'Gut feeling' behind Adam Clayton's confidence that Doncaster Rovers is the right club for him

The experienced midfielder watched on as Rovers beat MK Dons at the weekend before signing an 18-month deal on Tuesday.

And he admitted tingles of nerves and tension during the later stages as Gary McSheffrey’s side held onto their 1-0 advantage.

“The talks were going on in the background obviously,” he said.

“I already had the feelings in the stomach with five minutes to go, praying they weren’t going to equalise and I had my missus texting me saying it’s 90+5, why isn’t he blowing his whistle.

“That’s the feeling that I’ve missed, having that care and love for something. It was a really nice feeling to have and hopefully it can last for a long time yet.”

Getting back into the game with the right club was a big step for Clayton, who has been without a club since seeing his contract at Birmingham City cancelled in November.

And he felt Rovers was the ideal fit - both for the short and long term.

He said: “There was a lot of six month offers out there but I didn’t want that.

“I wanted a project of my own, a place to live and be and achieve whatever it may be.

“I think Doncaster fits that, football wise and everything about the club.

“It’s got a good fanbase and a great stadium.

“It can play in the Championship. I was there for most of my career and that’s where I want to be and that’ll be the main aim over the next couple of years.”

The short term for the 33-year-old is about helping Rovers to secure survival in League One.

And while the margin to safety is still a sizeable nine points, Clayton is confident they can make a quick turnaround.

“I know more than most that if you can put a few wins together in this league you can put nine points on the board in a lot of the weeks,” he said.

“It’s definitely achievable.

“There’s some top players here and if we can get on a run of winning a game, like at the weekend, the confidence grows in a young group and you’re soon on the right track.”

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