OPPONENTS GUIDE #24:QPR(A)

The new year kicks off for Rovers travelling down to London to promotion-chasing side QPR.The Hoops will no doubt want revenge after the earlier 2-1 defeat at the Keepmoat in a game which saw Paul Quinn head home a late winner.

Harry Redknapp has a very basic Premier League squad to use for the season.They contain the likes of ex-England goalkeeper Rob Green,badboy Joey Barton,striker Bobby Zamora and former Everton player Andy Johnson operating in the strikeforce.

WHAT'S THE STADIUM LIKE?

Loftus Road has roughly stands all of the same length and height.It holds 18,000 as of 2012.Away fans sit in the School End of the stadium,which has two tiers.3,000 supporters can fit inside the away end equipped with an electronic scoreboard and a replay screen above the stand.Loftus Road has also been used for rugby games.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

The only pub near the ground serving away fans is Sheperds Bush Green Market Underground Station on the Hammersmith and City line.Turn left when exiting the station and it's a short walk away.There are also kebab shops next to the pub and a Chinese takeaway.

Tip:Avoid the Springbok.It is for home fans only and bouncers at the door will check tickets.

TRAIN

The closest Underground station to Loftus Road is White City on the Central line.It is five minutes from the stadium.Alternatively,Sheperds Bush is close and is preferred to White City because of the range of food outlets.

POSTCODE FOR SATNAV

W12 7PA

WAKEFIELD PLEASED WITH EXPERIENCE

Liam Wakefield has told the official Doncaster Rovers website on how the experience in the backline has helped the 19-year-old defender mature in his roll.

Wakefield was placed in the position of right back against Millwall and was confident in the match.

"I felt nervous because I'd never played at right back before,"Liam said.

"QPR are our next opponents and we know how hard it'll be to win away in London.They are challenging for promotion after all."

"Paul Quinn helped me settle into the roll quickly and it was good to learn from his experience as a defender."

DONCASTER ROVERS 0-0 MILLWALL

A battling Doncaster end the year on a small high in a month that has seen Paul Dickov's side only collect two points after today's result against Millwall.

Millwall,fresh from sacking Steve Lomas,hoped to give their caretaker duo a good start.Steve Morison missed the target from twenty yards and Nicky Bailey tested Ross Turnbull.On twenty minutes,Bailey headed wide from a Martyn Woolford corner to break down a depleted team.

Bailey yet again used his head to try and score.He headed from a corner before the break but Paul Quinn cleared the ball to the flanks.Wakefield then headed the ball wide following a cross from debutant Alex Peterson.

Millwall seemed to be fading.Richard Chaplow struck a ball at Turnbull and Scott Malone hit the side netting when trying to cross.Mark Duffy's sixty minute corner evaded Mark Beevers and,unintentionally,the head of Richie Wellens who was running into the box.

Theo Robinson came on and his pass to Macheda was only just stopped by Bailey's late tackle.

Stoppage time was interesting.Mark Duffy's effort was tipped over by David Forde and a very late corner wasn't connected by Liam Wakefield.The result sees Donny just above the drop zone by two points.

VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

DONCASTER BOSS PAUL DICKOV

"We know we didn't get the win we needed but because of the clean sheet,we can build on something.It is certainly a good base to work on for the second half of the season."

"If the youngsters work hard for their individual selves,I'll give them a deserved chance.Both Liam Wakefield and Alex Peterson made their full debuts and impressed."

"We knew we had to be more solid than what we had been.I think moving Paul Quinn into the middle helped us a lot with his experience in there and young Luke McCullough,Liam Wakefield and Enda Stevens did ever so well up against Morison and McDonald.They are good experienced players at this level and I can't really remember Ross having a proper save to make in the match."

TEAMS

Doncaster Rovers

• 01 Ross Turnbull
• 15 Liam Wakefield
• 31 Enda Stevens
• 04 Dean Furman Booked
• 02 Paul Quinn
• 12 Luke McCullough
• 07 Mark Duffy
• 17 Martin Woods (Robinson - 67' )
• 30 Alex Peterson (Macheda - 67' )
• 19 Richie Wellens(c)
• 11 David Cotterill

Substitutes

• 10 Federico Macheda
• 13 Jon Maxted
• 21 Marc De Val Fernandez
• 22 Theo Robinson
• 23 Kyle Bennett
• 25 Harry Forrester
• 27 Yun Suk-Young

