A look at Doncaster Rovers' summer preparations as pre-season and Portugal edge closer

The players will return for pre-season training on Monday morning (July 1) with Grant McCann and his coaching staff checking up on how their fitness levels are faring after an extended summer break. McCann has made no secret of his desire to atone for last season's promotion near-miss after Rovers lost out on penalties to Crewe in the play-off semi-finals.

In the immediate aftermath of defeat, McCann said he wanted them to go all-out for the title. For the players, an intense workload awaits them as the manager aims to ensure they don't start sloppily as they did last term.

After a few days of rigorous tests, plenty of running and bedding in the new arrivals, including the likes of Billy Sharp, Joe Sbarra and Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Rovers then head abroad for a warm weather training camp.

The players and staff fly out to Portugal next Sunday and will undergo training sessions in the intense summer heat. They will be staying at a specialist sports complex in the south of the country. There are no plans to stage a warm-up or bounce match, with the emphasis purely on fitness and getting used to hard work in testing temperatures. They will then fly home the following Friday.

Upon their return to the UK Rovers will then face a mixed range of opponents during seven friendlies. These range from Championship duo Hull City and Middlesbrough to local non-league outfit Club Thorne Colliery. The first is on Tuesday, July 16 away at Stamford in a match that will see two 60-minute portions played, rather than the traditional 90 minutes.

Rovers begin their League Two campaign on home soil, against Accrington Stanley on Saturday, August 10.