McCann, who signed on a free transfer from Barnsley; midfielder Darren Robinson, who joined from Derby County; and winger Hakeeb Adelakun, who was unattached.
Their loans were goalkeeper Zander Clark (Hearts), defender Neill Byrne (Bradford City), midfielder Elliott Lee (Wrexham) and forward Francis Okoronkwo (Everton).
Defender Byrne may miss out on this weekend’s game with a hamstring injury while January loan signing Okoronkwo returned to his parent club Everton after being ruled out for the rest of the season with injury.
Predicted lineup
Lo-Tutala, Sterry, Pearson, Senior, Gotts, Clifton, Bailey, Close, Molyneux, Middleton, Hanlan
Key player
4. Owen Bailey: Midfielder Bailey signed for Doncaster in June 2023 from Gateshead FC.
Bailey started his career in the youth setup at Newcastle United and made 86 appearances for their youth teams. He never made a first-team appearance for the Magpies, so went onto join Gateshead in 2021, where he spent two seasons, scoring 10 goals.
Since signing for Donny in 2023, Bailey has made 163 appearances for the club, while adding another 23 goals to his career tally, with 15 of those coming this season. The 27-year-old was made club captain ahead of the current season, having captained the club on a number of occasions in their 2024/25 campaign.
His impressive form this season has seen him nominated for the League One Player of the Season. Bailey is a defensive midfielder who is effective at breaking up the play in the middle of the park.
