Ricky Charlesworth: Owen Bailey deal another sign that resurgent Doncaster Rovers are future-proofing

With Doncaster Rovers' week-long training camp in Portugal coming to an end, the club's media department had one last memo to push out through their social media channels before heading home.

As is now customary with any club announcing a new transfer or player renewal, there was a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun before it was announced Owen Bailey had penned a new deal. The tweet quickly went viral, being reposted and quoted ample times by a fanbase that is becoming more and more expectant of glory this coming term.

The 25-year-old has only been at Rovers for a year but has already become a focal point of Grant McCann's side, and his reliability is evidenced by the fact he started every single game last term. What's equally as impressive is that it was his first taste of life in the EFL.

His new contract (three years with the option of a further 12 months) adds his name to the list of real assets that Rovers have tied down for the foreseeable, with the likes of James Maxwell and Luke Molyneux also penning long-term deals in recent months.

It is just the latest bit of business in what has been a thoroughly impressive, some might even say faultless, summer so far. Looking back, McCann's insistence at the end of last season that they'd be going all-out for the title was a masterstroke.

It let everyone know exactly what the ambitions are and planted the seed in everyone's head. It ensured that recruitment was swift, with chief executive Gavin Baldwin recently stating that it has been the most straightforward summer of negotiations he can remember.

New arrivals were in the door before June was out, with the new-look squad all in place for Portugal. Wherever you look, there is a feelgood factor around Rovers right now.

The squad looks more balanced and well-equipped to cope with the rigours of a long, slog of a season. Dave Rennie's impact is already being felt with McCann and his coaches regularly praising the numbers posted this pre-season compared to 12 months ago.

Back at base, Cantley Park developments are ongoing as the club look to future-proof the surroundings that the players use day-to-day. There's also the fact that the Belles are now back at the Eco-Power Stadium, going some way to repairing a connection that felt lost in recent years with the team outposted elsewhere.

It all feels like too much of a coincidence that all these developments, on and off the field, have occurred since Terry Bramall took up the reins as chairman late last year.

Bramall deserves praise for quietly implementing so many changes and granting (pardon the pun) McCann all that he needs to mount a serious title challenge. The owner delivered a presentation to the players and staff during the Portugal trip outlining the aims and ambitions of the club, in the short-term and long-term.

Of course, there's still another month until the real action begins. That is when we will really be able to judge how far this group has progressed. But in terms of preparation and laying the foundations for success, you'd be hard-pressed to find a club that's done so much in such a short space of time.