Millwall

• 01 David Forde
• 02 Alan Dunne Booked
• 28 Scott Malone
• 10 Nicky Bailey
• 12 Shane Lowry(c)
• 16 Mark Beevers
• 18 Richard Chaplow (Martin - 76' )
• 26 Nadjim Abdou
• 09 Steve Morison
• 27 Scott McDonald (Easter - 81' )
• 11 Martyn Woolford

Substitutes

• 04 Joshua Wright
• 08 Jermaine Easter
• 13 Lee Martin
• 21 Jack Smith
• 25 Justin Hoyte
• 34 Icheki Onyedinma
• 43 Stephen Bywater

OPPONENTS GUIDE #23:MILLWALL(H)

Since staying up on the last day of the 2012/13 season,Millwall have had a period of turmoil so far on the pitch and in the dressing room.Three points above the drop zone and a run of six consecutive defeats have seen the Lions consider the danger of relegation,and to be confined back to League One for the first time since winning the playoff final in 2010 under Kenny Jackett.

Last season,despite many key players being fit,Millwall found it really hard to get results.Their 0-0 draw with Derby at The Den in April was just enough to keep them afloat.Kenny Jackett left the club at the end of the season and was replaced by former defender Steve Lomas.

Lomas lost his first five games in charge but form improved slightly.But it hasn't been maintained and only on Boxing Day,he was shown the door by chairman John Berylson.

THE GROUND-THE DEN

The 20,000 capacity stadium was opened in 1993 to replace the old stadium,which was also called The Den and situated under a mile away.Recently,the East Stand was renamed the Dockers Stand and an electronic scoreboard was fitted in.The home end was called the Cold Blow Lane end in 2012.

THE GAFFER-NEIL HARRIS(CARETAKER)

Millwall's all-time top goalscorer retired in the summer to become a coach.He will take charge of the team for Sunday's visit following the departure of Steve Lomas.

SIX OF THE BEST

DAVID FORDE-GOALKEEPER

Irish goalkeeper David Forde has been a great asset to the squad for the past five years since signing from Cardiff City.He has made over 200 appearances for the Southwark outfit and has won 15 caps for the Republic of Ireland.He made his debut against Macedonia.

PAUL ROBINSON-DEFENDER

Captain Paul is one of Millwall's current longest serving players since he signed professionally in 2001,playing 306 times and scoring 19 goals.He had a brief loan spell at Torquay United in 2005.Paul,31,is notable for scoring the winner in the 2010 League One Playoff Final at Wembley where Millwall beat Swindon in a 1-0 win.

ALAN DUNNE-DEFENDER

Alan has been at Millwall since 2000.He joined the club academy at the age of eight years old and made his professional debut against Sheffield United in 2002.To add to the records-he's been dismissed nine times!

LIAM TROTTER-MIDFIELDER

25-year-old Liam progressed at Ipswich Town before he signed a deal with Championship newcomers Millwall in 2010 on a free transfer.He spent most of his first season at The Den injured but has now fully recovered,making 129 apperances.

JIMMY ABDOU-MIDFIELDER

 

Born in Comoros but raised in France,Nadjim(AKA Jimmy) has been described by the fans as the club's 'greatest ever signing' after joining from Plymouth Argyle in January 2008.He has gained a reputation for pacy runs and crossing.Last season,he won the club's Fans' Player of the Season.

JERMAINE EASTER-STRIKER

Jermaine was a regular goalscorer during his time at MK Dons.Since he joined on a permanent deal earlier in July,the 27-year-old has already had the honour of winning top flight promotion with Crystal Palace and has kept his eye for goal with Millwall so far.

TURNBULL:"WE GIVE UP EASILY"

Ross Turnbull has spoken to the official website about the Boxing Day defeat to Ipswich and mentions how injuries can impact a team in a lowly position.

"We weren't happy with ourselves because of the performance.Ipswich came here with a fighting spirit and took such a great advantage over a depleted squad."

"The gaffer is annoyed because he's making excuses for the defeats we've had.When it's our attitudes to blame for a loss he can't legislate for that."

"Our togetherness will be important at the minute.If you have keep players injured and a squad low on confidence,you need some resolve."

DONCASTER ROVERS 0-3 IPSWICH TOWN

Ipswich ran away with a 3-0 victory over Doncaster,who could now end up going through the month without a win and facing a real relegation threat.

