Why Taylor Richards rarely plays 90 minutes for Doncaster Rovers

In fact, he has not played a full 90 minutes since the draw with MK Dons on the opening day of the season.

In his 20 starts from 27 appearances this term, the Brighton and Hove Albion loanee has played more than 75 minutes in just six.

And it has been noticeable that Richards has been withdrawn in matches even when having a positive impact on proceedings.

Manager Darren Moore revealed, having closely assessed the 20-year-old’s physical condition throughout the campaign, that he has acted with caution in order to ensure Richards is available for every fixture.

“His game is about being explosive and working,” Moore told the Free Press.

“With the turnaround of games we’ve had to manage him and especially because in between games he has picked up little niggly injuries.

“When you’re playing over a sustained period, these little niggly injuries do come along.

“There may have been games where we might have pushed him to go for 90 minutes but because within three days there is another game coming, and not having the bodies at the start of the season that we’d have liked to have had, we’ve had to manage him through it.

“Hopefully, in the second half of the season, we can start pushing him towards those 90 minus and get that bit extra work into him.

“Those 60, 70, 80 minutes that he’s been playing, it all been a continuation of building him towards sustainability and robustness to his game.”

*

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.