Preston North End Vs Doncaster Rovers
Coca-Cola Championship Tuesday 9th March 2010
After Saturday's draw with Plymouth the gap between the Lilywhites and those lucrative playoff places widened to 9 points. A playoff push is therefore improbable but by no means impossible.
Tuesday's bout with Doncaster is the second of North End's two re-arranged games meaning that North End have a game in hand on 3 of the teams above them. A win would do no Preston's playoff credentials no harm.
However, following Doncaster's result at the weekend such a feat is easier said than done. Sean O'Driscoll's side pulled no punches at Ashton Gate which saw his side fire 5 past Bristol City in a 7-goal thriller.
Form
Preston North End Home: WLWDWD
Doncaster Rovers Away: LLDWLW
Overall
Preston North End: WDLLWD
Doncaster Rovers: WWLLDW
Previous Meetings
In the embryonic stages of the season, North End travelled to the Keepmoat Stadium hoping to get their away record off to a good start. It looked like that would be the case when Chris Brown put the visitors ahead just shy of the half hour mark but Rovers managed to salvage a draw with just 10 minutes left with an Adam Lockwood goal.
Last season's visit of Doncaster saw Jon Parkin net his first goal for North End. The aptly named Beast headed home after coming on as a late substitute to give North End a vital win.
Team News
Paul Coutts will be available for selection again after serving his one match suspension at the weekend. Skipper Callum Davidson may be fit enough to make the bench.
For Doncaster, former North End midfielder Brian Stock is set to miss out with a back injury as is Steve Brooker (ankle), Byron Webster (foot) and Jason Shackell (groin).
>> Terms & Conditions