The Owls had suffered a hat-trick of defeats in the wake of Buxton's arrival on loan from Stoke City but finally stopped the rot with a draw against Crystal Palace last weekend.

Buxton, who is out of contract at Stoke next summer, is staying with the Owls until mid-January and hopes to impress sufficiently to win a permanent deal.

"I have done all right so far but I know I can do better," Buxton told the Yorkshire Post. "When you are on loan, you have got to impress and I think I have been getting better with each and every game

"But I would rather not do well on a personal level and the team win more games." he added. "It has not been a good start – in terms of results – in fact, it has been really disappointing and not what I expected – but I know we are good enough to turn things around."

The Owls occupied a top six position when Buxton arrived last month but now sit in 15th spot, closer to the relegation zone than the play-offs.

Such is the competitiveness of this season's Championship, however, that it can only take a couple of back-to-back victories to propel sides quickly up the table.

Buxton's versatility has been a major asset to a squad that has been hit by injuries to various different defenders so far this season. Be it right-back, left-back or the middle of the back four, Buxton has proved invaluable cover.

With Richard Hinds ruled out until next season and Frank Simek still a long way short of full match fitness after returning from a serious ankle injury, Buxton will have an important role during the rest of his stay.

There is always the threat, too, of the cash-strapped Owls submitting to financial pressures and selling either Richard Wood or Mark Beevers in the New Year transfer window. Both are highly-rated centre-backs who have been attracting interest from rival clubs and, if sold, Buxton would be an obvious replacement.

The Owls will be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend against a Rovers side that is six points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table.

Having played his first game for the Owls against Barnsley, just days after sitting on the bench against Sheffield United, Buxton is under no illusions about the importance of South Yorkshire derbies and the rivalry that exists between all the local clubs.

"The atmosphere against United was unbelievable," he recalled. "Then we went to Barnsley and again it was packed out. It has opened my eyes to the rivalry around here and, as a player, you can only look forward to playing in the derbies."

The Owls and Rovers have met only once at Hillsborough in the last 30 years – the home side securing a 2-0 victory in March 2005 on their way to promotion from League One.

With an increasingly impressive record at home – just one defeat in 13 league games since March – Buxton says the Owls have every reason to feel confident ahead of Saturday's game.

"I don't think our recent run of results has been a true reflection of the way we have been playing," he insisted. "We have had enough chances to win games, we were a bit sloppy at Birmingham, but we deserved to get something against Plymouth.

"Ideally, we wanted to win last weekend at Crystal Palace but it will still have been a good week if we win against Doncaster after taking a draw down there.

"We have a good record at Hillsborough." he stressed. "So Doncaster will know to expect a tough game.

"Of course, you have got to aim to pick up points in all your games, not just the derbies, but its always good to say you're the best club in the area."