Can Sean O'Driscoll lift his battle-weary troops to glory in the play-offs after the disappointment of missing out on an automatic promotion place?

That will be the question on the minds of thousands of fans as Rovers make the long journey to Southend United for the first leg of the semi-final tomorrow night.

After a gruelling season that has had more twists and turns than a Formula 1 motor racing circuit it all boils down to which team will have the grit, the nerve, the ability and the bottle to drag themselves over the winning line in front.

Rovers would have settled for this in September when they were languishing in 17th place after losing 3-2 at Southend in a topsy turvy game in which the lead changed hands three times.

They were still in the bottom half of the table in October before an exciting 4-2 home win over Leyton Orient launched them on an upward spiral.

But the season did not really take off until just before Christmas when a sparkling 4-0 win at Crewe on December 22 led to an incredible run of 13 victories and one draw from 16 games which saw them enjoy almost eight weeks in second place.

Nobody would have settled for a place in the play-offs at that stage.
But maintaining that amazing level of consistency is far from easy and a run of eight games with only two victories saw them lose their grip on second spot to Carlisle United.

After that it was the Cumbrians turn to falter as they picked up only one win in their last eight games and Doncaster's victory over Luton in their final home match unexpectedly put them back in pole position going into the last league game at Cheltenham.

What happened to Rovers in the first half at Cheltenham last Saturday is anybody's guess.

The team that came out of the traps like greyhounds against Luton the previous week seemed to be in a dream like state and the game was half over before they woke up.

So here we are in the play-offs with a second bite of the cherry – and this time there is no margin for error.

How O'Driscoll and his men will approach tomorrow night's away leg remains to be seen but if they produce anything like the form they showed in the only other two leg game in the manager's reign then the fans are in for a real treat.

Rovers' performance in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy semi-final first leg at Crewe just over 15 months ago was one of the best away displays in the club's recent history matched only by the exhibition of total dominance at Millwall this season.

There were no thoughts of safety first defensive tactics.

O'Driscoll's men just went out and attacked from the first whistle with a magnificent display of classy football that saw them two goals up by half time.

Somehow Crewe managed to claw their way back to 3-3 despite being completely outplayed.

It set up a second leg that was to prove the greatest night of football at the Keepmoat so far when Rovers had to dig deep and show another side to their character.

Most of the players had been laid low by a bug that had swept through the camp just a few days before.

But they climbed off their sick beds and battled back heroically from going two goals down to win 3-2 in a memorable match in front of 12,561 jubilant spectators.

It set up a brilliant day out for the fans for the final at the Millennium Stadium which attracted a crowd of 59,024 - the biggest ever to watch a Rovers match in the club's history.

This time the prize is much greater and the attendance at Cardiff will be surpassed considerably if Rovers can make it to the play-off final at Wembley.
Rovers have to retain their belief if they are going to make it happen.
And so must the fans who are so important in lifting them in times of trouble.
Millennium Stadium last season and now just two games away from Wembley.
It would have sounded like a fairytale when Rovers were in the Conference just five years ago.

But, if they can summon up another supreme effort and show the class and courage they displayed over two legs against Crewe last year, a place in the Championship may still be within their grasp.