2008–09 Doncaster Rovers F.C. season

During the 2008–09 English football season, Doncaster Rovers F.C. competed in the Football League Championship.

Doncaster Rovers F.C.

2008–09 season
Manager	Sean O'Driscoll
Stadium	Keepmoat Stadium
Championship	14th
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	First round
Top goalscorer	League: Paul Heffernan (10) All: Paul Heffernan (10)[1]
Highest home attendance	14,823 (vs. Sheffield Wednesday, 14 February 2009)
Lowest home attendance	9,534 (vs. Swansea City, 1 November 2008)
Average home league attendance	11,964
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2007–08 2009–10 →

Season summary

Doncaster endured a tough start to life in the second tier of English football and stood bottom of the league after 24 games with only 4 league wins. However, Doncaster went on an eight-match unbeaten run that lifted them to mid-table, and finished the season in a secure 14th place, above more fancied sides like Crystal Palace and Derby County.^[2]

Kit

^[3]

Squad

Squad at end of season^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  SCO Neil Sullivan[note 1] 2 DF  ENG James O'Connor 3 DF  WAL Gareth Roberts 4 DF  NED Jos van Nieuwstadt 5 DF  ENG Matthew Mills 6 DF  ENG James Chambers 7 FW  ENG Lewis Guy 8 MF  WAL Brian Stock[note 2] 9 FW  JAM Darren Byfield[note 3] 10 FW  WAL Gareth Taylor[note 4] 11 DF  ENG Adam Lockwood 12 FW  ENG James Hayter 13 GK  ENG Ben Smith 14 FW  IRL Paul Heffernan 15 MF  ENG Mark Wilson 16 FW  NIR Dean Shiels 17 MF  SCO Martin Woods

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 DF  SCO Sean McDaid[note 5] 19 MF  ENG Richie Wellens 20 MF  ENG John Spicer 21 DF  ENG Sam Hird 22 GK  WAL Kyle Letheren (on loan from Barnsley) 23 FW  WAL Jason Price 24 DF  SCO Gordon Greer 25 MF  NIR Stuart Elliott 26 FW  ENG James Coppinger 27 FW  COD Kazenga LuaLua (on loan from Newcastle United) 29 FW  ENG Waide Fairhurst 31 FW  ENG Tomi Ameobi 32 FW  ENG Stephen Brooker 33 GK  ENG Gary Woods 34 MF  ENG Robbie Clark 35 DF  ENG Charles Fisher

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  ENG Andrew Boyce (released) 27 MF  ENG Craig Nelthorpe (to Oxford United)

No. Pos. Nation Player 30 DF  ANT Shelton Martis (on loan from West Bromwich Albion)

Competitions

Championship

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
12	Sheffield Wednesday	46	16	13	17	51	58	−7	61
13	Watford	46	16	10	20	68	72	−4	58
14	Doncaster Rovers	46	17	7	22	42	53	−11	58
15	Crystal Palace	46	15	12	19	52	55	−3	56[a]
16	Blackpool	46	13	17	16	47	58	−11	56

Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 2009. Source: The Football League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

1. Crystal Palace were give a one-point deduction for using an ineligible player during a match against Sheffield United on 3 May 2009.^[5]

