Grant McCann on what his derby message will be to his Doncaster Rovers players for Barnsley clash

Rovers welcome their local rivals to the Eco-Power Stadium on Saturday (3pm) with both sides in a real rut in terms of league form. Barnsley haven't picked up maximum points in League One since September 13 with Rovers' winless sequence stretching back a week prior to that.

McCann's side lost a gripping White Rose derby early on in the campaign to Huddersfield but since then they've overcome both Bradford and Rotherham on home soil. As they chase a hat-trick of wins over local foes, McCann says being cool-headed is imperative.

"I think in derbies it's about the team who is the most calm," he said. "My message to the players will be to play our game and focus on what we're trying to do and the game-plan that we want to carry out. We know when we do perform that we can match anyone in the division.

"When we slip underneath that level then we can get hurt. We have to stay strong and switched on for long periods and hopefully that gets us a good result.

"We just want to get back on track in the league. We've prepared this week to go and put a really good performance on in front of our fans. Hopefully it's a packed stadium and we want to play with freedom and energy and hopefully we can get the fans' appetites going and go all the way."

McCann has plenty of respect for the job Conor Hourihane has done in his short stint at the Oakwell helm, especially moulding together a squad that includes both talented youngsters and older heads with nous: "I like the way they play. I think they've recruited smartly with both experience and youthfulness. I like what they're about as a football club. They give young players opportunities but also aren't afraid to bring in experienced heads like (Marc) Roberts of (David) McGoldrick to help that. Without that (experience), you don't flourish. You need the balance."