Doncaster Rovers: We can't be one dimensional - Ferguson

Darren Ferguson has rammed home the message that his team must be flexible in their approach if they are to be successful this season.
Striker John Marquis gives Rovers something different, says Darren Ferguson.Striker John Marquis gives Rovers something different, says Darren Ferguson.
Striker John Marquis gives Rovers something different, says Darren Ferguson.

And, ahead of today’s League Two opener at Accrington Stanley, he has backed his strike pairing of John Marquis and Andy Williams to help implement exactly that.

“It’s important we’re not one dimensional,” said Ferguson.

“It’s important if things are not going as we would like that we’ve got other options.

“We can’t just play one way.

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“So if teams squeeze us really high up the pitch we’ve got to make sure we use the space in behind defenders.

“I think bringing John Marquis into the club, he gives us something different.

“He’ll get hold of the ball in the last third and he’s aggressive up front, so you would like to think that him and Andy Williams are going to be a bit of a handful.

“So as long as we know that, and we handle the expectations, and we keep the belief in what we’re doing, they’re the key attributes to being successful.

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“We’ve got to make sure we out-work teams and make sure we’ve got plenty of fight in the team. Those are the important things that we’ve spoken about quite a bit.”

Like Rovers, Accrington have had a big turnover of players over the summer.

But Ferguson is expecting nothing less than a tricky introduction to life in the fourth tier.

“We think it’s a tough game and it’s a tough little ground to go to,” he said.

“They’re a good footballing team.

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“They were within two minutes of winning automatic promotion last season.

“I know they’ve lost quite a few players and people might say it’s a new-ish team but so are we.

“We’re expecting a hard match.”

Ross Etheridge is expected to make his Doncaster debut against his former club.

Joe Wright, who spent time on loan at Stanley last season, also hopes to feature.