"Lives depend on this" - Doncaster Rovers sent defiant message ahead of Colchester United trip

Grant McCann's side make the trip to the JobServe Community Stadium in high spirits having tasted defeat in just one of their last eight matches.

As for their hosts on Tuesday night, they enter the game having won just one of their last 12 outings.

Cowley's side are just two points clear of the drop zone and the former Portsmouth and Huddersfield manager knows just how much is riding on them maintaining their EFL status.

"We just have to keep going," he said, following their 2-0 defeat at Barrow last weekend. "Of course, the result is disappointing and of course for the supporters, particularly the ones that travelled, you come this far, you so desperately want your team to do well.

"Our lives depend on this. We’re proud people and any relegation lives with you forever, forever.

"If you get a team relegated out of the Football League, that’s with you forever.

"That will be with you on your dying day, so we have 11 games and a wonderful, wonderful opportunity to make sure that that doesn’t happen.

"We have to attack those games, we have to attack with them with energy, we have to attack them with enthusiasm and we have to attack them with determination. We will need the people of Colchester with us but we’re going to do it – I have absolutely no doubt at all that we will achieve what we set out to, when we first arrived."

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