Danny Schofield sends message to Doncaster Rovers fans ahead of Bradford City clash

Mark Hughes’ side will be backed by 4,000 supporters for what could be a crunch clash in the League Two play-off race, with Doncaster expecting their biggest gate of the season.

The Eco-Power Stadium could hardly be described as intimidating for away teams but Schofield hopes the home end can raise its game this weekend.

“A bigger crowd creates a more intense atmosphere,” he said.

"To be at home playing in front of a big away following can gee our fans up as well. Because they are a big club and bringing a lot of fans there’s probably a lot of attention around this fixture.”

Schofield admitted Saturday will be a new experience for him as a head coach.

"In terms of a derby game I’ve probably not had one,” he said. “I think this is probably the biggest one (yet), so it’s one I’m looking forward to.

"We are going to do our upmost to make our fans proud of their football club, so please get behind us and support us.”

Forward as one

The Eco-Power Stadium has been far from a happy hunting ground in recent times.

But Schofield wants to change that.

“I always speak about being connected and making sure everyone feels a part of what we are trying to do,” he said.

"It’s not just myself and the players, it’s got to be everyone so we can connect everybody together to try and do something.

"It’s very difficult to make the play-offs and get promoted from any division. It’s a real challenge because you have got 23 other teams trying to do the exact same thing.

"The more connection we can have, the more positivity we can have. Hopefully we can still do something this season.”

Bouncing back

Both sides lost their last game but remain firmly in the play-off hunt.

"We won three games prior to the Sutton game, it was a really good spell for us, and we need to be aiming for that again starting with Bradford,” said Schofield.

"Come 10 games out, five games left, we want to be in and around that play-off area. We want to make sure we don’t miss that opportunity.”