Ahead of their latest fixture with the Railwaymen, Rovers similarly find themselves in not a great place, even if they aren’t in relegation strife in the fourth tier - a small mercy given their recent form and performances.

At the end of a difficult week for the club, questions are being asked not just about the ambition and direction of travel for Rovers under their current hierarchy, but also their head coach.

Danny Schofield finds himself under scrutiny after just one win in eight matches. While there are extenuating factors, including injuries and a lack of backing in the January window, faith is running thin among exasperated fans.

Another bad result against a struggling Crewe side who have won just once in eight outings like Rovers, would see him lose more support - despite the backing of those making the decisions.

Schofield said: "I understand my role is one where you get criticised if performances and results aren't there. That's something I have to accept and deal with.

"But I think I can sleep easy at night as I know how relentless I work and how relentlessly I push my players and how hard my staff are working to try and achieve what we want to.

"There's constant internal discussions about the vision of this club and I feel really well supported in me being the head coach and driving this.

"The consistency of performances and results haven't been what I have wanted.

"But I truly believe myself and the staff are the people to talk this club forward."

Doncaster Rovers v Crewe Alexandra: Fighting talk from Danny Schofield ahead of key game