Doncaster Rovers: McCann’s satisfaction as Marquis and Kane fulfill awards challenge

Doncaster Rovers had collected an armful of trophies at the EFL Awards, honoured for excellence both on and off the pitch.

The satisfaction for McCann came from a meeting he held with the Rovers squad in La Manga, mere days into his tenure as manager.

It was there that he laid out a series of individual and collective challenges to his players - including collecting prizes at the EFL Awards nine months later.

So, watching John Marquis and Herbie Kane being named in the League One team of the year was a proud moment for the Rovers boss.

"It was something we tasked them with at the start of the year," McCann told the Free Press.

"It was about if we could push two, three, four of them into the team of the year.

"I think we possibly could have had a couple more and we probably were quite close to it.

"It's pleasing to see those two in there because they have been excellent.

"It was a good night for the club on Sunday.

"For Herbie and John to win, the club to win Family Club of the Year and Matty Blair to get the League One Community Player, it was excellent."

Rovers were selected as the leading Family Club from all 72 EFL clubs - highlighted for initiatives such as Donny Dog's Kennel within the Family Stand, a family area in the away end and the annual Junior Takeover Day,

"I think it's amazing," McCann said.

"I think everyone at the club should be proud and take a huge amount of credit.

"Being there to witness it, it was an amazing achievement.

"We had a lot of the club there, the support team behind the scenes.

"They drive it. It was great for us to achieve that."

Blair's phenomenal dedication to community work saw him highlighted for the third successive season.

McCann said: "There is nothing more left to say about Matty - what a man he is.

"I think the players are unbelievable here with anything that needs to be done, they're there.

"There's no nos or maybes.

"It's a straight yes whenever they're asked to do anything.

"It's part of the club's DNA."

On the club's Family Award, marketing assistant Michael Burton said: "It means everything, not just for me, but for everyone at the club who has put hard work into this.

“We do a lot of work and it's a great feeling for the club to win this award.

"Family is so important, and we want to show that it's not just about standing on the terrace for 90 minutes, it's about more than that."