Town visit bottom club Doncaster on Tuesday with manager Kieran McKenna expecting Rovers to have more of a spring in their step following Saturday’s surprise 2-1 win at Sunderland.

Rovers have been a fixture at the foot of League One since the early stages of the campaign and have won only six times this season.

However, under new manager Gary McSheffrey they have started to show some fight and have won their last two away games, the win on Wearside and another impressive victory away against the MK Dons just over a fortnight ago.

At home, their form has been less impressive, however, the most recent of their four wins, a 1-0 defeat of Shrewsbury, having come in early December.

But McKenna, whose side go into the game ninth, eight points form the play-offs, expects Rovers to be buoyed by their win at the Stadium of Light which drew them level on points with second-bottom Gillingham, but who remain above them on goal difference.

“Obviously a big result for them at the bottom of the table,” the Blues boss said. “I’ve watched quite a lot of their games already this year and I’ve seen a lot of games where I think they’ve played well.

“They play good football, I know quite a few of their players, there are three ex-Man United boys in the squad [Ro-Shaun Williams, Aidan Barlow and Ethan Galbraith].

“I’ve seen quite a lot of their games this year, they play well, they play good football a lot of weeks but just haven’t been getting a result.

“I’m sure they’ll be taking confidence from going away from home and beating Sunderland but we need to worry about ourselves.

“We need to recover as quickly as we can. We need to improve on some things from Saturday and we need to go and give everything to get three points.”

McKenna looks set to stick with keeper Christian Walton and back three Janoi Donacien, Luke Woolfenden and George Edmundson, who again seems set to wear the captain’s armband for the final time as Sam Morsy serves the final game of his four-match ban.

The Blues manager could be forced into a change at right wing-back with Wes Burns having come off at the start of the second half of Saturday’s 1-0 home victory over Gillingham.

Speaking after the game McKenna was hopeful that the Welshman had suffered no more than a knock but if he is unavailable then Kane Vincent-Young seems likely to return to the XI. Dominic Thompson will continue at left wing-back.

In Morsy’s absence, Lee Evans and Tom Carroll will probably again start in the centre of the midfield but McKenna seems likely to shuffle his pack up front.

Sone Aluko and Bersant Celina could return having not been involved at the weekend behind Macauley Bonne, a late sub against the Gills.

Doncaster are expected to be without midfielder Galbraith due to a calf problem which has hampered him in recent weeks, while Tom Anderson, Ben Close, Jon Taylor, John Bostock, Cameron John and Fejiri Okenabirhie are all currently sidelined longer term.

Historically, Town have had the better of Rovers, winning 10 games between the teams (nine in the league), drawing five (five) and losing five (four).

Rovers have beaten Town just once in the last eight meetings between the sides - the Blues winning six - and in two of the last 13.

The teams met at Portman Road in September when Lee Evans hit his first career hat-trick as rampant Town thrashed Rovers 6-0.

The Blues, previously without a home win this season, went in front via Bonne in the 13th minute with Evans netting his first on 31 to make it 2-0 at the break.

After a slow start to the second period, Town went into overdrive in the final 20 minutes with Evans netting his second on 70, Bonne his second two minutes later, then the Welshman completed his hat-trick on 76, before George Edmundson added the sixth with 10 minutes left on the clock.

The teams last met at what's now the Eco-Power Stadium in October 2020 when Rovers came from a goal down to beat the Blues 4-1 to comprehensively end their unbeaten start to 2020/21 and drop them to second in the League One table.

A Joe Wright own goal gave Town the lead on the quarter hour but John and Ben Whiteman on 28 and 37 gave the home side a 2-1 half-time lead before Whiteman netted the third from the spot in the 62nd minute and Okenabirhie made it four two minutes later.

Saturday’s referee is Ollie Yates from Staffordshire, who has shown 60 yellow cards and two red in 17 games so far this season.

Yates's last Town game was the 0-0 home draw with AFC Wimbledon in April last year in which he booked Gwion Edwards and no one else.

Prior to that he was in charge of the 2-1 win at Plymouth in December 2020 in which he dismissed Pilgrims winger Danny Mayor for two bookable offences and yellow-carded Dai Cornell, Brett McGavin and two other home players.

Coincidentally, his only other Town match was the 0-0 home draw with Doncaster in September 2019 in which he booked Flynn Downes and five of the visitors.

Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Edmundson, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Vincent-Young, Thompson, Penney, Evans, El Mizouni, Carroll, Bakinson, Edwards, Celina, Aluko, Chaplin, Bonne, Norwood, Pigott, Jackson.