The first goal came from an unsuprising figure in the shape of prolific forward DAVID McGOLDRICK.A corner was well sent into the box by captain Luke Chambers and the 25-year-old former Nottingham Forest man powered a header into the net with 25 minutes gone.Ross Turnbull didn't even move.

Ipswich didn't stop there and it seemed as though Doncaster had already waved the white flag.Ryan Tunnicliffe's pacy advance on the defence was only just cleared by Paul Quinn and Franck Nouble only just headed wide from another corner.The corners,however,were to be the Achilles heel of Doncaster.LUKE CHAMBERS was the one who headed home another corner with 15 minutes before the break.

Before the break,Duffy's free kick hit the crossbar and Dean Gerken cleared the ball to the flanks.

The second half was only 5 minutes old when McGOLDRICK tripled the lead with a close finish under Ross Turnbull.Tunnicliffe passed to Skuse who found McGoldrick to put the cherry on top.

On the hour mark,Ipswich pressed again.McGoldrick headed over from a few yards out and Franck Nouble was flagged offside despite scoring from a pass.

Desperation kicked in when Doncaster broke forward.Richie Wellens had his shot cleared by Aaron Cresswell and then  it was left to Chambers to get rid of the ball for the attack.Duffy also missed an opportunity.

Close to the end of stoppage time,Paul Taylor(who'd replaced McGoldrick) missed a good chance.

VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

DONCASTER BOSS PAUL DICKOV

"We are extremely upset with ourselves due to the way the game panned out.We weren't good enough and below par yet again."

"Ipswich are a team who can perform well.They have good talent in their side and we knew they were on a good run of form in the Champioship.I was incredibly frustrated by the goals because I wanted us to at least show some fight."

"We are missing key players which affects us as well.We try to get by but it may not be enough in the long run."

IPSWICH MIDFIELDER COLE SKUSE

"The team are now in the top six and the gaffer has said that is the place we ought to be.The fans shouldn't be surprised by that because of our form.A great performance aids a good win and it did today."

TEAMS

Doncaster Rovers

• 01 Ross Turnbull
• 02 Paul Quinn Booked
• 27 Yun Suk-Young
• 04 Dean Furman
• 15 Liam Wakefield
• 12 LukeMcCullough
• 07 Mark Duffy
• 19 Richie Wellens(c)
• 22 Theo Robinson (Bennett - 73' )
• 10 Federico Macheda (Peterson - 53' )
• 25 Harry Forrester (Cotterill - 70' )

Substitutes

• 11 David Cotterill
• 13 Jon Maxted
• 17 Martin Woods
• 21 Marc De Val Fernandez
• 23 Kyle Bennett
• 30 Alex Peterson

Ipswich Town

• 22 Dean Gerken
• 04 Luke Chambers(c)
• 03 Aaron Cresswell
• 08 Cole Skuse
• 06 Christophe Berra
• 05 Tommy Smith
• 19 Luke Hyam
• 16 Ryan Tunnicliffe
• 09 Daryl Murphy (Anderson - 91' )
• 10 David McGoldrick (Taylor - 83' )
• 35 Franck Nouble (Graham - 74' )

Substitutes

• 01 Scott Loach
• 07 Carlos Edwards
• 11 Paul Anderson
• 15 Tyrone Mings
• 17 Jordan Graham
• 18 Jay Tabb  
• 26 Paul Taylor

OPPONENTS GUIDE #22:IPSWICH TOWN(H)

The traditional Boxing Day fixture sees Doncaster host Ipswich,who are now challenging for the playoffs and are unbeaten in six at the time of writing.

Notorious for their European success with Trevor Francis and Paul Mariner playing the leading parts in the 1970s,the Tractor Boys have struggled seriously in the last fifteen years.Administration affected the club in 2002 came to relegation from the Premier League and the sacking of George Burley in October the same year.The Scot had been manager at the club for eight years.

The club was purchased in 2003 successfully and Ipswich aimed to get back to the Premier League.The playoff defeats became monotonous for the fans ,and neither Joe Royle or Jim Magilton could do the job.The trouble was,Magilton had been given extra funding but didn't use it to buy players.

Former Manchester United star Roy Keane was appointed and things looked up.However,a slide down the table and he was out to allow Paul Jewell to step in.Jewell left by mutual consent in September 2012 and was replaced by a face Roy Keane hated-Mick McCarthy.

