A competitive match in pre-season: How Darren Moore is viewing Doncaster Rovers' cup clash with Blackburn Rovers

But the Rovers boss insists his side are taking the cup clash seriously, despite entering the fixture in the midst of their pre-season programme.

Due to international call-ups for the Lancashire side, the first round tie was brought forward by a week, forcing a hasty re-write of Moore’s pre-season plans.

Saturday would have seen a friendly against Championship opposition at the Keepmoat where players would have played their first 90 minutes in preparation for the start of the season.

Instead - after a friendly behind-closed-doors in midweek where players will be handed 60 minutes - the first full game run-outs will come in competitive action.

“Before I start switching my attention to Saturday, I want my players to come through this friendly unscathed,” Moore told the Free Press.

“Once we’ve had that game, we can start building towards that Blackburn game.

“The players will have had 60 to 70 minutes again.

“Going into that Blackburn game, it will be the first time some of them have been exposed to 90 minutes.

“Ideally you want your players to have two or three 90 minutes under their belts before they go into competitive games.

“Whenever you design pre-season, you try to get that in.

“If the season had started on the 12th of September, we’d have had this latest game where the players were getting 60 to 70 minutes, then one on Saturday which would have given the 90 minutes and another in midweek.

“Then you’re building towards the start of the season.

“But because they’ve brought the game forward, it’ll be an actual competitive match where the players are first exposed to 90 minutes.

“That was my concern looking at it.

“Because of the volume of the game against good opposition, it’s going to ask more of the players to get to the level needed both physically and mentally.

“It is what it is, and we’ve just got to try to get on with it.

“We’ve got to make sure that the volume of work the players get is right.”

Moore was frustrated with the decision to bring the match forward largely due to the reduced preparation time following five months away from training.

He initially said he would only play those players who were fully ready for the game, whatever impact that had on the strength of his side.

The 46-year-old is looking to arrange another friendly next week to continue his side’s preparations.

“I will get another friendly in after this one,” he said.

“We’ll try to maybe get one in in midweek and then build towards that Bradford game in the EFL Trophy.”

First up, ahead of Saturday’s game at Blackburn, is a friendly against Championship opposition. This match will not be publicised at the request of the opposition manager.

Moore believes the friendly will give his side a different sort of workout than those they have experienced so far.

“It’s a different game again,” he said.

“The opposition will be physically strong, fit, robust and I just want to see how we handle that.

“It will be a different game to the Derby game and it’ll be a good eye-opener to gauge where we’re at.”

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