Manager Sean O'Driscoll says the new season will be an 'adventure' but is also stressing the danger of being dazzled by the bright lights after winning promotion last time around.

The venue today is Pride Park, the opposition a Derby County side that has been rebuilt over the summer after tumbling out of the Premier League.

With midfielder Paul Green making his debut for Derby after quitting Rovers in the summer, there should be plenty for the 3,000 travelling fans to shout about.

While O'Driscoll wants his club to enjoy today's milestone, his players will be under strict orders to focus on the task of picking up three points.

Derby are regarded as one of the favourites to win the title and manager Paul Jewell is under pressure to hit the ground running after the nature of last season's surrender.

O'Driscoll said: "We have to focus on the game; the circumstances around it are different but if we get bogged down in the circumstances we will take our eyes off what we have to do.

"Derby are a team with huge expectations, huge investment, and they will be difficult on their home pitch," he said. "We need to keep our wits about us and not get overwhelmed by the fact that we are 'in the Championship' and playing at 'this ground' or 'that ground'."

"I don't decide who the favourites are or not and I will let you know at 4.40pm if it has been a good time to play them or not. This season is clearly a challenge and an adventure which we are looking forward to – but without being naive or sticking our heads in the sand to think it is going to be easy."

O'Driscoll has spent only conservatively in the transfer market this summer signing six new players after three rejected new deals and quit.

Defenders Matt Mills and Jos van Nieuwstadt and midfielders James Chambers and John Spicer could all start, but striker Darren Byfield is not yet ready to play after a hernia operation.

With Paul Heffernan still serving the ban picked up in the League One play-off semi-finals, it means the club's two most likely goalscorers this season are unavailable for the trip.

"That's football. You go through every season knowing that you will never have everyone fit," said O'Driscoll, whose other options include James Hayter, Gareth Taylor, Lewis Guy and Tomi Ameobi.

O'Driscoll has already stated that survival this season will be a success but, given a good start today, the club's expectations could quickly rise.
"They reckon you need 54 points to stay up," said O'Driscoll. "If we could do that by Christmas then we'll see what else we can do but, if we have to wait until April to achieve that target, I will be happy.

"Right now, my only target is to play well. There is no point getting bogged down in points targets. By the end of August, when we have played a few games, we will have a better idea of what we want to do in this season.

"Everyone wants a good start. Half the clubs will get it, half will have a mediocre start, and a few will get off to a poor start. It's how you react to each one that is important."

There may be a slight discrepancy in the mathematics but O'Driscoll is determined to get the answers right this season.

"If we want to stay in this division, we have to play well and train hard every day," he said. "It is a 46-game season and it is going to be difficult. We are always struggling against the weight of expectation, but if we play like we can do, the results should take care of themselves."

Derby have signed 13 new players this summer and those likely to start include strikers Rob Hulse and Nathan Ellington, Latvian winger Andrejs Pereplotkins, midfielder Kris Common, and former Rovers hero Green.