Darren Moore on the goalkeeping situation at Doncaster Rovers, Seny Dieng and the goal for Louis Jones

Jones this week agreed a new two-year contract with Rovers and Moore says he should have the first team firmly in his sights.

The Rovers boss has pledged to give his two contracted goalkeepers, Jones and Ian Lawlor, the opportunity to grasp the number one shirt before he considers bringing in a further reinforcement.

And he says 21-year-old Jones should not be daunted by the fight ahead.

“Louis has stepped up and he’s got to be coming back and looking to compete for that number one jersey with Lawsy,” Moore told the Free Press.

“We’ve invested in him. He’s a bright young up-and-coming keeper.

“We think he’s done really well. We sent him out on loan to Yeovil to get him 20 or 30 games which didn’t quite materialise.

“We’ve brought him back in, we’ll have a good look at him in pre-season.

“But his mentality and the age that he is, he’s got to be looking to come back into our set up and make a real strong case for that number one spot.

“Paul Gerrard is a massive fan and he’ll be key for his development.”

Moore admits it is likely he will sign a goalkeeper on loan before the start of the season to ensure he has enough cover in the event of injury or suspension.

Whether that loan signing is arriving at the club to start matches or initially provide support will be down to the two goalkeepers already on Rovers’ books.

“I’m going to see first how it goes and then if need be we know we can look at that loan goalkeeper again with the different dynamics,” he said.

“I’ll just be seeing but it is a possibility that I will be looking to fill that spot with a loan goalkeeper, similar to what we did last season with Seny Dieng.

“I think it’s essential to have at least the three goalkeepers because it’s an area where you’ve got to be well covered.”

That potential loan signing will not be Seny Dieng, who impressed greatly last season on loan from Queens Park Rangers.

“From what I’m hearing he’s going to be staking a claim at QPR and I don’t think anyone would argue with that,” Moore said.

“Hopefully we’ve played a part in that. If it wasn’t the case then we’d welcome him back in a heartbeat.”

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