Doncaster Rovers' new man on wing competition, snubbing Europe and how his initiation song went down

The Scot, who swapped Dundee United for South Yorkshire in the summer, played 74 minutes as Grant McCann's side recorded a 1-0 opening day success upon their return to League One. He put in some tantalising crosses and more often than not he got fans off their seats whenever he picked up the ball on the left flank.

Whilst his debut went swimmingly, he knows the quality of the squad that McCann has built means no-one can rest on their laurels.

"The gaffer has lots of options on the wings," he told the media post-match. "Gibbo (Jordan Gibson) and Mols (Luke Molyneux) are brilliant in one-v-ones and cutting inside and doing what they do. Then you've got D (Damola Ajayi) who's come into it and been brilliant. I like to be as direct as I can and get as many balls in the box and hopefully give the strikers plenty to feed off.

"Speaking to the manager and through pre-season he's made it very clear what he wants from his forwards - creating chances and scoring goals.

"There's no doubt in your mind when you get the ball what you want to do and need to do. Just the general competition in the team as well, you know you have got to be at it on a daily basis.

"To get a win on day one is brilliant. But it's only a start. You enjoy the win and you enjoy the music in the changing room after but Monday morning we know we're back in to start working hard again."

It represented a big decision for Middleton, 25, to opt to leave the Tangerines in the summer. After all, he'd played a big role in guiding them to fourth spot in Scotland's top flight last term and a place in this year's UEFA Conference League.

"I just wanted to be able to prove myself playing at these levels (in England)," he told the Free Press. "You see how well the team did last season. I know from winning the Scottish Championship a couple of years ago with Dundee United how good it is to be a part of that and how easy it then was for new boys to come into our changing room.

"And that's the exact experience I've had since coming down here. There's that feelgood factor about it and also there's a real trust and belief in what the manager and coaches put into us on a daily basis."

Part of the process of joining a new club is the dreaded initiation song: a rite of passage that most players just want over and done with. To that end, Middleton was no different.

"Stand by me," he said, when quizzed on what his choice was. "I got it over and done with, a quick 30 seconds - up and down!

"I went first just to get it done. I won't be signing up for X Factor any time soon but it was a good laugh and it gets that team spirit going.

"It's genuinely been enjoyable to come here. Spain (pre-season trip) was brilliant for getting to know all the boys and I could see the first couple of days, what a great group it is.

"It's been good having some familiar faces, with James Maxwell (Rangers) and Gibbo (Bradford). But all the boys and the staff have been welcoming."