Official Match Thread Doncaster Rovers vs Southend United

[The Big Dady]

The Official Match Thread brought to you by ShrimperZone.com


So here we are the sixteenth away game of the 2018/19 season and the 26th away game since Chris Powell’s return and time in charge at the Mighty Shrimpers.

Our sixteenth away match is against Doncaster Rovers




It is now time for ALL of us to get behind him and the team whether you are at The Valley, listening on the radio, or watching on ifollow.

Chris Powell's 16th Southend United League One Away Team of the 2018/19



The Keepmoat Stadium, is ready for action at 19.45pm Tuesday 12th February 2019, it looks like we are going to have light cloud cover with a gentle breeze for the game this evening.





The weather forecast for day at The Keepmoat Stadium



Chris Powell’s current away record after 25 games

Won 10
Drawn 5
Lost 10
Goals scored 29
Goals conceded 28

League Positions Last Season

10th (2017/18) League One Southend United
15th (2017/18) League One Doncaster Rovers

League Positions Current Season

6th (2018/19 Season) Doncaster Rovers
14th (2018/19 Season) Southend United

Recent League Positions Change



Previous five Meetings

Southend United 2-3 Doncaster Rovers (L1 04/08/18 Att. 7,147)
Southend United 0-0 Doncaster Rovers (L1 10/03/18 Att. 6,766)
Doncaster Rovers 4-1 Southend United (L1 07/10/17 Att. 7,369)
Southend United 0-3 Doncaster Rovers (L1 02/01/16 Att. 7,134)
Doncaster Rovers 0-0 Southend United (L1 19/08/15 Att. 5,164)

Head to Head record​

Southend United Wins: 13
Draws: 7
Doncaster Rovers Wins: 16​

​

Wiggle it, Just a Little Bit!​

 

[The Big Dady]

Managers Pre-match Views​

Doncaster Rovers' manager Grant McCann talks to the Yorkshire Post before the game

Doncaster Rovers are just five days away from their biggest FA Cup game in over half a century, but it is the last thing currently in manager Grant McCann’s thoughts.

Cup fever will soon descend upon Doncaster, with the Match of the Day cameras due in town on Sunday to screen their first appearance in the last 16 of the Cup since February 1956 when they play host to Premier League visitors Crystal Palace, but McCann believes that Rovers’ bigger game is coming up tonight.

Fresh from Saturday’s excellent 3-1 victory over Peterborough United, Doncaster – who have leapfrogged Posh into the final play-off position in League One – can move four points clear of Darren Ferguson’s side with a game in hand if they triumph this evening.

It represents a considerable incentive for Rovers with McCann refusing to tolerate any Cup talk among his players until after the final whistle this evening.

It is a wise philosophy with McCann’s side facing a mid-table Southend outfit who have picked up more points on the road than they have at Roots Hall so far this season.

As for Rovers’ looming Cup date, McCann, whose side boast an impressive unbeaten nine-match record at the Keepmoat Stadium in all competitions stretching back to October 23 heading into tonight’s test, said: “I have not thought about it.

“It is easy to lose focus, but we just want to make sure we focus on this game as it is more important, it really is. Winning the game would put us in a really healthy position in the league, but to win a game you have got to perform to the highest standard.

“We are coming up against a Southend side who are dangerous. They drew at Charlton with ten men and went to Bradford and won 4-0. They have picked up some really good results away from home.
“We are under no illusions about how tough it is going to be. “In the first game of the season it is no exaggeration to say that they should have been six- or seven-nil up in the first half.”

Full text can be found here:-
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/spo...cus-is-solely-on-tackling-shrimpers-1-9589257


Southend United

Chris Powell talks to the Southend United OS before the game

Chris Powell looks ahead to tonight's Sky Bet League One clash against Doncaster Rovers as his side travels to the Keepmoat Stadium in search of another point or possibly points away from home...

On the Charlton win...

“It’s a case of going again for the players this week, I thought they were magnificent in adversity really I mean we started off very positive and kind of took the game to them for a while and there was a bit of toing and froing but of course the goal really helped us from Stephen (Humphrys).

“I know it took a deflection, but I’ve said to them we’ve got to shoot, we need to shoot more I keep saying it because we’ve got players that can get the goals and it’s great for Stephen who has three goals in four games now.

“The goal kept us on the front foot, and we had to defend well, and I felt every player played their part in that, but the turning point is the sending off. It’s harsh but I can see why he gave it, Dru quite clearly slipped but the contact is very high, and the referee has one instant decision to make and unfortunately for us and Dru it wasn’t what we wanted.

