Match Preview: Doncaster Rovers

Newport will look to build on Tuesday’s inspired victory over Charlton Athletic when they welcome Doncaster Rovers to Rodney Parade this Saturday afternoon.

Coughlan’s men will feel buoyant after goals from Aaron Wildig, Seb Palmer Houlden, and Will Evans handed them a 3-1 victory over League One Charlton. They will hope to build on this momentum and pick up their first three points of the League Two campaign. 

Tuesday’s performance will have given Coughlan some difficult decisions to make, the likes of James Waite, Harry Charsley and Matty Bondswell all putting in impressive shifts against a tough opposition. 

Manager’s Comments 

Graham Coughlan was plenty complimentary of the opposing Gaffer Grant McCann saying 'He's a really good coach, he always produces technical teams that try to pass through the zones, that move the ball and play out from the back. He'll also have dynamic players." Graham added.

"I'd expect a really technical Doncaster side who will be looking to bounce back from last week's home defeat. It'll be a really tough encounter, they came here last year and 'did the job' on us, so we don't want that to happen again.

Watch Graham Coughlan's full pre-match press conference here: 

Opposition Form 

Grant McCann’s Doncaster team have had a mixed start to their campaign. An opening day loss to Harrogate was not the start they would have wanted, but a 2-1 victory over Championship side Hull City in the EFL Cup will have lifted spirits. 

Expectation is high at the Keepmoat this season following a summer of strong recruitment, but Grant McCann’s team got off to a less-than-ideal start when they lost 1-0 to near-neighbours Harrogate Town. 

The game’s solitary goal came from Jack Muldoon, with the veteran striker converting a penalty in the 66th minute. 

Rovers did not have the same problems getting their cup campaign up and running. A brace from George Miller in his first start for the club since March handed them a memorable win over Hull and booked their spot in the second round. 

Doncaster arrives with strong talent among its ranks, with summer signings Joe Ironside and Richard Wood joining the likes of Jon Taylor, Luke Molyneux, and Tommy Rowe to give Grant McCann plenty of starting options on Saturday. 

Ticket Info 

You can grab yourself a ticket for Saturday’s encounter here. Ticket prices for the game are as follows: 

You can also come along to buy tickets on the day, however prices will increase by £2 if purchasing on the day.

International Exiles can watch the game live using iFollow. Find out more information about the service here. 

Last Time Out 

You don’t have to dig far into the archives to find our last game against Doncaster. We last took on the team in April this year, leaving the Keepmoat with an excellent 3-1 win in our penultimate away game of the season. 

After going 1-0 down earlier due to an unfortunate own goal from Demetriou, a rejuvenated County put Doncaster to the sword with a sweeping second-half display. Goals from Priestley Farquharson, Aaron Wildig, and Cameron Norman helped us seal a dominant victory. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t have the same success when we last hosted Doncaster at Rodney Parade. A goal from Kyle Knoyle was enough to hand the visiting side a 1-0 win on what was a cold afternoon last December.

Watch the match highlights here:

Head to Head 

We have played Doncaster an impressive 46 times over the years, a full season’s worth of games! In that time, we have narrowly had the edge over Saturday’s opponents, scoring 19 victories to their 16, with 15 of our games ending in a stalemate. 

Played for Both 

Several players have played for both Doncaster and Accrington over the years. The most notable among these is our current number 9, Omar Bogle. Bogle played 27 times for Rovers in the 21/22 season, hitting the net three times before making a move to Hartlepool United.