Doncastervs.Grimsby Town

At a time when the home side sit in fifth position in the table, Grimsby are seven points adrift in ninth spot.

Match preview

Having suffered defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fourth round, Doncaster can now focus on trying to earn a return to the third tier of English football.

Losing 5-2 at Chesterfield in their most recent league fixture ended a run of four wins in a row and saw them drop out of the top three.

Grant McCann will have concerns over four goals being conceded in the first hour of that contest, Doncaster having now shipped 22 times in 15 away games.

With four successive league wins having been recorded beforehand, McCann may not over-react, yet they now sit just four points clear of eighth spot.

On a positive note, Rovers head into this fixture having prevailed in four of their last five games at the Eco-Power Stadium.

As for Grimsby, David Artell and his team are doing their utmost to save their season with regards to a playoff bid.

The Mariners entered February with just four wins from 13 fourth-tier encounters, as well as being on a run of five matches without success.

However, back-to-back wins have been posted over Bromley and Carlisle United to move Grimsby to within three points of the top seven.

Perhaps most importantly, Grimsby recently ended their run of four consecutive defeats on their travels, making it 22 points from their 15 away games in the league.

Doncaster Rovers League Two form:

L

W

W

W

W

L

Doncaster Rovers form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

L

L

Grimsby Town League Two form:

L

D

L

D

W

W

Team News

Having suffered a head injury during the game with Palace, Doncaster defender Jamie Sterry may sit out this contest.

Jordan Gibson, Jack Senior and Joe Ironside are among the players who could come into the team, while Tom Nixon could make his first league start of the season as Sterry's replacement. Billy Sharp may drop down to the substitutes' bench.

Meanwhile, Artell could lean towards naming the same Grimsby XI after their comeback victory over Carlisle.

Despite being withdrawn during the latter stages, Cameron McJannet should take his place in the back three.

Although Lewis Cass is available again after a one-match ban, he is expected to remain among the replacements.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:

Sharman-Lowe; Nixon, Olowu, Anderson, Maxwell; Bailey, Broadbent; Street, Molyneux, Gibson; Ironside

Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:

Wright; Rodgers, Tharme, McJannet; Svanthorsson, McEachran, Khouri, Hume; Green; Rose, Obikwu

We say: Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Grimsby Town

With both teams having reason to be satisfied with their recent form, we expect two confident teams to battle it out in Yorkshire this weekend. However, taking into account the amount of away fixtures that Grimsby have lost, Doncaster get the nod with us.

Written by

Darren Plant

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