Doncaster Rovers vs Rotherham United LIVE updates
and live on Freeview channel 276
Temperatures are forecast to reach up to 40 degrees in Doncaster today – even hotter than yesterday, when the city recorded its hottest-ever temperature of 36c.
But the pre-season show will go on, with Rovers set to welcome their South Yorkshire rivals for a friendly.
The game is scheduled to kick-off at 7pm, when it is expected to be around 34 degrees.
Scroll down for live match updates. And stay hydrated!
Doncaster Rovers vs Rotherham United LIVE
Key Events
- Game set to kick-off at 7pm in 34C heat
- Doncaster have won all four of their pre-season friendlies so far
- Rotherham thumped Rovers’ 6-0 and 5-0 in league and cup last season
Adam Long on the bench
Forgot to mention that one amid all this trialist facsination. Would expect the new boy to get some minutes tonight.
GM said he’d completed one 90 minutes and a 60-minute run-out in pre-season, so he has a good base level to work from.
Aidan Barlow warming up alone
He rolled his ankle in the first week of pre-season. McSheffrey gave a timeline of four to six weeks for his return last week.
Three trialists involved tonight
No sign of the players yet so we don’t know who, but that is two fewer than Saturday. Will chase an update after the game.
Going off numbers, I think that’s Kyle Hurst and Lee Tomlin starting.
The weather
We can’t ignore the elephant in the room. As of 4pm the Met Office predicts temperatures in Doncaster to reach up to 40C, which would set a new record high for the city.
The previous record was set just yesterday at 36C.
It is expected to be 34C when the teams kick-off at 7pm.
Other clubs in action tonight (and there are a few) have delayed their kick-offs by one hour or pushed them back a day to Wednesday, when it is expected to be considerably cooler.
The temperature in Doncaster at 8pm is expected to be one degree cooler than at 7pm, according to the Met Office, which could explain the decision to stick with the original time.
Rovers expected to field several trialists
Gary McSheffrey gave five players the chance to impress in Saturday’s win over Huddersfield and several, if not all, of them are expected to play some part in tonight’s clash.
They include experienced playmaker Lee Tomlin, who it would seem the club are keen on signing, as well as left-back James Maxwell.
Birmingham City’s Kyle Hurst also caught the eye against Huddersfield and drew praise from McSheffrey. The club are interested in the possibility of either a loan or permanant move for him.
It could be a busy few days on the transfer front after tonight is out of the way...
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to today’s live blog for Doncaster Rovers’ visit of Rotherham United.
The game is set to be played in sweltering heat amid record-breaking temperatures in Doncaster and across the UK, so expect plenty of drinks breaks throughout the match.
Hopefully that won’t scupper the game as a contest in what promises to be another stern test of Rovers’ progress in pre-season so far.
They’ve won all four of their friendlies to date, but face a team who have scored 13 goals against them in their last three meetings without conceding a single goal.