Source: FOOTYMAD
Rovers assistant Richard O'Kelly-Scunthorpe will be a tough game
Doncaster Rovers No 2 Richard O'Kelly expects the Iron to make it hot for the South Yorkshire side in Saturday's Championship derby at Glanford Park "I would expect Scunthorpe to give us a tough game," said O'Kelly."We drew 2-2 last season and we beat them 4-2 at home and both games were a great advert for the Championship and I expect more of the same on Saturday."Rovers had looked to be heading for a comfortable victory in the corresponding game last September after a first-half penalty by Martin Woods and a second half goal by Billy Sharp had secured them a 2-0 lead.But the dismissal of John Oster, following an off-the-ball incident, and Quentin Fortune, deemed to have gone in late in a 50-50 challenge, changed the complexion of the game in the last 20 minutes.Rovers, who have gone four games without a victory, are keen to get off to a winning start after the two-week international break and have followed a similar pattern to previous breaks.They again gave the players a long weekend off (Friday-Sunday) but they have been back at work since Monday.O'Kelly is aware of how important the game is to Rovers' fans - particularly those who live on the east side of town, But claimed: "It might be a local derby but we treat it just like any other game. When people ask if we are confident about going somewhere and getting a result I always say that we prepare for every game to go out there and try and win it."Whoever we play we prepare in exactly the same way so that it doesn't come down to confidence. "So by the time the game comes around we'll be confident in our preparations."The players are all looking to the game - especially Billy Sharp and Mark Wilson - who have both got Scunthorpe connections."Billy did a great job for them whilst he was there and Mark is born and bred in Scunthorpe."Saturday's game between the two sides will be their first meeting since manager Nigel Adkins left to take over at League One outfit Southampton last month.O'Kelly believes that the Iron made the right choice when promoting Ian Barraclough."He is a good coach and it helps with continuity when you promote from within the ranks," he said."All the players will know Barra and new No 2 Kevin Pressman. Lee Turnbull is still there so they've got a wealth of experience and knowledge of the restraints that clubs like Scunthorpe work under,"Someone new coming in possibly wouldn't quite understand what they have got to do to be successful. As I say, they've made a good choice."
