Doncaster Rovers: Darren Ferguson promises hard times for players in build-up to Plymouth clash

Boss Darren Ferguson has pledged to maintain a high level of intensity in training as he looks to guide Rovers over the promotion finishing line.

With a clash against second placed Plymouth Argyle on Sunday, Ferguson is hoping to ensure his side produce a similarly energetic performance to those of recent weeks.

So the players’ reward for Saturday’s 4-1 win at Leyton Orient was a solitary day off.

“We gave them Monday off but Tuesday and Wednesday will be hard sessions,” Ferguson said.

“We’ve got to keep on top of them. We need to keep an edge to their game.

“You can make the mistake sometimes of leaning off them a little bit.

“We need to keep that physical aspect to our game.

“So we need to lean a little bit on them Tuesday and Wednesday and then again Friday and Saturday.”

Ferguson named the same starting XI for the fourth consecutive game on Saturday and said careful management of player recovery helped get the best out of them at Orient.

“We were in last Wednesday after the Notts County game for an extra day of recovery,” he said.

“Some of the lads that travel in stayed over on the Tuesday night and it made a difference.

“The last time we had three games in a week we had Cambridge away in midweek and the lads didn’t get in until half 3 because of roadworks. And then on the Saturday we were at Crawley.

“This time we’ve had two home games which helped us look at it a bit more carefully.

“I think it really made a difference because the way we were pressing at Orient at the end was just non-stop.

“It was a fantastic effort from the players.”

Rovers players will today be involved in a series of community events as part of the launch of season tickets for the next campaign.

This will culminate in a game between a Retford United XI and a Rovers youth team, managed by Andy Butler and Matty Blair, at Retford United from 7pm with free entry for the public.