Doncaster Rovers

Doncaster Rovers FC is a professional football club from the old industrial mining town in South Yorkshire. The club were formed in 1879, with many of their years being turbulent. 

'Donny' were first admitted into the Football League in 1901 after spending time in the Midland League, of which they were crowned champions in 1897 and 1899. However, their spell in the League lasted only two seasons before returning to their previous league.

The club were elected once again for the 1904-05 season but failed to be re-elected at the end of that campaign, so once again Rovers returned to the Midland League. The club re-grouped and regained their League status when they replaced Stalybridge Celtic in 1923. Donny started out at Intake and then Bennetthorpe before settling at Belle Vue in 1922.

In 1935 Donny won Division Three North and were promoted to Division Two, where they remained for a couple of seasons. They repeated the feat in 1947, but this time their spell in the second tier lasted just one season. 

Not to be deterred they returned in 1950 for what could be argued was the clubs greatest spell up to that point. Rovers lasted eight seasons in Division Two, with stars such as Alick Jeffrey, Peter Doherty and Harry Gregg starring.

In 1959 Rovers found themselves in Division Four, where they remained until 1966, with the goals of the returning Jeffrey sending them back us as champions. They were soon relegated but once again won Division Four in 1968-69, for a spell of two years at the higher level. 

It took until 1980-81 under the player managership of Billy Bremner until they were promoted once more, this time as champions. After another relegation and promotion, a man called Ken Richardson became chairman in the 80's, whose motives were proven to be questionable at best. A plot was hatched to burn down the Main Stand at Belle Vue in 1995. 

During the 1997-98 season with Richardson cutting right back on team finance the team managed to lose a record thirty-four league defeats. The side comprised of many youth players and some on short term cheap contracts. 

The team was managed by Commercial manager, Mark Weaver and were consequently relegated to the Conference at the end of the season. Not long after Richardson was jailed for four years for conspiracy to commit arson to the stand. I can be read about in good detail here.

At this point a former supporter and millionaire who made his fortune in cosmetic surgery called John Ryan took over as chairman. They won promotion back into the Football League in 2002-03 and three years later moved into the Keepmoat Stadium which replaced the aged Belle Vue. 

The community facility was shared with Doncaster Belles WFC and Doncaster RLFC. Rovers worked their way into the second tier Championship in 2007-08 after beating the once mighty Leeds United in the play-off final at Wembley.

Rovers maintained their place in English football's second tier with some fine play under the leadership of Sean O'Driscoll. However, their fourth successive season in the second tier was one step too far as players were sold to be replaced by several others on short term deals who were looking to prove themselves in English football. Agent Willie McKay felt the wrath of the fans as it was him who introduced many of the new signings.

O'Driscoll went after six games, to be replaced by the Wrexham boss, Dean Saunders. He couldn't prevent the side going back down to League One, as Ryan declared the McKay 'experiment' over. 

Saunders rebuilt the side for the 2012-13 season before he departed to Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2013 to be replaced by his assistant Brian Flynn. In an incredible run, ending in a win at Brentford, Rovers were promoted as champions.

Flynn moved upstairs to be replaced by Paul Dickov with Brian Horton as his assistant. Ryan left the club during the 2013-14 season, which saw Doncaster relegated on the final day. Rovers consolidated in the third tier for a season under Dickov, before he was sacked soon into the 2015-16 campaign to be replaced by Darren Ferguson. 

Rovers were relegated once again before winning promotion at the first attempt in 2016-17. Ferguson's reign ended in the summer of 2018 after a fifteenth-place finish when he resigned after discussions with the board. Grant McCann was appointed as his replacement.

The 2018-19 saw Doncaster reach the playoffs before losing to Charlton Athletic in the semifinal. Darren Moore was the next man in the managerial seat from July 2019 to March 2021. He was followed by short spells during the Covid era by Andy Butler and then Richie Wellens.

