Why Doncaster Rovers boss switched goalkeepers for Fleetwood Town clash

Gary McSheffrey hopes goalkeeper Louis Jones will be available for Saturday’s clash with promotion-chasing Wigan Athletic after sitting out Doncaster Rovers’ defeat to Fleetwood Town.
Louis JonesLouis Jones
Louis Jones

Jones was nursing a hamstring injury last week and not risked for the Fleetwood game, with Watford loanee Pontus Dahlberg coming back into the side for the first time in McSheffrey’s tenure as boss.

McSheffrey believes the injury has been caught at the right time and is hopeful he will not miss further matches.

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“Louis felt it before the Morecambe game,” he told the Free Press. “He got through it, though he had to take quite a lot of goal kicks and it was niggling away.

“He didn’t train with us until Thursday and needed a few days off with it.

“Even then he was only doing handling, not really kicking or running.

“The last thing we want is to lose Louis for a few weeks with a pulled hamstring so it made sense and I thought it was the right decision to give him a breather to make sure he gets it right.

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“We have a very good goalkeeper on the bench that came on and did really well.

“It’s about managing it now with Louis and we’ve got a few days for him to rest it.

“I don’t want to force it and it mean he misses a few games rather than one.

“Hopefully he’ll be back next week.”

A decision is due on Dahlberg’s future with the breakpoint in his season-long loan coming this month.

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The Sweden international’s start at the weekend was only his second in 11 matches for Rovers.

Charlie Seaman returned to action off the bench against Fleetwood and almost snatched a last gasp equaliser.

McSheffrey explained the versatile wide man was not fit enough to start the game and will still require work before doing so.

“I don’t think he’s anywhere near it with the fitness levels,” he said. “He was holding his knees a couple of times because he didn’t get his second wind.

“It was a great strike when he nearly scored at the end.

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“We;re bringing players on and starting players having not played for weeks and week.

“Ro-Shaun [Williams] did well to complete the full game having been out for so long.

“The fitness levels are not quite there at the minute and we need to try to get more match practice into them.

“Charlie definitely added a bit of quality.”

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