Doncaster Rovers: Fringe men keen to stake claim against young Black Cats - Alcock

But the 29-year-old defender says the priority is a solid team performance against Sunderland Under-21s.

Alcock will be among several fringe players drafted in for the Group H clash following a hectic September schedule.

But after six defeats in eight games last month, Alcock says regardless of who gets the nod the onus is on Rovers to deliver a good performance.

“The eleven of us that go out there will want to do well and make sure we give the gaffer a selection headache for Saturday,” said Alcock, whose four appearances this season have all come in cup competitions.

“The priority is to make sure we put on a performance for the fans.

“We want to do ourselves justice, the ones that are playing that maybe haven’t had as much game time as they would’ve liked.

“For me it’s been frustrating getting injured in pre-season and then having to bide my time to get in but that’s part and parcel of football.

“Butts and Joe Wright especially, and some of the back four, have done really well this year. I know we’ve conceded goals but they’ve been good individually more often than not.

“You have to respect that but it’s still frustrating because you want to be in the team playing and winning.”

Alcock insists the mood in the camp is still positive, despite the recent drop-off in results.

“Everyone’s trying to be upbeat and positive because it’s frustrating at the minute at times,” he said.

“We’ve been doing well in fits and starts really, and we’ve been unlucky as well at times.

“Some of the goals we’ve conceded have been absolute worldies and then there’s been others down to individual errors or being sloppy.

“There’s a long way to go and hopefully things will turn.”