Title chase: James Coppinger rewinds the clock to past glories for Doncaster Rovers

Darren Ferguson’s men need just 14 points from their final nine games to seal an instant return to League One.

Tuesday night’s victory at home to Notts County also extended Rovers’ lead at the summit to six points thanks to second-placed Plymouth Argyle being held to a draw elsewhere.

Factor in goal difference and that advantage is effectively seven points, hence why the Yorkshire club are odds-on favourites to repeat their title success of 2004 in the basement division.

“It is nice to look at the table and see a 16 points gap (on fourth place),” said the 36-year-old Coppinger, in his 13th season with Doncaster.

“That is unbelievable and something we would have taken at the start of the season. But, we don’t want to get carried away.

“The good thing about the lads and the manager is that doesn’t happen. I can’t praise them highly enough, and everyone is pushing each other all the time.

“If anyone does get ahead of themselves, they get knocked back down to earth. Everyone works so hard for each other.

“Focus and concentration best describe how people come in every day and work so hard. With nine games to go, we are almost there but we aren’t, either.

“Until it is mathematically done and we are over the line, we can’t rest.”

Rovers travel to struggling Leyton Orient this weekend before hosting Plymouth at the Keepmoat on Sunday, March 26 in front of the live Sky cameras. Two more victories to add to the 22 already garnered in League Two this term and Ferguson’s men would surely have one hand on the championship trophy.

“The main aim is the title, as it was at the start of the season,” said Coppinger. “No-one goes into a season thinking: ‘If we get second or third, that would be great’. I certainly don’t and the manager doesn’t.

“The lads are the same. We started the season wanting to get promoted as champions and that hasn’t changed. We are fully focused on doing that.”

Doncaster’s response to being relegated last May has been exemplary. The club has occupied at least a play-off place since August 20 and been in pole position since the second day of 2017.

The manner of Tuesday’s triumph was typical of the resilience shown this term by Rovers, who trailed after taking time to get into proceedings before turning on the style with two goals either side of half-time.

Coppinger scored the first of those, taking his tally for the campaign to nine, and he sees traits in the current crop similar to those evident in Rovers’ two previous promotion-winning successes from League One – Sean O’Driscoll’s pleasing-on-the-eye side of 2008 and the grittier outfit of five years later.

“I have won titles and been promoted with teams in the past,” added Coppinger, who reached the milestone of 500 games for Rovers earlier this season.

“You see the same things on the training ground and off the pitch, people wanting to improve – especially the young players, the ones brought in on loan.

“We brought in the right characters (last summer). No-one can overstep the mark or take shortcuts. It is policed really well and things are working.

“To me, there is a bit of everything (from previous promotions) in this team. We can play football and pass it, playing some good stuff at times.

“But we are also playing in League Two, which is a lot faster. The pitches aren’t as good and you have to deal with a lot of things, something we have done really well.

“We have mixed it up and won in different ways. It is important to have a Plan B or be able to adapt to how a game is going.

“We did that against Notts County, going 1-0 down and dealing with what they threw at us. In the last four or five home games, we have come from behind. We have also won games in all manner of ways. To do it again was so pleasing. This is such a tight-knit group and no-one panics if you go 1-0 down. You still feel to always be in the game.”

Tuesday’s comeback win means Rovers are unbeaten on home soil for almost a year, Blackpool the last visitors to triumph at the Keepmoat on March 28 last year.

That came during a horrendous run that dumped Ferguson’s men in the basement division but Coppinger has been delighted with the response to relegation.

“At the start of this season, it was difficult,” he added. “We had a few results like Accrington away when we lost and also drew a couple. I always felt we would do really well, based on the lads we signed and who came in. Plus, the togetherness we had from pre-season.

“But, equally, you have to perform on the pitch. It took a little bit of time but we came through that and have now lost two games in 24. For me, that is unbelievable and testament to how hard we work.”