‘Get a run together’ - Doncaster Rovers ace Brandon Hanlan on competition for places and his favoured position

In the words of Grant McCann, Doncaster Rovers forward Brandon Hanlan is someone that is just starting to get his mojo back.

The 29-year-old was handed his first start of the season on Tuesday evening against Notts County and proved a handful for The Magpies defence throughout the contest, notably causing a little bit of chaos in the build-up to Isaac Hutchinson’s opening goal from close range.

Hanlan has had to be patient for opportunities in the early weeks of the season but is now keen to put his best foot forward and help Rovers climb the table.

Commenting on where his game is at this moment, he said: “It's still early on, but it's just about being on the pitch and trying to perform and kind of find consistency and put it there week in, week out. So it’s still early but it's just about trying to get firing as soon as possible.”

Hanlan featured 36 times in League One during his first season at the club but was only selected to start in 20 of those matches. This was something which McCann referenced in his post-match interview when he feels that he’s perhaps struggled to give Hanlan a consistent run of matches due to stake his claim.

When asked about his thoughts, Hanlan explained that his aim is simply to let his performances do the talking and put himself to the front of the manager’s mind.

He said: “I mean, I want to obviously be on the pitch as much as possible. I want to get a run together and put my best foot forward and obviously it's a competitive game and we've got a lot of people competing for positions all over the pitch. So when I kind of look at it for myself, it's just about trying to be as consistent as possible and kind of putting myself in the front of the gaffer's mind.”

When everyone’s fit and available, Rovers will have four striker options at their disposal. Alfie May has led the line throughout the season while Frankie Okoronkwo and James Collins could also come in later in the season once they get over their injury woes.

However, the unique thing about Hanlan is that he’s also capable of playing in a wider role as was the case for parts of the game against Notts County.

Commenting on his preferred role, Hanlan said he’s simply just keen to help the team: “Well, obviously, I know that I've played up top the majority of the time, but I can play outside as well.

“And it's kind of like being on the pitch, knowing that obviously I can help the team, whether it's on the left, right or anywhere up in that front line. I think I can do a job there, yeah.”