“I thought that the players actually rallied around the decision and Simon Cox ended up playing on the left wing until half-time and we said to the players,you will be under pressure in the game but there will be opportunities to go forward and we certainly had those moments, and the players all put in a real shift and were backed by nearly 1,500 supporters.

“I couldn’t have asked for any more, and I wanted us to score right at the end which nearly happened, but to take a point in those circumstances was really heartening to see and on the backdrop of our previous game I thought theplayers really stood up to the test. But it’s about doing it again and again and again and I have to ask for that from all the players in the remaining 15 games.”

On adapting the style of play for different oppositions...

“We’ve had to look at what’s right for us and what will give us the best chance of winning the game, the best chance of not conceding and also what’s the best way for us to be solid because you can’t be too open away from home,but equally you have to have that balance in the team.

“It’s a balance of being on the front foot and attack minded but also making sure we are in the right areas to nullify them (the opposition). It brings up questions like can someone like Michael Kightly go again on Tuesday, after not playing for a while?

"Do you look at maybe freshening things up? It’s always hard to find a balance as a manager because you want the same personnel to go out there and do great, but then you also want that freshness and the energy which I felt we showed a lot of against Charlton.

“We spoke about it a lot all of last week, the fact that we have to show that running power and that attitude to do the work because you will get those opportunities that you play for.

“We trained on Monday and travel on Tuesday, and we’ve trained with everyone and they all know what to do against Doncaster, and we will go there ready for the game and play our part in trying to earn this club three points or at least a point.”

On Doncaster Rovers...

“John Marquis is a key player for Doncaster and there’s no doubt about that, but equally they’ve got a special way of playing, and Grant [McCann] has done well with them throughout the season.

“They’ve got a big game on Sunday against Crystal Palace, but I think that they possibly see this game as bigger one. I know the FA Cup is a great lift for them and I know they haven’t been in the fifth round for a very long time, but I think that because of the position they are in, they will want to do their best to keep their form going.

"The FA Cup game is a bonus match for them, and it’s on Sunday so they’ve got an extra day of recovery, whereas we play Portsmouth at half-past 12 on Saturday, so we’ve both got different things to think about.

“But for now it's about this game and it’s about us looking after James Coppinger, Mallik Wilks and Marquis, but the midfielders have done very well this year for them. They have a style of play that hasn’t really changed this season so we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for them.”

Full text can be found here:-

https://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/2019/february/chris-powell-doncaster-preview/

Wiggle it, Just a Little Bit!​

 

[The Big Dady]

Doncaster Rovers Team

 

[Ricey]

Great to see Klass and McLaughlin starting.

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Ok ….here we go ….…...Come on you Shrimpers

 

[BILLERICAY BLUE]

Can’t argue with that team. Glad to see Macca get a run, and a chance for Klass to show whether he can build on Saturday’s cameo

 

[Ricey]

Taylor Moore starts his 100th career appearance.

 

[RHB]

A big moment for Mr Klass and Mr McLaughlin. Both need to grab the opportunity to impress, albeit for completely different reasons. Come on you Blues, time to go again. Same effort as Saturday please.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

What’s the formation?

Is that a 4-4-2 diamond with Klass at the the top?

 

[The Big Dady]

Taylor Moore starts his 100th career appearance.

Yep

 

[NZamba Legend]

We need the three points tonight. No complacency or excuses. We are in a relegation scrap.

 

[Evening Echo]

ALL-TIME RECORD

More...

 

[Evening Echo]

MICHAEL Klass has been handed his first League start for Southend United this evening.

More...

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

A big moment for Mr Klass and Mr McLaughlin. Both need to grab the opportunity to impress, albeit for completely different reasons. Come on you Blues, time to go again. Same effort as Saturday please.

I don't think we can expect too much from Klass, just hope he puts in a good performance. But Macca really needs to step up. This has been his worst season with us.

 

[RHB]

I don't think we can expect too much from Klass, just hope he puts in a good performance. But Macca really needs to step up. This has been his worst season with us.

Klass was pretty lively on Saturday and could have scored the winner, so hopefully he will continue that performance. but I get what you're saying.

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Glass half-ish full tonight...

 

[The Big Dady]

Well done to the 206 travelling Shrimpers behind the goal,

Sing up for the lads.

 

[weststander]

Anyone else watching on I follow? We have no sound

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Fair play to them all…………………….

 

[southchurch]

we're up to 13th