THE GROUND-PORTMAN ROAD

Portman Road officially became the new home of Ipswich in 1884.The stadium is known for his close surroundings to the train station and there was a tobacco processing factory nearby.The capacity is 30,111 thanks to a redevelopment project in the early 1990s which saw old wooden seating removed from the away end.

THE GAFFER-MICK McCARTHY

South Yorkshire lad Mick was named as the manager of Ipswich Town in November 2012,with Terry Connor as his assistant.

A boyhood Leeds United fan,Mick signed his first deal at Barnsley and spent six years at Oakwell from 1977 to 1983 where he made 250 appearances.He moved to Manchester City soon after,winning promotion to Division One with them in 1984.He then played in Scotland for Celtic,where he won the Scottish Cup,and left the UK for Lyon in France in 1989.

His career as a manager began in 1992 at Millwall.After six years of football in London,he was named the manager of the Repbulic of Ireland national team in 1996 to replace Jack Charlton.After failure to qualify for the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000,Ireland qualified for the 2002 World Cup.This was known for Roy Keane and McCarthy falling out and Spain knocking them out.Mick quit in November 2002.

He succeeded Howard Wilkinson at Sunderland in 2003 but didn't save them from being relegated.The year after,they lost in the playoffs and the year after that they won promotion.Life in the top flight was too tough for the Black Cats and with ten games left,McCarthy was fired in March 2006.

Soon after,Mick joined Wolves and led them to Premier League football in 2009.He kept them up so many times,but his tenure ended in February 2012 after a 5-1 loss to WBA.He reunited with assistant Terry Connor at Ipswich and guided them to safety in his first season.

SIX OF THE BEST

SCOTT LOACH-GOALKEEPER

Scott has spent the last few months sidelined with an injury but last season was pivotal in the team.Nottingham-born Scott,25,was a part of the Watford team for several years,eventually holding the number one spot until his release last year.

AARON CRESSWELL-DEFENDER

Aaron signed for his local club Tranmere Rovers in 2008 after leaving school.He was popular in the area but interest rose from big clubs in 2011 and he was let go.He was Ipswich's Player of The Season for 2012.

JAY TABB-MIDFIELDER

Jay has been to the highs of the Championship with Reading and then suffered the pain of relegation during a three-year-stay in Berkshire,after he signed for Steve Coppell in 2006.Jay was signed by Ipswich this summer on a free.He has played since,scoring three times and playing for Ireland.

PAUL ANDERSON-MIDFIELDER

Paul,now aged 25,had played for Nottingham Forest from 2009 to 2012 where he was just shy of 100 games prior to his move to Bristol City.He never settled in at City and following a swap with Ipswich he found life in the East comfortable.He has made nine appearances and scored twice.

CARLOS EDWARDS-MIDFIELDER

Trinidadian veteran midfielder Carlos was in his thirties when he made a move from Sunderland to Ipswich in 2009.He now leads the line for the club since Lee Martin's departure and can trick midfielders from opposing teams with a sense of passion and intelligence in his movement.

DAVID McGOLDRICK-STRIKER

Unsurprisingly,David has been a real gem of a goal machine for Ipswich.When new faces at Nottingham Forest ended up with him spending loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry,he was signed by Mick McCarthy as soon as possible.He has scored thirteen goals so far,and last weekend's volley against Watford was a Goal of the Month contender.

DERBY COUNTY 3-1 DONCASTER ROVERS

Derby have continued their brilliant form under Steve McClaren after beating Doncaster 3-1 at the iPro Stadium.The win sees Derby unbeaten in seven games and Doncaster conceding six in two matches.

Twelve minutes in and JAMIE WARD struck the first nail into the creation of Rovers' coffin.A defensive error in the backline allowed him to run through and score from ten yards.

Doncaster were showing their potential by having some chances soon after.On 25 minutes,Richie Wellens had his shot saved by Lee Grant and then Paul Quinn headed wide from Mark Duffy's corner-he was probably trying to repeat what he did at home to QPR.It was soon to get worse for his side.

Chris Martin was hacked down in the box by Luke McCullough and the penalty was awarded.The 24-year-old had hoped to add to his increasing tally in all competitions but it wasn't to be,with Turnbull tipping his shot away from the goal.That was the last of the action in the first half for both teams.

Derby sold Theo Robinson to Doncaster in the summer,and the Jamaican wanted to upset his old club by scoring.He had a chance but it went over from fifteen yards out.Lee Grant then came to the rescue when Robinson tried to slot the ball under him;Grant had it covered.

