Doncaster Rovers v Huddersfield Town

Doncaster Rovers v Huddersfield Town
Date: Saturday 8th March
KO Time: 3pm
Venue: Keepmoat Stadium, Stadium Way, Doncaster.
Post Code: DN4 5JW

Getting there:
Train: Trains leave Huddersfield at 38 and 45 mins past each hour. To get to the ground you can walk the couple of miles, take a taxi or get one of the shuttle buses from the Doncaster Interchange:
Bus number 73 - departs at 10 and 40 minutes past each hour.
Bus number 58 - departs at 25 and 55 minutes past each hour. The journey takes less than 10 minutes depending on traffic.

Travel to the Town Centre after the game:
Buses are provided to take fans back to the town centre after the game is over, departing from Car Park 3.
I got this information from the Internet so take no responsibility if anything has changed.

Car: This entails a short drive down the M1 to junction 32, on to the M18, exit at junction 3 to join the A6182, then follow signs for the stadium.

Parking: There are only 1,000 car parking spaces at the stadium so it may be best to park on the nearby industrial park for a small fee. There is also some free street parking to be had if you arrive early enough.

Places to drink: According to the away supporters’ site, The Gate House, High Street, Doncaster or The Lakeside, near Stadium Way, both welcome away fans. There is also a bar in the bowling alley next to the Vue Cinema, situated on the other side of the lake, which also allows away fans in.

Tickets: Should be purchased in advance from the Town ticket office as cash is not accepted at the Keepmoat. However tickets can be purchased from the South Stand ticket office on the day if not already sold out.

Inside: Away fans sit in the North Stand, this holds nearly 3,500, gives a good view of the pitch, and has adequate leg room, always a bonus. Food is the standard stadium fare, pies, burgers etc.

Played for both: Theo Robinson and Jamie McCombe
Apparently McCombe is injured so won’t be in contention to play against his old team, but Robinson appeared as a sub in Rovers’ 5 – 0 defeat against Bournemouth last Saturday.

Managers:
Rovers are managed by Paul Dickov and I have to admit I liked him as a player but whether he can cut it as a manager I don’t know. Time will tell.

Robins: While I’m sure he would be the first to acknowledge he has made mistakes during his time at Town; I rate him and have high hopes of what we can achieve under his guidance.

Past Meetings: There have been 38 previous meetings between the two clubs, Town being victorious in 17, Doncaster in 12 and 9 draws. Our last meeting was a goalless draw at the John Smiths in September.

Town became the first team to play a league game at the Keepmoat Stadium on Jan 1st 2007. We lost 3 – 0 in a game which saw Adnan Ahmed and Pawel Abbot sent off. Gareth Roberts for the home team was also red carded. My abiding memory of that first visit (more than the game itself or the scoreline) was seeing how all the home fans were given t-shirts to mark the occasion and I remember feeling just a little bit jealous and badly done to as I wanted one. However, little did I know that I would soon have my own collection of free t-shirts as keepsakes (I still have them all).

Before the Keepmoat opened Doncaster played at Belle Vue, and while I sometimes prefer old grounds and the memories they evoke, there is no denying Belle Vue was run down and way past its best. I also defy anyone not to have horrible memories of the potholed car park there, how people didn’t break their ankles as they tried to find level ground to walk on I will never know, and best not to mention wading through puddles and mud after heavy rain.

Last 5 Results:
Doncaster: DLDLL
Town: LWLWW
Rovers lost 5 – 0 against Bournemouth on their last outing while we won 5 – 0 against Barnsley. However that counts for nothing now and we need to go there and try to get the win. While I truly believe Town are safe from relegation we still need to get as many points as possible to make it mathematically certain and also give us an impetus for next season. Rovers on the other hand are struggling and could very easily be dragged down into the relegation places.

Formations and tactics:
Once I know what team Robins intends to put out I can usually hazard a guess as to how we will set ourselves up but, in all honesty, my knowledge of formations and tactics is pretty basic so will pass that on to the rest of you for discussion.

If we play anything like we can then we should get the win on Saturday, but this is Town we’re talking about so anything can happen. Every time I make a prediction I let my heart rule my head and go for a Town win, more often than not I’m wrong, so this time I’m making no predictions but will sit back and see what everyone else thinks instead. Over to you…..