Doncaster Rovers: Time off due to a postponed game? Don’t even think about it

Rovers had been set to welcome Shrewsbury Town to the Keepmoat this weekend only for the game to be pushed back due to international call-ups for the Shropshire club.

The FA Cup replay with AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday ensures Rovers will not go a fortnight without a fixture.

But regardless, boss Darren Moore said there would never have been any time off on the cards for his squad - simply because he feels there is still plenty of work to be done on the training ground.

"We keep saying there is always work to do here and there's loads of work to do every single day," Moore said.

"We continue to keep working, trying to get better and improve.

"I don't think there's been one day so far where I've sat back and thought 'yeah.'

"There's so much work to keep doing if you want to get the team right and perfect performances. You've just got to keep working.

"We continue to do that.

"Even though the game was called off, people might have thought there was an opportunity for some time off.

"I see it as time to work and get some more messages into the players.

"We can take advantage of the situation where we can spend a little bit longer on the training pitch without players getting too fatigued for a game on the Saturday.

"We want to work sensibly and not empty ourselves on the training pitch before the game on Tuesday.

"It's controlled, conditioned training sessions with a real purpose."

Moore says the disruption of another postponed fixture has been far from ideal for his squad.

The trip to Tranmere Rovers was called off due to a waterlogged pitch while Bolton Wanderers unilaterally cancelled Rovers' scheduled visit and Bury's expulsion from the league also saw them with blank days in a round of fixtures.

But he has praised his players for showing focus on the task at hand.

"We've had to get on with it because there is no other plan than to just get on with it," he said.

"We've had four games called off thus far in the first quarter of the season.

"When you look at it really, it has been disruptive, it's been stop-start.

"You've just got to get on with it, keep the focus, try to keep the momentum and keep the levels of performance high.

"It's not helped in terms of continuity. We have shown good form and when you're in good form you want the games to keep coming thick and fast to build on that momentum and solidify it even more.

"That's not been the case but credit to the players for staying focused and staying engaged with it and keeping their reputation and mentality high.

"They represent the club in the right manner.

"All of those things have been there in recent weeks. They've kept their focus and kept each other sharp because of the group and the culture we've got at the football club.

"We don't try to blame anything, we just try to get on with it as a group."