Richie Wellens admits it will be difficult for Doncaster Rovers to hit the ground running next season

Wellens will oversee a major squad overhaul after taking the reins at the Keepmoat with only a dozen players currently contracted to the club.

As well as bedding in a raft of new personnel, Wellens has a clear idea of the style of play he wants to implement, which he believes is considerably different to that which Rovers operated towards the end of last season.

And he envisages steady progress rather than rapid changes over pre-season - as he experienced as a Rovers player under Sean O’Driscoll more than a decade ago.

“You have to understand that the way I play and the way some other teams play in this division, it takes time,” he told the Free Press.

“As long as I see that things are moving forward, then I’ll be happy.

“We’re not going come the first day of the season, outplay the opposition and win 4-0. It takes time.

“When I was here under Sean, we started the season horrifically and it took Sean probably a year or 18 months to get it right. I think the turning point was at Swansea away.

“We were 1-0 down and someone scored two to probably save Sean his job and we never looked back.

“Even when we got the Championship, we played brilliantly but goalscoring was a problem for us and it took a while for it to click.”

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