‘He’s one you want to take into the trenches with you’ - Darren Moore on building his Doncaster Rovers defence around Tom Anderson

Tom Anderson is exactly the sort of player Darren Moore wants to build his defence around at Doncaster Rovers.
Tom AndersonTom Anderson
Tom Anderson

The centre half has arguably been Rovers’ top performer this season and signed a new contract to commit his future to the club until the summer of 2022.

And Moore says he sees Anderson as a key building block for the future of his squad.

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“He’s a leader in terms of his performance and he’s one of those you want to take into the trenches with you,” the Rovers boss said.

“His performances have been at a level where he’s shown consistency but within that consistency, he’s also getting better.

“I see there are signs in his game where he’s improved since I’ve come in here and as a defender by trade as a player, I see there are qualities in him certainly at this level and I’ve spoken to him about the level above that I feel he can move into and operate in.”

Anderson’s consistency has been superb throughout the campaign and he has helped deliver the levels which have made Rovers one of League One’s top defensive units.

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Moore believes his consistency is the first step to progressing for the 26-year-old, as he looks to stand out as one of the best at the level and perhaps step up to the next.

“It’s about consistency for him and with that you get to a level where you then go through another window in terms of performances,” he said.

“You’re operating then at a level where the players might not realise but because the performances have been consistently good, you stay at that level.

“You’re looking at that in terms of his consistency and then he gives that leverage to other players which shows again his leadership qualities.

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“He’ll mark himself as one of the top central defenders at this level.

“I’ve seen improvements in him and I’ll continue to see those. But for me, he can get even better and we’ll work on that.

“I keep saying to the players here that we have to improve individually and as a squad.

“Certainly Tom can tick that box as an individual.”

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