SIMON DAWKINS soon after doubled the lead with a low strike into the middle of the net.That makes it three goals in six for the Spurs loanee and the fans were chanting 'Sign him up!' to Steve McClaren.Michael Keane then had a header punched away by Turnbull and Ward struck a volley onto the crossbar.

With half an hour to go,Theo Robinson fired Donny back into the game.He begged the referee to give the goal to him but JAKE BUXTON had actually guided it in for an own goal.Macheda then put the ball wide.

The next goal made it double figures for midfielder CRAIG BRYSON.The Derby player curled a shot into the corner with ten minutes left to sink Rovers.

VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

DERBY BOSS STEVE McCLAREN

"It's another good win for Derby and it's important we maintain this form over the festive period considering the run we have been on.I hope to see the same continuity in attitude."

"We were a little bit dampened to miss the penalty but Chris Martin has learnt from it and isn't too downbeat."

DONCASTER BOSS PAUL DICKOV:

"It can be said we really tried our 100% best out there.I thought we played well today but we came away with nothing again and we're certainly very disappointed by this."

"Harry Forrester came on and made as much impact as he could on the pitch.He will embrace the pace of Championship level and I know from seeing him at Brentford that he'll be class for Doncaster."

"We also have another worry with Chris Brown and I think he has hurt his hamstring whilst playing.He was subbed off as a precaution because the injury list has been too big as of recent."

Derby County

• 01 Grant
• 33 Wisdom
• 03 Forsyth
• 14 Eustace (Hendrick - 67' )
• 06 Keogh (Keane - 25' )
• 25 Buxton
• 04 Bryson
• 19 Hughes
• 09 Martin
• 10 Ward (Russell - 77' )
• 32 Dawkins

Substitutes

• 08 Hendrick
• 11 Russell
• 18 Sammon
• 20 Bennett
• 26 Legzdins
• 34 Cissé
• 38 Keane

Doncaster Rovers

• 01 Turnbull
• 02 Quinn (Wakefield - 67' )
• 31 Stevens
• 19 Wellens
• 14 Khumalo
• 12 McCullough
• 07 Duffy
• 04 Furman
• 09 Brown (Macheda - 41' )
• 22 Robinson
• 17 Woods (Forrester - 57' )

Substitutes

• 10 Macheda
• 11 Cotterill
• 13 Maxted
• 15 Wakefield
• 21 De Val
• 25 Forrester
• 27 Yun

OPPONENTS GUIDE #21:DERBY COUNTY(A)

Derby have had a brilliant tenure so far under new boss Steve McClaren.Since his appointment,he has won 10,drawn 1 and lost 1;this has resulted in a rapid rise up the table for the Rams and they sit 4th in the Championship table at the time of writing.

This rise is a little bit unexpected to painfully remind the Derby fans of the 2007/08 Premier League season,which saw Derby end the season with only 11 points,including only one win all season and the likes of Roy Carroll playing.They then coincidentally lost their first game back in the second tier to Doncaster.Since then,it has been the case that Doncaster have won more times away then in the reverse fixture.

Derby have risen up the table,and the new goal is undoubtedly promotion to the top flight once again,just like the times under John Gregory and Billy Davies.Could McClaren be Mourinho to Derby should they go up?

THE STADIUM-IPRO STADIUM

Formerly Pride Park.The stadium holds the record of having the highest attendances in the league of last season,which shows the importance of football in the city.Fans have places to drink and eat before the game.There is a Starbucks in the ground and a KFC nearby.

THE GAFFER STEVE McCLAREN

Steve returned to Derby as manager following the sacking of Nigel Clough.It was a controversial appointment to say he had held a managerial position at Nottingham Forest.

Steve left school in 1979 and signed a deal with Hull City.He spent six years at Boothferry Park as a promising midfielder.He left the club in 1985 for Derby where he was at for three years.The last years of his playing career were at Bristol City and Oxford Unitex before retiring in 1992 after a knee injury.

He was made a youth coach at Oxford in 1993,and then became Jim Smith's assistant manager at Derby where the duo guided the Rams to the top flight.Steve was hired by Manchester United as their assistant manager and shortly after became England's coach.

His first job as a manager was at Middlesbrough in June 2001.He had a steady start but success came when Boro won the League Cup in 2004.He went on to take the team to Europe,with Mark Viduka in fine form following a move.

