Doncaster Rovers sack Danny Schofield after lowest league finish in 20 years

Schofield, who was appointed in October, lost 19 of his 33 games in charge.

He becomes the club’s second managerial casualty of a disastrous 22/23 campaign following Gary McSheffrey’s dismissal.

Doncaster chairman David Blunt said: “It is with the deepest regret that we have made this decision.

"Danny is a Doncaster lad and everyone at the club desperately wanted him to be a success here. His dedication, commitment and work ethic during his time at the club have been unquestionable.

"Whilst it is true Danny has not had the opportunities to build his own team, and the injuries have depleted the squad, we would have still expected to see a better turn of results than what has been achieved this season.

“In recent weeks, Danny has handled some difficult circumstances with the utmost dignity and has the respect and best wishes of all staff at Doncaster Rovers.

"We expect to announce Danny’s replacement within the next 10 days.”

Schofield was told of his fate on Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after Rovers fell to their 23rd defeat of the season at Walsall on the final day.

That saw them finish 18th in League Two and led to more calls for his exit among fans.

Schofield’s assistant, Chad Gribble, and first team transition coach, Paul Green, will be staying at the club.

The pair stepped up from the youth team following McSheffrey’s departure in October and were subsequently promoted to work under Schofield.

It remains to be seen whether they will continue working at first team level moving forward.

Schofield had seemingly been the only serious contender to take over at the Eco-Power Stadium following McSheffrey’s dismissal.

The club’s board and particularly head of football operations James Coppinger had been keen on recreating their style of play under legendary boss Sean O’Driscoll.

Schofield’s dismissal is an admission from the club his hire has been a failure.

The former Huddersfield chief enjoys a good reputation as a coach but his foray into management has been far less successful with just 11 wins from 42 games and 26 defeats.

Doncaster were 12th when Schofield took over and while they threatened to break into the play-offs at various points throughout his tenure they won just two of their final 16 matches to finish closer to the relegation zone.

The 43-year-old was not helped by a series of injuries to would-be starters, which exposed the squad’s lack of strength in depth in the final few months of the season.

It is understood he was also forced to sell players in the January transfer window before he could bring in new recruits.

Despite these struggles it was generally felt the team should still have performed better than they did in recent weeks, dropping points from winning positions on three occasions in April.

Schofield seemed confident in his position when he spoke to reporters after the final whistle at the Poundland Bescot Stadium on Monday.

He had been hoping to work with a bigger budget for next term to allow him to build a side capable of winning promotion.

Instead, Doncaster will entrust their seventh boss in five years with the task of returning them to League One.