Darren Moore reflects on Doncaster Rovers' season so far

Darren Moore’s summation of Doncaster Rovers’ progress so far in this unprecedented season is delivered in one simple word.

But he also believes it is difficult to judge Rovers against their League One peers due to the games in hand they hold.

Had the two matches rescheduled so far gone ahead and Rovers had won, they would sit third in the division. Currently, however, they are eighth.

“I think we’re okay and we’ve just got to keep going,” he told the Free Press.

“We’re a couple of games down on other teams because of the internationals and we’ve got through in the FA Cup so the Rochdale game has been put back as well.

“We’ll always be trying to catch up with that and we’ll have to manage them when we come back to it.

“Who is to say where we could be, because we’re two games less than other teams.

“Could they have been two wins and put us six points better off which would have put us in the top three?

“At the moment, we’re okay in terms of what we’ve been doing.

“Let’s not sit back and rest on our laurels. Every game is another hurdle to get across, we want to keep moving forward.

“I’ll never be one as a manager to say I’m happy because I’m onto the next one.

“If you had to look back and draw a line and block it off, we’ve been okay.”

The relentlessness of the fixture list during the condensed campaign has made consistency difficult for most clubs, which is reflected in the congested nature of the upper reaches of League One.

Moore believes the demanding schedule has accelerated the learning process for his young squad, as they are being presented with a variety of problems to overcome on the pitch

“We’re still a young team, there’s still so much to learn and so much that they are learning with each game,” he said.

“Sometimes the learning comes from the games as well. Incidents are going to occur and moments happen where they’re going to have to deal with that. You can talk about it but actually physically doing it is a totally different learning experience.

“We just keep going.”

*

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.