Grant McCann in defiant mood as Doncaster Rovers prepare for 724-mile away days jaunt
Doncaster Rovers are ready to rack up the road miles as they embark on a three-game run of away fixtures.
Rovers head to struggling Carlisle United on Saturday before hitting the road again the following Sunday (December 1), with a trip to non-league Kettering Town in the FA Cup second round. They then round it off with another long old poke, to Fleetwood Town on Wednesday, December 4.
Despite the long travelling involved - the three round-trips amount to 724 miles door to door - it is perhaps a relief for Grant McCann that Rovers face an extended spell away from home.
They've won just one of their last six at the Eco-Power Stadium, with the latest frustration coming in the 1-1 stalemate with Salford City. McCann's side dominated the game in terms of chances created but couldn't turn the screw and were left ruing their profligacy.
You have to go back to October 1, the slender victory over Barrow, for the last time Rovers won on home soil. Additionally, they're only at home twice more before the year is out: Cheltenham on December 7 and Tranmere two weeks later.
McCann, who now has a fully fit squad to work with at Cantley Park ahead of the Carlisle trip, knows that the situation could be a lot worse. After all, Rovers are sitting in one of the automatic promotion spots with a third of the season elapsed. But he has high standards.
"It was disappointing against Salford but we'll get better, for sure," McCann defiantly told the Free Press. "We'll continue to work and we'll continue to put the players in those positions. I'd be more worried if we weren't creating those chances.
"I think we're the best team in the division in terms of how many shots we've had, expected goals etc. There's a lot of managers that'd love to be in my position but I expect us to be better than that."