Gary McSheffrey was in charge on much of the 2021-22 campaign which ended in relegation to League Two. The sided led by Danny Schofield finished a few places above the relegation places in 2022-23 before being replaced by the returning McCann. His side put a remarkable late season run together to reach the playoffs.

Doncaster Rovers FC will play in EFL League Two in the 2023-24 season before 

My visits

Doncaster Rovers 2 Cambridge United 1 (Saturday 2nd January 1982) FA Cup Round Three

When I first became of an age to go and watch games alone, Rovers were managed by Billy Bremner, and were a third division club more seasons than not. I my made the visit to Belle Vue with my brother Paul for the FA Cup Third Round encounter with Cambridge United of the second division. 

We went on a packed train on the journey from York, as Sunderland playing at nearby Rotherham United the same day. We had plenty of time to look around the shopping centre in the town centre before taking the bus to the ground. We were some of the first there, so we had plenty of time to look around.

The Main Stand stretched about twenty-five metres either side of the halfway line. It had a rear section of seats with a paddock at the front covered by a later roof extension. Unusually it had two players tunnels, one for each team. 

Open terracing continued to either side. To its left was the open terracing that was home to away fans while the paddock terracing continued behind the other goal. Perched on top of this was a small, seated stand bought with the club from a previous home at Bennetthorpe. 

Finally, a large, covered terrace on the Popular Side completed the picture. It was no thing of beauty, but it had a healthy capacity at the time. The whole ground was large but was showing the signs of age.

We sat behind the goal but struggled to see the far end because of the fog. I remember Cambridge taking quite a lot of away fans, but it was not to help as Donny won 2-1. We saw that they were not too amused as we got back to catch our train home as the escort brought them back for their "football special".

Doncaster Rovers 1 Hull City 2 (Saturday 16th March 1985) Division Three (att: 5,942)

The next couple of occasions at Belle Vue were as a Hull City fan. I went by train with my mates trying to look extremely inconspicuous as we walked up to the ground on a filthy day in March 1985. 

We had been chased through the town centre a few weeks earlier after changing trains on the way home from Rotherham, so I had borrowed my dad's flat cap and flared trousers, so that I looked unlike a normal fan. 

We were at the ground early and watched as a big following of City fans arrived to get soaked and cold in the sleet and snow. The Tigers won the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Andy Flounders and Neil Williams to continue with their promotion push and we got back to the station without incident.

Doncaster Rovers 0 Hull City 1 (Tuesday 6th August 1986) Pre-Season Friendly (att: 405)

I went in a car with some friends from Bridlington for a Tuesday night pre-season friendly in August 1986. City won by the only goal of the game, but it was overshadowed when home defender Dave Cusack broke City ace midfielder Bobby Doyle's leg. 

Garreth Roberts scored the goal for City, before we departed and went for a quick look at the grounds of Hatfield Main and Armthorpe Welfare. This was followed by a sensible and steady pub crawl in the town of Thorne.

Doncaster Rovers 3 Scarborough 1 (Tuesday 25th August 1987) League Cup First round 2nd leg (att: 2,370)

Boro led 1-0 from the 1st leg and scored immediately to double their lead before Rovers battered us in a half hour spell. By now the ground was a sorry state. We had called in for a look on the way home from Leyton Orient the previous Saturday when a kind man let us in.

The Popular Side had been truncated because of mining subsidence with the roof removed. The small stand at the Town End had gone because of the sanctions in place following the Bradford fire. Our away end had been reterraced but compacted into a tiny area surrounded by high fences that only Millwall could replicate. 

A home fan and his son stormed into the ticket office and wanted a refund on their season tickets as it was such a mess and the club had failed in their promise to improve things. Just to make us welcome some thugs fired air pellets at the away end from wasteland. We only knew as they pinged off the metal all around us. Not a great night.

