Doncaster Rovers tipped to dish out a beating ahead of Harrogate Town visit

Rovers are a team in transition under Danny Schofield, who wants to turn them into a slick and super-fit passing and pressing outfit capable of blowing opponents away.

That’s easier said than done, of course, and inevitably there have been teething problems. But last weekend’s 1-0 win over Newport County was more convincing than the scoreline might suggest.

Tommy Rowe helped keep the Exiles at bay in that match and said: “We had some great looks at Newport, we probably could have scored two or three more goals.

"It’s only a matter of time before we have a game like that, only if we continue with the consistency of our performances.”

The challenge for Doncaster at home to Harrogate this weekend will be to make sure the outcome of the match does not go the way of King’s Lynn, Colchester or Walsall.

A lack of consistency has been their Achilles' heel this term but – and it has been said before, prematurely – they may have turned a corner.

Rowe said: “It’s taken a lot of hard work on the training ground.

"They say the last bit is the hardest but when you are working through new shapes and new positions we play it comes eventually once you get the efficacy of what you are doing."

A second straight win on Saturday could move Rovers back into the play-offs for Christmas.

Mid-September was the last time they occupied a top-seven spot, with an injury to Rowe coinciding with their slide down the table.