Source: FOOTYMAD
Rovers keeper Neil Sullivan set to reach 500 mark
Doncaster Rovers' 40-year-old keeper Neil Sullivan is set to make his 500th league appearance in Saturday's Championship game against Bristol City at the Keepmoat Stadium. Sullivan, who has made 154 appearances for Rovers - 16 of them on loan whilst still at Leeds United - joined the club in the summer of 2007 after being deemed surplus to requirements at Elland Road.But far from being 'over the hill' Sullivan has proved one of Rovers' boss Sean O'Driscoll's best signings.Said O'Driscoll, who played well over 500 league games himself during his time at Fulham and Bournemouth, "It's a very big milestone. Neil retains his enthusiasm and he showed on Saturday (in the 2-0 win at Preston) what a good goalkeeper he is. "Not just saves, but he came off his line sharpish on a couple of times to snuff out danger."He came back, as he did last pre-season, fresh and wanting to do the work. You don't have to drag him or kick him to do training or to do extra or to get him in the gym."He's not going to run around football pitches like the rest of them, but he's in the gym on the rower and the stepper. He's got his programmes to do and he does them, so fair play to him; you only get out what you put in."I don't know what happened at Leeds. We needed an experienced goalkeeper and he was just down the road, and he has come in and done really well for us. There will come a time when we will have to say 'goodbye' to Neil and he might move on somewhere else and people might be saying that we were wrong to let him go when he is 43 or 44."It wouldn't surprise me to see him still playing in his mid-40s. I think he knows what he has to do."We've been really flexible with him and let him do what he wants to do in a sense. Rovers will be checking on the progress of James Coppinger (foot) and striker Billy Sharp and midfielder Martin Woods, who both missed Tuesday's Carling Cup defeat at home to Accrington Stanley with sore groins.They will be also hoping for an update on the hamstring injury suffered by striker James Hayter in Tuesday's game.Rovers No 2 Richard O'Kelly said the club were hoping that Hayter's injury was not a complete tear.