Doncaster Rovers 3 Scarborough 1 (Monday 2nd January 1989) League Division Four (att: 3,053)

Another dismal trip. Boro legend Neil Warnock had left the club after an altercation with a chairman not described as legendary in Geoffrey Richmond on New Years Eve. Boro were top of the table but the goings which severely affected the players. 

Our minibus tried to stop off at our favourite watering hole in Barton on Humber on the way home, but it was closed. It was that type of day. We had to put up with a couple of pubs on Beverley Road, Hull just to confirm the fact.

Doncaster Rovers 0 Scarborough 4 (Saturday 23rd April 1994) League Division Three (att: 1,854)

This was more like it. A legendary Boro Day Out! Don't be fooled by the division. The leagues had been restructured and we were still in the basement league. I arrived at the station with Crusher to board the minibus find it surrounded by police. 

This wasn't ideal as we had cans of beer for the journey which was the usual routine even though it was forbidden. They were apprehending one of our passengers who I will call Mr X to save embarrassment for non-payment of fines. 

He handed over his house keys before being led away so we could get some bail money that he had conveniently won in the casino the previous evening. It was soon obvious that the boys in blue would be looking out for Mr X so our driver Mr W took a detour over the hills. 

Being the kind-hearted driver he was, he stopped for the boys to relieve themselves up a country lane. While we were in the process a police car pulled up. We feared the worst, but they were just country bobbies who found it hilarious.

On approaching the ground, we decided to jettison Mr X so he could make his own way into the ground. The South Yorkshire police obviously wanted our man badly and searched the bus while he sneaked past, through the turnstiles and into the away end where there were no police, just stewards. The police were dumbfounded. Just where had Mr X gone?

Boro played like absolute legends. the away end had been extended by now and most of the fences had gone while the Popular Side had a new roof. All was well as Mark Calvert put in a great free kick and we ran out 4-0 winners. It poured down so the kind stewards moved us into a section of the Main Stand paddock to keep the rain off us. We sang our heads off and even the home fans applauded our team as Darren Foreman made his comeback.

We roared back down the M18 memorably singing Teenage Kicks at full blast before stopping at Thorne as we had done before the game finding some immaculate ale. We watched the teatime game on TV before Mr W took us on a brief country pub crawl. 

Mr C was now running short on cash, so he put a fiver on the back cushion of the pool table. He invited anyone to fire the cue ball up and down the table on the proviso they would keep the fiver if the ball stopped on it. 

He charged entrants £1 each in attempt to raise beer money in a joint operation with Mr W who always looked for a straightforward way to make money. Mr X went first and landed the ball right on the Queen's head! 

He was having a lucky day. We got back to Scarborough around 10pm after a further stop at the Flying Legend in York where the bouncers made us cover any Boro tops up. They really didn't want to as they hated York City, but rules were rules.

Doncaster Rovers 1 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 12th August 1995) League Division Three (att: 2,523)

Back to normal for this season's opener. It was a sweltering day and Boro were useless, hardly putting together an attack of note, as the hosts with the dominant Darren Moore at the back gobbled up anything thrown their way. 

Crusher drove the minibus so there was no pub stops on the way home! We made up for it back in Scarborough. One of those days. Even the programmes had sold out on arrival.

Doncaster Rovers 0 Scarborough 1 (Monday 27th December 1999) Nationwide Conference (att: 4,706)

I was home from London for the festive period and I managed to source a lift in a car. I even got into the nearest pub before watching reborn home side struggle against a good Boro outfit who looked a decent bet for promotion at this point. 

Chris Tate scored the winner with a forty-yard special during the first half to send the large away following home incredibly happy.

Doncaster Rovers 1 Chesterfield 0 (Tuesday 9th October 2012) Football League Trophy Round Two (att: 4,030)

I had passed within a few of hundred metres of the Keepmoat Stadium on many occasions as I whizzed by on the train, so I decided that it was time to see a game there. I had a perfect opportunity after finishing night shifts at work and Rovers being at home. 

