Doncaster Rovers v AFC Wimbledon: Grant McCann on how promotion forges lifelong friendships - and means more than just titles and medals

The first saw his Doncaster Rovers side dig deep at Whaddon Road to chisel out a 2-0 win at Cheltenham Town last Saturday, with the fruits of the visitors’ labours only arriving very late in the day. It was the sort of occasion you traditionally associate with all promotion aspirants at this stage of a season.

The second was entirely different four days later, but also spoke volumes about the togetherness of a group of footballers whose friendships were forged during a special period in their careers and whose bond now extends to being there in the sadder times.

McCann was among a gathering of ex-Robins favourites who paid their respects at the funeral of former Cheltenham director and sponsor John ‘Paddy’ Wood following his recent death.

Wood shared many happy times in Gloucestershire with McCann, a fellow Belfastian.

It was a memorable stage of McCann’s career which he will never forget. It culminated in promotion to the third tier, only for the second time in Cheltenham’s history, in 2005-06, when he played alongside other revered Robins names such as John Finnigan, Brian Wilson and JJ Melligan.

The latter was part of a Rovers side who also tasted promotion glory from that level in 2003-04 where the names of McIndoe, Foster, Blundell, Fortune-West and Akinfenwa - and others too - are also remembered similarly fondly.

Players from successful eras invariably stay in touch. There’s dinners, anniversaries, special WhatsApp groups, weddings and also occasionally funerals.

Should Rovers clinch promotion in a few weeks time, especially given what many of these players and staff went through at the end of last season, then life-long friendships are likely to be struck.

McCann, whose mother Valerie also passed away last month, said: "I was at a funeral for John Wood at Cheltenham. I saw loads of my mates from Cheltenham there who I played with years ago and it was really good to see them.

"When you get promoted, you never lose contact with those people. You always stay in touch and (they) are there by the phone if you need them because you have done something brilliantly together.

"In those changing rooms where nothing is happening, players come and go. A lot of those won’t speak to each other anymore. That’s the way and nature of football."

McCann is fortunate to know a fair bit about promotions and joyous ends to seasons from his time in the game. As a player, he went up with Cheltenham, Scunthorpe and Peterborough and became the first manager to win a divisional title at Hull in 55 years when the Tigers won League One back in 2020-21.

McCann has made no secret of the fact he is after more silverware with Rovers in 2024-25 and not just a top-three finish either. The presence of supporters close at hand would sweeten it with that success at Hull arriving when games were played out in empty stadiums due to Covid.

The Rovers boss continued: "It was a strange time and to do that in a Covid year, you obviously didn’t have fans there and stuff.

"In that season - we were speaking about it as staff - I think it was more of whatever team were better tactically would have won more games as fans can win you games alone.

"In that season, I was really pleased because of what we’d done as a group with the seventh highest budget in the division. People might not think that but I know that because the owner prepared me a bonus!

"To do it that season was incredible with no fans. But what was nice was that after we’d won the league, we went out and celebrated. I probably shouldn’t say that, but we did.. It was a great time.

"I have played against Hull a few times since I have left and those players like Coyle, Slater, Alfie Jones and Sean McLoughlin, they are boys still playing in the team.

"They have turned into top Championship players, but also when you see them, it’s like you have never been away from them. That's what it’s all about and it would be nice to do that for this club and team as there is a lot of respect here for the older players and staff. And we want to try and get to the next level.”

Should Rovers go up, they will do it the hard way. On Saturday, they host a direct rival in Wimbledon and face Bradford and Notts County before season’s end.

"Wimbledon are a strong team who have been strong all season,” McCann said.

"Johnnie (Jackson) has done an incredible job there. I like Johnnie (Jackson), he’s a good guy and manager.

"I played against him many years ago and we’re probably a similar age as well and with similar journeys as well.”