John Buckley: How many points do Doncaster Rovers need for promotion?

It was a tiny bit disappointing not to win at Crawley on Saturday but if we keep on taking four points from every possible six we'll soon be celebrating promotion.
Niall MasonNiall Mason
Niall Mason

We’ve not had the easiest of runs lately but four points from two away games is a good return.

I reckon another 16 points - which would take us onto 85 - and we’ll be home and hosed in terms of promotion.

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Ninety points, or seven wins from these last 11 games, should guarantee the title.

The most important stat at the moment is that 11-point gap to fourth place, a gap which doesn’t really seem to be getting any smaller despite Rovers only winning one of their last seven matches.

That means there is still room for error, there’s not that pressure on us to win every single game. Draws are not disasters. We keep on picking up points.

Saying that, it would be very nice to win these next two games at home. That would take us to within touching distance of the finish line.

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Cheltenham aren’t in bad form but if we turn up and do what we can do, we’ll win the game.

We’ve gone behind in the last three home matches so it’s really important we get our noses in front this weekend. When we do that you can see the confidence and belief just blossom.

Don’t expect Rovers just to roll these teams over though.

Cheltenham beat Carlisle last month and in January they went to Luton and won, while Notts County have improved under Kevin Nolan and recently won at Plymouth.

It’ll be interesting to see if Darren Ferguson maybe freshens things up on Saturday. I wouldn’t be surprised if Andy Williams returns up front alongside John Marquis.

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I feel a bit sorry for Harry Middleton because I didn’t think he played badly in the last home game against Accrington, but Niall Mason has moved inside and I think that role might suit him better than left back.

Charity bets: Rovers 3 Cheltenham 1, Rovers 2 Notts County 0.