Even better was the fact that the game was to kick off at 7pm, allowing me to get home after the match, and they were only charging £10 to get in.

As it happened, I then discovered that Scarborough Athletic were at Barton in north Lincolnshire the following evening, so I decided to spend a few pounds more and stay in Sheffield after the game, affording me the luxury of getting in some groundhopping at the same time. I decided on a room at The Harley for £29.

After a quick visit to SSheffield FC, I managed to get lost on the way to my digs in the extremely hilly city. A friendly local put me right and before long I'd checked in with the warning that there may be some noise as the downstairs bar didn't close until 4am! 

I caught a tram back into town to catch a train to Donny. Unfortunately, the service I was to catch was cancelled at the last minute, meaning two train loads tried to get on one with just two carriages. I was glad I was early to grab a seat as we went along past Rotherham's New York Stadium and several old mining towns.

I had arrived a little early as I was to catch up with my good mate Martin Kaye, a resident of Doncaster. Kado was waiting for me at the station, ready to take me to a couple of pubs and to have a chat. The Plough was a pleasant time warp, whereas The Masons Arms was a mixture of old and new but just as friendly as our first place. 

It was in the second pub that I was introduced to ardent Rovers fans Ralph and his daughter Lucy. After a couple of beers, we said goodbye to Kado and headed to the Keepmoat by taxi, as my new friends regaled me with tales of their team.

We jumped out behind the West Stand, near to the athletics track and then headed to the South Stand where it was possible to gain admission by cash. Rovers usually used the system where it was required to buy a ticket in advance from the office. We went in and I took some photos before getting a decent enough pie and Bovril to keep me going.

The stadium was like many new builds; it was shiny, functional but lacking atmosphere, although in fairness that was more likely because of the poorish crowd figure. The stands all joined together with both ends being identical. 

The West Stand contained the director's box, players tunnel and TV gantry whereas the East Stand had corporate boxes at the rear. The seating was covered by a continuous roof with the stadiums stand out feature, four leaning floodlights, peering over to light the pitch.

The first half was a fine exhibition of both sides playing lots of short passes without going anywhere. When they tried to produce around the area, the defences dominated. It was dull as a neutral, although Ralph told me that it was the best Rovers had performed all season. I refrained from comment. The home sides Martin Woods and James Husband were having good games.

I moved to the far end for the second half for a side on view, as the stewards didn't seem that bothered where anyone sat. Despite this there was quite a few police protecting the segregated away fans. Chesterfield had a following of 1,096 fans, yet they were noticeably quiet the first half. Their team were the holders of the competition, so I expected them to be up for it.

They were more vocal in the second half as The Spireites gave it a go. It was more end to end in the second period, although goalmouth action was rare. It looked odds on to be heading to penalties, which was certainly not on my itinerary. I wanted to be tasting real ale in Sheffield as soon as possible.

Donny boss Dean Saunders introduced young substitute Jordan Ball with nine minutes remaining. Within two minutes, he'd scored what turned out to be the only goal to huge sighs of relief. I made a move with five minutes remaining. 

The bus crews didn't seem to know what was happening post-match, so I ran, jogged, and walked out of breath all the way to the station. I managed to catch the 9.07 back to the steel city. I relaxed and read the decent £3 programme as I planned the rest of my evening.

The match was poor, but I more than made up for it. I had three different excellent pints in the Sheffield Tap on the station, as I chatted with the pleasant manager. The world seemed a glorious place as I left and caught a tram to the University stop, which was adjacent to my hotel. 

The bar was empty. The staff told me it didn't liven up until 2am! I had neither the time nor the energy for such shenanigans, so I had tried both well-kept cask beers and a malt nightcap and called it a night.

As ever, even a poor game didn't have to spoil a good night out!

The pictures on this page of Belle Vue have been taken from the internet as I never got round to taking any pictures on my many visits.