Doncaster Rovers defender praised for 'growth in performance level'

Doncaster Rovers defender Ro-Shaun Williams has earned praise for his improved performances during the second half of last season.
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Williams, 23, endured a very difficult start to life at Rovers and struggled to find his feet during Richie Wellens’ problematic reign as manager.

An ankle injury then restricted the former Shrewsbury Town centre back to just one appearance in three months before his return to the side in February.

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Rovers boss Gary McSheffrey said Williams had been a beneficiary of his change in training methods – and praised him for stepping up his game.

Ro-Shaun WilliamsRo-Shaun Williams
Ro-Shaun Williams

McSheffrey slammed the fitness level of the Rovers squad after taking over from Wellens in December and moved to appoint Sam Bowring as head of sports science in late January.

“Fitness levels were key and I addressed that at the beginning,” McSheffrey told Rovers’ YouTube channel.

“Getting people up to speed, up to match fitness, but more importantly working hard enough on the training pitch to get up to those levels.

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“Ro-Shaun had a good period where he stayed injury free for the last couple of months.

“We nutured him, we gave him some ownership, gave him a voice and we really saw growth in his performance level.

“He can be happy with his contribution over the last couple of months.

“He found some real consistency and he was good at defending set plays. He was aggressive and he was carrying the ball out of defence for us and building the attacks.

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“He’s one that can come back confident and looking to kick on.”

With Williams, Tom Anderson, Joseph Olowu and Ollie Younger on the books, Rovers look well stocked for centre backs and it is unlikely to be a position that McSheffrey will look to strengthen this summer.

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