Doncaster Rovers provide the opposition for Paul Warne's Rotherham United at the AESSEAL New York Stadium in Sky Bet League One on Saturday. Here we analyse who the Millers are facing in our opposition in focus...
In the Dugout
Manager Darren Ferguson will be in the dugout for Doncaster on Saturday.
Darren is the son of the famed Sir Alex Ferguson and enjoyed a playing career which saw him make over 450 career appearances as a midfielder, representing the likes of Manchester United, Wolves, Sparta Rotterdam, Wrexham and Peterborough United.
He also represented Scotland U21 side, earning five caps.
As a player he won the Premier League and FA Charity Shield at Manchester United and during his time at Wrexham, he won the Football League Trophy once and the FAW Premier Cup four times.
In 2007, he became player/manager at Peterborough United and helped them to back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship before being departing in November 2009.
He took over Preston in January 2010 but his stint at Deepdale lasted just a year, as he left in December 2010.
He was re-appointed at Peterborough in January 2011 and guided them to the Championship, via the play-offs.
After leaving Peterborough by mutual consent in February 2015, he later joined Doncaster but couldn't help them prevent relegation to League Two. However, they bounced back last season with a third placed finish which saw them restored to the third tier.
Stats
Doncaster come into the game having won just one of their last five, which also included two losses and two draws.
In their latest fixture, they beat Fleetwood Town 3-0 at home. In their last five fixtures they have scored nine goals but have conceded 10.
Previous Meetings
This will be the 84th competitive fixture on record between these sides. The Millers have won 39, while Doncaster have prevailed on 22 occasions. There have been 22 fixtures that have ended in the spoils being shared.
However, Doncaster are undefeated in the last four of these fixtures (two wins and two draws), with the most recent being a 1-1 draw in November 2017 this season. A stoppage time equaliser by Kieffer Moore cancelled out a Richard Wood own goal to ensure it ended with honours even at the Keepmoat.
The last time the Millers have prevailed against Doncaster was on New Year’s Eve in 2005. A stoppage time winner from Lee Williamson gave Rotherham all three points in a 1-0 triumph in League One at Millmoor.
Ones to Watch
Our ones to watch start with Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Ian Lawlor. The former Manchester City youth product joined Doncaster in January 2017 after loan spells at Barnet and Bury respectively. He has represented Republic of Ireland at under 19 and under 21 levels. However, Ferguson is likely to opt for Slovakian keeper Marko Maroši, who kept a clean sheet in their last game against Fleetwood.
In defence, Tom Anderson has been ever present since his loan move from Burnley. He earned himself a spot in the EFL TOTW last week after scoring two of the three goals against Fleetwood last time out. He could be partnered with Niall Mason, who signed a permanent contract following his release from Aston Villa. In his youth career, Mason has played for Real Madrid, Al Sadd, Blackburn Rovers, Southampton and Aston Villa.
In the midfield, skipper James Coppinger is a name that needs no introduction to fans in this part of the world. The 37 year old has made over 550 appearances for Doncaster since signing in 2004 and currently has five goals and three assists this season. They could also call upon on loan duo Rodney Kongolo or Jordan Houghton who are on loan from Manchester City and Chelsea respectively or could start Benjamin Whiteman and Tommy Rowe who have scored seven goals each this season.
Upfront, striker John Marquis is their top scorer with nine this season. They could call upon former Rotherham youth Alex Kiwomya, who scored his first Doncaster goal against Fleetwood last time out. One final option is Alfie May who moved through the non-league ranks before earning his move to Doncaster in January 2017. May currently has six goals and two assists this season.