Ex-Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday player takes charge of newly formed Doncaster City FC

Former, Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday winger Terry Curran has confirmed he will take charge of Doncaster City in the club’s inaugural season.

Capitalising on Doncaster’s new city status, Doncaster City Football Club has been registered on the Companies House website with Janis McKay – the wife of football agent Willie – listed as its sole director.

"Nothing is easy but we are going to try and get up the leagues as early as we can then we can take it where we want to take it,” said Curran, who began his playing career with Rovers in 1973.

The club plans to compete in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior Football League next term.

The exact division they will play in is yet to be decided, a Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA spokesperson said, meaning Doncaster City could start life anywhere between the eleventh and thirteenth tier of English football.

Still, Curran, now 67, wasn’t put off by the challenge.

"I said ‘Yes’ straight away,” he added.

"At the end of the day it doesn’t make a difference where you are, it’s about proving yourself.

"We are looking for young players that have probably drifted out of the league and want to get back with a bit of guidance and help.

"It’s going to be fantastically run and it’s going to be a success, make no mistake.”

While Willie McKay is not listed as a company director, Curran said he was behind the project and a 45-acre site owned by the McKays in Bawtry would be used to house Doncaster City from February 2023.

Until then they will be based at Armthorpe Welfare’s home ground, the Marra Falcons Stadium, where their first training session will take place on Thursday.

Open trials will also be held in the coming weeks.

“These are going to have money behind them,” said Curran, who described himself as a ‘footballing manager’.

"They are going to have big sponsors. It will be going in the right direction.

"It’s a matter of building it up, getting it going, and helping young players, as well as helping us to take the club on an adventure.”

The club’s home ground at Martin Grange Farm will also be used as a top-class training facility – boasting indoor and outdoor pitches – open to the public and available for professional sides to rent, Curran said.

Doncaster City has already set up a Twitter account and warned neighbours Doncaster Rovers ‘we’re blue and we’re coming for you’ in their first post.

There are plans to show match highlights and other content on a YouTube channel.

"We are going to be involving the fans,” said Curran, who is Willie’s second cousin.

”Fans have lost touch with players, we’re going to be fetching them in.”

Willie McKay previously held a consultancy role at Doncaster Rovers in the 2011/12 season.

With his help the club signed a number of high-profile players, including Pascal Chimbonda and El Hadji Diouf, but were relegated from the Championship.

Any players interested in playing for Doncaster City next season should contact Terry Curran via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Further details about trial dates will be published later this month.