History was written last Saturday, a day that will be reminisced about for years to come; an emotional day for so many. Blackpool are back and realistically in the hunt for the playoffs, especially with the visit of fellow hopefuls Doncaster this Tuesday. It will certainly be interesting to see how many return once more in a match that promises to be a heavily weighted one.
Injuries and Suspensions:
Marc Bola could return for Blackpool.
The Seasiders will still be without Ryan, Guy and Clayton.
John Marquis will miss this match through suspension; a huge miss for Doncaster.
Tom Anderson could come back into contention for a starting spot.
Doncaster will also be without Ian Lawler and Joe Wright.
The History:
Finishing 15th last season, Doncaster have been revitalized this season and are pushing for a playoff spot. Donny, who were founded in 1879, were most recently promoted to the Championship in 2013 as champions. Rovers then plummeted all the way back down to League 2, before being promoted again in the 2016/17 season. Rovers have also had moderate cup success, winning the Football League Cup in the 2006/07 season and also the Conference Cup on a couple of occasions. Since 2007 they have played their home football at the 15,231 capacity Keepmoat Stadium, but have had three other home grounds in their history.
The Manager:
Grant McCann, who is still only 38, has done a quite brilliant job at Doncaster to have them challenging for the playoffs. As a player he was a West Ham youth product, playing as a midfielder. He got his first bit of consistent game time at Cheltenham, first on loan and then permanently. He played just under 190 times for The Robins, scoring 31 goals. He then played for Barnsley, Scunthorpe, Peterborough (where he would later manage) and Linfield. He also picked up 39 caps for Northern Ireland over the course of his career.
McCann moved into management at Peterborough, where he had initially been given a coaching role. He was first appointed as caretaker manager in 2015 and was given the job permanently in May 2016. He joined Doncaster at the start of this season, after he was sacked by Peterborough following a poor run of form.
Star Men:
James Coppinger: An absolute club Legend, James Coppinger has played 591 times for Doncaster having been at the club since 2004. In that time he has scored 66 goals and claimed 98 assists and now, at the age of 38, he is still going strong. He will be lively in the midfield on Tuesday and will be difficult to contain.
Danny Andrew: The 28 year old Englishman has occupied the left back spot 42 times this season and has aided Doncaster at both ends of the pitch. Some might remember his name from his days at Fleetwood, but he has played much of his football at lower levels, with 110 games of League 2 experience.
Matty Blair: Another one that some might recognise from his time at Fleetwood, Blair has played 40 matches for Donny this season. Blair has also played for York, Mansfield, Cambridge and Northampton. He has done much work in Doncaster's midfield this season and has played for the club 134 times in total.
Stats:
Doncaster have been presented a brilliant opportunity to get their season back on track against Blackpool, with Doncaster winless in four and in need of gathering momentum. John Marquis has been the man to fire Doncaster up the division this season, scoring 18 league goals this season, almost a third of all Doncaster's league goals. To be without him could prove problematic, with a defence that is simply average in the division, conceding 1.29 on average. They are 3 points ahead of Blackpool, but with one game in hand and a much superior goal difference. This match could be a turning point in either sides season and it could be a tense affair with, on paper, both sides possibly struggling with goals.
Last Meeting:
Prediction 1-1:
Earlier in the season, Blackpool completely dominated against Donny and lost 2-0, but Doncaster have come a long way since and Blackpool still are not scoring goals. Blackpool could find themselves behind tomorrow, but without Marquis, I do not think Doncaster will be able to close it out.
Other Fixtures:
AFC Wimbledon v Peterborough United Barnsley v Sunderland Bradford City v Luton Town Charlton Athletic v Burton Albion Coventry City v Fleetwood Town Gillingham v Bristol Rovers Plymouth Argyle v Shrewsbury Town Rochdale v Oxford United Scunthorpe United v Southend United Walsall v Portsmouth Wycombe Wanderers v Accrington Stanley