Preview of the Third Round tie against Doncaster...
Doncaster Rovers
FA Cup Third Round
Keepmoat Stadium, Stadium Way, Doncaster, DN4 5JW
Kick-off: 3pm
Weather forecast: 6°c, sunny spells, dry
Referee: Scott Duncan
Tickets:
Fans can still buy tickets from the club shop until 4pm today. Prices are as follows:
£10 for adults
£5 for 12-16's
£1 for U11's
Alternatively you can pay on the day for the same price at the stadium.
Last time we met:
Doncaster were battling it out at the top of the League One table last January when the two teams last met, two late goals won it for the Yorkshire side at the Lamex.
James Dunne put Boro in front with one of the goals of the season – a 25 yard volley on 66 minutes but Donny rallied and Hume equalised with 10 minutes to go before Rob Jones sent the travelling fans into raptures with an injury time winner to send them joint top.
Team news:
Peter Hartley is expected to return to the side after missing the last month through a hamstring injury. The great news for Boro fans is that Darius Charles is back on the training field, although this weekend will come too soon for him.
Doncaster are decimated with injuries and assistant manager, Brian Horton has said that they will play their strongest team possible. The only good news for Donny is that Chris Brown is back and fellow striker Billy Paynter may return from a lengthy injury list. The list of players out for the game is as follows: Theo Robinson, Paul Keegan, James Coppinger, Bongani Khumalo, Rob Jones, Reece Wabara, Jamie McCombe and James Husband are all out.
You can expect movement throughout the day on the signing, recalling and loaning of Doncaster players as they try to get the best squad possible for Saturday.
View from the dressing room:
Betting:
Although underdogs, the bookies are wary of a Stevenage win this weekend, and you can get a good price of 16/5 to win on the day. If you fancy betting on Boro to qualify for the Fourth Round, the price is a little shorter – 9/4 with Sky Bet.
Due to being the underdogs, you can get better odds than usual on first goal scorers – both Akins and Zoko are 7/1.
Value can also be found by betting on a Zoko goal and Boro win – 6/1 as a single bet.
Sign up to Sky Bet through any of the attached links to not only earn yourself a free £5 bet, but you will help the club earn revenue too!
Recent form:
After promotion in the most dramatic fashion last season, Doncaster have struggled so far in the Championship, although they’re only one point off safety. They’re without a win in seven games, although they did push QPR all the way on Wednesday - losing out to a last minute goal from Charlie Austin. QPR are actually the last team Doncaster have beaten, but their spirited performance last time out certainly impressed GW who got the chance to watch them live.
Key men:
Despite not having any stand-out players this season, Doncaster have attacking threats from all over the pitch. 28 year old Mark Duffy has made a big impact this season from the right wing, highlighted by an excellent performance on TV when they beat Yeovil 2-1 earlier in the season. The winger played a key part in the sides opening goal and he curled in a wonderful free-kick to earn the team 3 points. One of the clubs most notable players is on-loan Man Utd striker, Federico Macheda. After loan spells at Sampdoria, QPR and Stuttgart, Macheda joined the club this summer and has performed well, scoring 3 league goals so far this season.u