His next stop was a risky appointment as England manager.It was here he would develop two different nicknames.The first one was 'Second Choice Steve' by Alan Shearer due to the criticism behind the new appointment.He didn't guide England to Euro 2008 after a 3-2 loss to Croatia.The iconic image showed him with an umbrella in the rain-hence the name 'Wolly with a brolly.'He was sacked soon after.

After the sacking,he moved to Dutch club FC Twente in 2008 and won the title I his first season in charge.He left in 2010 for Wolfsburg in Germany,but was sacked six months later due to bad form.Steve moved back to England as manager of Nottingham Forest in May 2011,aiming for Champioship promotion.It was not to be-after 122 days and a poor position in the table,Steve was sacked.

He moved back to Twente a month later but lasted 13 months before being sacked.Derby risky made him their manager two months ago after he admitted to failing Forest and had better views of Derby's achievements.

SIX OF THE BEST

LEE GRANT-GOALKEEPER

Lee is back at Derby,the club he started his career at as a youngster.

He joined Derby in 2000 as a teenager.Over seven years of loan spells and awards,he made a big move to Sheffield Wednesday in 2007.He made over 100 appearances and was tipped as an England future goalkeeper.His deal expired in 2010 and moved to Burnley,and then rejoined Derby in the summer of 2013 on a free.

ANDRE WISDOM-DEFENDER

Liverpool loanee Andre was a brilliant product of the youth system on Merseyside and was pleased to make his full professional debut against rivals Everton in October 2012.

Derby secured a loan deal for him in September to aid their defensive unit and he's now a regular starter.

JEFF HENDRICK-MIDFIELDER

Described as 'hungry' by Nigel Clough,21-year-old Jeff has won Young Player of the Season twice,Best Young Player of 2011 and Fans' Player of the Year 2013.He has scored 9 goals in th white colours of Derby so far and has an influence in the middle of the pitch.

CRAIG BRYSON-MIDFIELDER

Scottish international midfielder Craig has so far embraced the challenges English football has brought to him.

Kilmarnock have developed the 27-year-old to be skillful and pacy when he exploits the middle of the pitch.He was important for Killie in his final season as a SPL member as well.He moved for a fee of £450,000 in 2011,scoring 29 times since.

JAMIE WARD-STRIKER

Jamie has been a vital part of the team this season.As the current top scorer in the Championship and having picked up a Player of the Month award  along the way,Ward has been leading the team to wins.He has scored a few screamers already this season.

JOHNNY RUSELL-STRIKER

Since he moved across the UK border to join Derby,Johnny has been in fine form.Now aged 23,he has represented Scotland at U21 level and won Dundee United's Player of the Year award for 2012.He hopes to countinue success into the Premier League.

DICKOV:'FORRESTER IS A MUPPET'

Paul Dickov has described Harry Forrester as a friend of Kermit,Miss Piggy and Bender-or,in simplistic terms,a muppet due to his injuries.The injuries have been a result of his eager approach to starting in the team.

Dickov also believes if the 22-year-old summer signing from Brentford wasn't totally honest about his fitness and if he'd only been honest about an ankle problem over the summer,he'd be starting games.To make matters even worse,Forrester injured his ankle whilst playing for the development squad in September and is still recovering.

“Harry was a bit of a muppet to tell you the truth,” Dickov told the Green Un.

“He played in a reserve team game and felt his thigh tightening up but because he was that eager to play he didn’t really tell us.And then he was carrying a virus and he didn’t tell us about that either through his enthusiasm."

“Obviously when you put those two things together and he goes and plays in another reserve team game, he ruptures his thigh.We’ve got to look after him but he’s got to not be as eager to get back this time and he really has got to taper that enthusiasm down a little bit.

“He’s looked bright and sharp in training which for him mentally is a big boost after being out for that length of time.”

Dickov also stated that Theo Robinson and Chris Brown have embraced their rolls despite his absence.He also spoke about Korean Yun Suk Young.

Dickov said,"Yun has not done a lot of work other than with the fitness coach for most of the work.With him and Chris Brown we’ve got to be careful because they’ve been out for four or five weeks and we really don’t want to rush them back and risk losing them over the Christmas period."

“We put Chris on the bench at Bolton with the thought we’d only use him if we really had to.I didn’t expect that to be at half time.Despite this,Chris will benefit in the long run for getting that 45 minutes under his belt and I thought he made a difference.

