Doncaster Rovers press notes: injury bombshell, voodoo dust and transfer relief

Rovers are 22nd in League Two and tomorrow face a side a place and seven points below them. Victory in London would open up a ten-point cushion and relieve much of the pressure that has been building.

Ahead of the game manager Grant McCann addressed the media. Here are the best bits from his pre-match media conference:

Injuries

Injuries to key players have punctuated Rovers' campaign and McCann relayed news of yet another one in this press conference. Conor Carty was one of three players to exit the action early at Bradford in midweek and McCann has now confirmed the Bolton loanee has suffered a season-ending ACL injury - meaning his loan has ended early.

"We've had some bad news with Conor doing his ACL. It'll keep him out for some time and he'll now go back to Bolton," said the Rovers chief.

"It's not ended well, that little nudge at Bradford. He's twisted his knee in the grass and it's so disappointing. It's really frustrating for Conor. It seems like we can't have a loan forward! Louie Marsh was another one, with his shoulder injury and then picking up another, and now Conor. Maybe someone is sprinkling some voodoo dust on top of the training ground!"

There was however slightly better news on Luke Molyneux and Ben Close, both of whom also exited the action early at Valley Parade.

On Close, McCann said: "It's better than what we first thought. We're still awaiting a proper prognosis. We were half-thinking it could be another ACL but it's not, which is good news. Fingers crossed he can be back very, very soon."

He also said Molyneux has trained and is available for Sutton and that no fresh injuries have been reported.

New arrival

The sixth and final signing of the winter window was announced yesterday when Hull City goalkeeper Thimothée Lo-Tutala arrived on loan for the remainder of the season.

McCann spoke glowingly about the new recruit and how he sees him competing with current stopper Louis Jones rather than being guaranteed to be number one.

He told the Free Press: "In my management career I've always treated that position like any other. If I feel there needs to be a change, I'll make a change. The way I work with the 'keepers and the goalkeeping coach is that it's his domain. I know goalkeepers may think they need a stretch of games to get going but they're quite similar to all other positions in that if they play well then they keep the shirt.

"We've seen Tim train last few days and he's everything I like in a keeper and so is Louis. I feel we've got real competition there now."

Deadline passed

McCann was asked if he was happy the window has now closed and after 14 ins and outs in total, he declared himself content at the squad he has to work with between now and the end of the campaign.

He said: "It amazes me every single year when I see clubs making five or six signings on deadline day. It's such a strange day. I didn't want to do that and never have done it really. We didn't want to leave it until the last minute. I think it's been a good window for us. We're pleased how it went and now we can focus solely on the league."

No talk of relegation

Tomorrow sees Rovers visit second-bottom Sutton United for a clash that could have big ramifications on the relegation fight. A loss would drag them right into the mire but a win would see the buffer between the two sides extend to double digits in Rovers' favour.

McCann was keen to divert any kind of negative talk and also insisted the mindset within his coaching staff was to focus on Rovers' positives rather than the opposition. "Truthfully, I've just focused on us," said McCann. "It's about us playing our game and getting three points."

When quizzed if this meeting was a must-win, he responded: "It's not the sort of language I'm using. We're just looking forward to the game. We want to go there and perform. The talk of 'must-win' can be outside the club, but we just focus on what's ahead.

"It's (relegation) for other people to speak about. We're not speaking about relegation. We've got 18 games left and we need to hit them head-on and see where we go."