Notts County vs.
Bradford City game!
Let's hear your thoughts and predictions.
By Joe Jones
Notts County have met Doncaster Rovers 54 times over the years, with the first fixture coming on the 13th December 1930. On that occasion, an FA Cup tie, the Magpies triumphed 1-0.
It's perfectly poised between Notts and Doncaster, both boasting 23 wins each, plus eight draws.
Our last meeting came on 25 April 2015, a league clash at Meadow Lane, and the Magpies won 2-1.
Our recent form over Donny is not bad - four wins, a draw and just one defeat in the last six.
The club was founded in 1879 and turned professional in 1885. They have spent the majority of their playing history between the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system and are one of four clubs to win the Division 3/League Two title three times, the last being in 2004.
Football League rules state that any team who wins a trophy three times can keep it. However, when Rovers tried to retain ownership of the actual Third Division trophy, the Football League claimed that Rovers could not keep the trophy because the league names had changed from Fourth to Third Division, and so they had not won that particular league three times. Bit harsh...
The team's mascot is a brown dog known as Donny Dog, who wears the red and white Rovers jersey.
Before a scheduled appearance during the game against Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm Stadium on 4 March 2006, police prevented Andrew Liney from entering the stadium in costume, citing unspecified "police intelligence", and refused him permission to wear any part of the costume within 50 metres of the stadium. Mr Liney later received a full written apology for these unfounded allegations from the head of West Yorkshire Police.
The mascot was next portrayed by Tracy Chandler and in June 2011, she was relieved from the position after she posed in her underwear for a Sunday newspaper. Later in the same week she was reinstated back as the club's mascot.
Arguably the club's most famous fan is One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson. The 22-year-old had agreed to play in a charity game at the Keepmoat to raise money for the Bluebell Wood Charity and was offered a deal by Donny to join the club on non-contract terms after impressing in the game.
Team news
Notts County boss John Sheridan has an unchanged squad as he looks to arrest a miserable run of results at home to title-chasing Doncaster Rovers.
The 52-year-old, whose side have lost their last six league matches and have won only once in their last 11 League Two games, could make changes to his team after the FA Cup replay defeat at Peterborough United this week.
The likes of Carl Dickinson, Louis Laing, Vadaine Oliver, Adam Campbell and Aaron Collins could come into Sheridan's starting line-up.
Sheridan will not be in the dugout as he serves the second of his five-match touchline ban while captain Michael O'Connor completes his three-game ban and Alex Rodman and Stanley Aborah remain out injured.
Defender Craig Alcock will be available to Doncaster boss Darren Ferguson after returning to full fitness.
However, skipper James Coppinger will sit out once again as he serves the second match of a three-game ban following his red card during the 2-0 defeat at Plymouth on December 10.
Ferguson has no fresh selection problems with Gary McSheffrey,, Mitchell Lund, Luke McCullough and Aaron Taylor-Sinclair still missing.
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