“Kiko Macheda and Theo Robinson have done well in his absence and the team has done well amassing the points we have while he’s been out.But it’s no secret we’ve missed Chris Brown's presence because the way he brings other people into games and his work rate up are top.”

DICKOV 'HAPPY' AT DONCASTER

Paul Dickov has denied any speculation linking him to managerial post at Sheffield Wednesday and expressed his happiness to be at Doncaster.

It was revealed by the Wednesday board two weeks ago that Dickov was a contender for the job,and Wednesday had been without a manager since sacking Dave Jones due to a run which saw Wednesday only win once all season.

The Owls are now 22nd in the Championship and are improving under caretaker boss Stuart Gray.

DONCASTER ROVERS 0-3 LEEDS UNITED

A dominant performance from Brian McDermott's side resulted in a brilliant away win for Leeds in a derby match which led to sending their 4,300 fans home smiling.

It was certainly anything but a game for the light-hearted of players.Dean Furman had hoped dearly to give the South Yorkshire outfit the lead with a long effort which Paddy Kenny saved.Leeds then had a super header put over by Ross McCormack from Alex Mowatt's corner.

Mowatt would then be the provider for his side.A free-kick on 19 minutes was perfectly executed by former waiter Matt Smith-who was at Leeds' service.SMITH tapped the ball home.

Ross McCormack,arguably the best player in the league and without a doubt Leeds' finest forward,then struck an effort over the bar from the edge of the area after 30 minutes.Soon after,Chris Brown couldn't convert a cross and before the interval,Theo Robinson fired wide.

After a stoppage on 50 minutes due to Khumalo being hurt in a challenge,Richie Wellens wanted to finally score following some criticism that he doesn't try his luck.He did-but Kenny saved his low shot.With under 25 minutes left,Robinson was denied a goal,despite an angry call from his manager saying he was onside.

76 minutes played and it was the obvious name ROSS MCCORMACK who sealed the points almost indefinitely.Against the run of play,he slotted a solo effort under Turnbull.And even better for him,the fans in the CASE Construction stand were roaring with cheer.

Paul Quinn had been important in the backline and wanted to add to the one he scored against QPR.He tried,but proved luck was not going to help.Jamaican Rudi Austin made it 3-0 after converting a cross from McCormack.

This is Leeds' first away win in six but a confidence blow to Doncaster who face unbeatable Derby next week.

VIEWS FROM THE TOUCHLINE

DONCASTER BOSS PAUL DICKOV:

"It must be said that it was unfortunate that in the second half their two shots on target both fell to their best players.It was obvious would the end result would be in that case and our defending was poor for each goal,especially Matt Smith's as he's quite deadly from there due to his height."

"The first half was scrappy and it made matters worse by conceding a poor goal.I regenerated the lads' momentum and in the second half we played a better game against a brilliant rival opponent."

""I know this will make me sound daft but I'm more than pleased with the majority of the performance, I thought we were excellent. The way we moved the ball, second half especially limited Leeds to two shots on target."

LEEDS MANAGER BRIAN MCDERMOTT:

"That was a tough game - there's no getting away from that.

"I thought we were good value for the lead in the first half but we just couldn't get out of our half after the interval."

"Doncaster came out in the second half and played really well. We had to change our system to combat that and we did better when Michael Brown came on midway through the second half."

TEAMS

Doncaster Rovers

• 01 Turnbull
• 02 Quinn
• 31 Stevens Booked
• 19 Wellens
• 14 Khumalo
• 12 McCullough
• 04 Furman Booked (Duffy - 66' )
• 17 Woods
• 09 Brown
• 10 Macheda (Coppinger - 82' )
• 22 Robinson

Substitutes

• 07 Duffy
• 08 Paynter
• 11 Cotterill
• 13 Maxted
• 15 Wakefield
• 26 Coppinger
• 30 Peterson

Leeds United

• 01 Kenny
• 02 Peltier
• 16 Pugh Booked
• 05 Pearce
• 24 Zaliukas
• 04 Lees
• 06 Murphy Booked
• 08 Austin
• 44 McCormack (Poleon - 92' )
• 20 Smith
• 36 Mowatt (Brown - 73' )

Substitutes

• 11 Varney
• 15 Warnock
• 17 Brown
• 18 Tonge
• 25 Byram
• 26 Poleon
• 33 Cairns