Results

Championship match details

Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Score F–A	Scorers	Attendance	Ref.
9 August 2008	Derby County	A	W	1–0	Guy 59'	33,010	[6]
16 August 2008	Cardiff City	H	D	1–1	Guy 67'	11,873	[7]
23 August 2008	Queens Park Rangers	A	L	0–2		15,536	[8]
30 August 2008	Coventry City	H	W	1–0	Wellens 31'	11,806	[9]
13 September 2008	Birmingham City	A	L	0–1		18,165	[10]
16 September 2008	Charlton Athletic	H	L	0–1		10,483	[11]
20 September 2008	Bristol City	A	L	1–4	Wellens 69'	15,960	[12]
27 September 2008	Southampton	H	L	0–2		10,867	[13]
30 September 2008	Sheffield United	H	L	0–2		14,242	[14]
4 October 2008	Barnsley	A	L	1–4	Stock 11' pen.	15,086	[15]
18 October 2008	Blackpool	H	D	0–0		11,342	[16]
21 October 2008	Reading	A	L	1–2	van Nieuwstadt 74'	17,294	[17]
25 October 2008	Norwich City	A	L	1–2	Stock 77' pen.	24,543	[18]
28 October 2008	Barnsley	H	L	0–1		13,251	[19]
1 November 2008	Swansea City	H	D	0–0		9,534	[20]
8 November 2008	Sheffield Wednesday	A	L	0–1		20,872	[21]
15 November 2008	Ipswich Town	H	W	1–0	Martis 42'	10,823	[22]
22 November 2008	Burnley	A	D	0–0		12,173	[23]
25 November 2008	Nottingham Forest	H	D	0–0		12,612	[24]
29 November 2008	Watford	A	D	1–1	Brooker 70'	14,008	[25]
6 December 2008	Plymouth Argyle	H	W	1–0	Stock 37'	10,187	[26]
9 December 2008	Preston North End	A	L	0–1		13,152	[27]
13 December 2008	Crystal Palace	A	L	1–2	Heffernan 15'	13,811	[28]
20 December 2008	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	L	0–1		13,669	[29]
26 December 2008	Nottingham Forest	A	W	4–2	Heffernan 12', 65', Woods 33', Wellens 45'	26,501	[30][31]
28 December 2008	Burnley	H	W	2–1	Coppinger 37', Stock 40' pen.	14,020	[32]
17 January 2009	Southampton	A	W	2–1	Woods 46', Coppinger 81'	15,837	[33]
27 January 2009	Sheffield United	A	W	1–0	O'Connor 50'	26,555	[34]
30 January 2009	Norwich City	H	D	1–1	Heffernan 23'	12,384	[35]
7 February 2009	Blackpool	A	W	3–2	Stock 26', Hird 54', Coppinger 64'	7,452	[36]
14 February 2009	Sheffield Wednesday	H	W	1–0	Heffernan 31'	14,823	[37]
17 February 2009	Bristol City	H	W	1–0	Heffernan 4'	10,928	[38]
21 February 2009	Swansea City	A	L	1–3	Coppinger 11'	16,161	[39]
27 February 2009	Derby County	H	W	2–1	Heffernan 56', Wilson 71'	14,435	[40]
3 March 2009	Charlton Athletic	A	W	2–1	Coppinger 50', Stock 78' pen.	20,815	[41]
7 March 2009	Cardiff City	A	L	0–3		17,821	[42]
10 March 2009	Queens Park Rangers	H	W	2–0	Stewart 23 o.g., Heffernan 30'	10,223	[43]
14 March 2009	Birmingham City	H	L	0–2		11,482	[44]
17 March 2009	Reading	H	L	0–1		10,393	[45]
21 March 2009	Coventry City	A	L	0–1		18,498	[46]
4 April 2009	Watford	H	L	1–2	Hayter 85'	12,126	[47]
11 April 2009	Ipswich Town	A	W	3–1	Roberts 9', Heffernan 74', Hayter 85'	19,918	[48]
13 April 2009	Preston North End	H	L	0–2		11,648	[49]
18 April 2009	Plymouth Argyle	A	W	3–0	Spicer 15', Hayter 33', Heffernan 70'	11,100	[50]
25 April 2009	Crystal Palace	H	W	2–0	Shiels 45', Hayter 75'	12,031	[51]
3 May 2009	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	L	0–1		28,252	[52]

FA Cup

FA Cup match details

Round	Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Score F–A	Scorers	Attendance	Ref.
Third round	13 January 2009	Cheltenham Town	A	D	0–0		4,417	[53]
Third round replay	20 January 2009	Cheltenham Town	H	W	3–0	Stock 26', 58', Hird 36'	5,345	[54]
Fourth round	24 January 2009	Aston Villa	H	D	0–0		13,517	[55]
Fourth round replay	4 February 2009	Aston Villa	A	L	1–3	Price 45'	24,203	[56]

Football League Cup

League Cup match details

Round	Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Score F–A	Scorers	Attendance	Ref.
First round	12 August 2008	Notts County	A	L	0–1 (a.e.t.)		3,272	[57]

Notes

1. Sullivan was born in Sutton, England, but qualifies to represent Scotland internationally, and made his international debut for Scotland in 1997.
2. Stock was born in Winchester, England, but qualifies to represent Wales internationally, and made his international debut for Wales in September 2009.
3. Byfield was born in Birmingham, England, but qualifies to represent Jamaica internationally, and made his international debut for Jamaica in 2003.
4. Taylor was born in Weston-super-Mare, England, but qualifies to represent Wales internationally through his father, and made his international debut for Wales in 1995.
5. Sullivan was born in Harrogate, England, but qualifies to represent Scotland internationally, and has represented Scotland at every youth level up to U-20.