Photo: Matchday Images

Ebantiass added 14:34 - Feb 7 Like the Gillingham game this will be totally different from the first meeting this season. If we play like last week we will be beaten thats for sure. Good to see Aluko coming back and maybe Celina those two could open up most league one defences. Would dearly love Bonne to beging showing his early season form.
10

Barty added 14:44 - Feb 7 We need to be much more adventurous in the final third of the pitch. 2 shots on target in the previous 2 games is very very poor. We certainly have enough quality players but for some reason confidence seems to be low at the moment !!
13

TimmyH added 15:10 - Feb 7 For some reason I don't have a good feeling about tomorrow night, looks like KVY will fill Burns position and hopefully Aluko will see a return. Another performance like Saturday and we'll get beaten...the lads have to step up with a performance.
8

Europablue added 15:16 - Feb 7 Another game where I would take a poor performance and a 1-0 win.
5

masetheace added 16:01 - Feb 7 We now have addressed the issue of leaking goals by retaining the same back three . Still concerned by the regular switching of the front players . Make a decision and give the chosen three a good run
6

Bazza8564 added 16:11 - Feb 7 I have to say I agree with absolutely everything above, we must not repeat Saturdays lackluster performance andhave to find more fluency going forward. Im unconvinced about KVY at WB, I think id rather see Aluko in there and play another more attacking player further forward, even if that means switching to a back 4.......
4

Bert added 16:19 - Feb 7 Attack from the kick off, balls and runners in their box, better corners and we will win. Play in slow motion, fiddle around in midfield, keep giving the ball away and we could lose.
7

DifferentGravy added 16:28 - Feb 7 With a central midfield that cant put their foot in and sideways/backwards passing with little penetration.....we will get turned over. If we play two up front then they need to be given service. Bonne in for Piggott and any other in place of Carroll. COYB
0

johnwarksshorts added 16:31 - Feb 7 Mirsy had a 4 match ban not 3 as stated🤔
2

johnwarksshorts added 16:33 - Feb 7 **Morsy
1

Saxonblue74 added 17:11 - Feb 7 Put out our best starting 11 and we should be OK. More tinkering and we will end up with egg on our face
5

SickParrot added 18:06 - Feb 7 We were poor in both our last 2 games. Hopefully it was just a blip in which case we will be much better tomorrow night but if we play we anything like we did against Gillingham we will deservedly get beaten and our season is effectively over.
4

ringwoodblue added 18:09 - Feb 7 Our results are very hard to predict these days as we just don't know which Ipswich is going to turn up from one match to another - the attacking free-flowing team of our away games against Wycombe and Pompey or our stagnant shot-shy team from the last two games. Guess we'll find out tomorrow evening. One thing that is for sure is Donny will be well up for it. If we lose any further ground on SW, Plym, MKD and Oxford I think that's it.

4

ringwoodblue added 18:11 - Feb 7 Saxon- I think the problem is that McKenna doesn't yet know what his best starting 11 is.
3

gosblue added 18:27 - Feb 7 To put Doncaster's win at Sunderland into perspective, Sunderland had 75% possession, 21 shots, 10 on target and 10 corners. Against Gillingham, we had 63% possession, 10 shots, 2 on target and 4 corners. That just shows how bad we were. These teams are for the taking but we have to turn up. If they park the bus, we have to find a way. Sequences of short passes in the last third should produce free-kicks and bookings but you have to be prepared to take a whack on the back of the legs. Be brave and bold instead of passing it back to the back three. Get people on the ball that can shoot. If we get an early goal, they will have to come out to play and we can get three or four. COYB

6

ChrisFelix added 18:45 - Feb 7 If you want to get our of this league you need to win games such as tomorrow. What really worries me is that Mathie is co commentating. You could count on one hand the games we have won since 2015
1

Saxonblue74 added 19:21 - Feb 7 Ringwood, you may be right but as fans we can see the handful of nailed-on starters we have. It must be so demoralising for a player to have a good run of form, working hard for your place, only to be dropped? Don't want to be critical of KmK as I think on the whole he's doing a good job, I just don't get the change for what appears to be for the sake of it?
0

DavoIPB added 21:46 - Feb 7 Yep most fans can see which players are our best players. He just needs to pick them consistently
0

DavefromWatford added 23:46 - Feb 7 So Celina & Aluko could return. i hope that doesn`t mean chaplin being dropped to the bench. 9 goals in 17 games is a good return from him imo & i think he deserves to keep his place.
3

Stato added 09:48 - Feb 8 Saxonblue and Ringwood you both criticise McKenna for not picking what you think we all agree is our strongest team but you don't name that team
0

Pezzer added 10:48 - Feb 8 Some of our best performances this season have been away from home and there is no reason why tonight shouldn't be another, let's hope the players improve individually and collectively and we get the 3 points.
1

Linkboy13 added 11:05 - Feb 8 This gelling process seems to be dragging on too long for my liking. In my opinion we've got plenty of talent in the squad but haven't found the right balance yet far too many lightweight players and not enough physicality to get out of this league.
2

PhilTWTD added 11:05 - Feb 8 johnwarksshorts Yes, knew it was four, typed three for some reason.
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blues1 added 12:46 - Feb 8 Barty. How is the confidence low at the moment? We've won 5 out of 7 games. You don't do that if ur confidence is low.
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blues1 added 12:50 - Feb 8 Davefrom Watford. Get where ur coming from re Chaplin. However, apart from scoring the goal on Saturday, he's been awful in the last 2 matches. So wouldn't be totally surprised if he's on the bench tonight.
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