Doncaster Rovers v Reading: Home run could see Rovers move closer to safety

Rovers have 12 games left and sit second bottom on 30 points, four points adrift of safety with the visit of Reading tonight marking the start of a pivotal period of three home games in eight days.

Saunders, who succeeded Sean O’Driscoll six months ago, is adamant that performances suggest significant progress has been made by the club since he took charge.

But he knows that those strides will only be recognised if they get to the points target he believes will give them a chance of staying in English football’s second tier.

Fifty points is the target traditionally set by struggling sides, and with only three teams above the safety mark realistically within Rovers’ reach, it would appear the odds remain stacked against Doncaster.

But Saunders said: “I’m thinking to myself if we can get to 48 points, another six wins from 12, then you’ve got to have a good chance, especially with what’s happened to Portsmouth (10 points deducted).

“Six wins is do-able. You haven’t got to worry about anybody else then.

“The games against teams down there with us are more important but if we get six wins, it doesn’t matter against who, then we’re going to be there or thereabouts.”

A current run of four games unbeaten, including a vital away win at fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest last Tuesday and a point at West Ham three days ago, suggest Rovers are in the sort of form that would see them achieve that target.

They have a good pedigree at home, having beaten leaders Southampton and ambitious Leicester in recent months. But with Derby County on Saturday and Millwall next Tuesday both bound for the Keepmoat Stadium after tonight’s visit of third-placed Reading – who have won eight in a row – that will be severely tested.

“We’ve got three games coming up and it’s a chance for us,” said Saunders, who is concentrating more on the threats his team pose rather than the questions an in-form Reading side will ask of his charges.

“I went out on the training pitch and talked about us. I told the players who they were playing and their weaknesses, but primarily I talked about us, what we can do, what we have been doing and making sure all the fine details are correct, and that we win from a winning position.

“It’s about doing the basics; not doing daft things when you’re in front, where we kick the ball, our shape, our defence, all the fine detail, that’s what I’ve gone over, to make sure we keep doing what we are doing.

“People might not notice this in games but if teams we’re playing aren’t playing well, it’s down to us. It’s going to be tough for Reading. We’ve lost one game in under five months at home and have not been beaten in four games, including a couple of pressure games we’ve got through.

“With the confidence we’ve got we can hold our own.”

The fixture with Reading marks a symmetrical point in Saunders’s reign, with the Welshman having watched from the stands at the Madejski Stadium before taking the reins on September 17.

A week later, his first game at the helm, they won for the first time in five months.

“Doncaster hadn’t won for 20 games, which was a long time with the summer in between that, and the club was in freefall,” said Saunders on the journey the club have been on.

“They were favourites to get relegated at the start of the season and then won only one point in the first seven games so that was like a 10-point deduction.

“From there we’ve managed to get 30 points. We’re matching everybody, we’re playing football, but we’re also competing, which wasn’t happening before.

“We’ve clawed all that ground back and we’re back in the pack now. We’ve got a great chance.

“The evidence is there. We’ve got some top players at the club.”

The way some of those big-name players have been parachuted in on short-term contracts has divided opinion about the club’s transfer policy.

Agent Willie McKay has been the conduit for all of the business conducted, but when loan players like Frederic Piquionne announce their arrival as he did with a stunning goal against Forest last week, it is hard to argue against the policy.

Piquionne could not play against his parent club West Ham last Saturday but will be involved tonight. El-Hadji Diouf, Pascal Chimbonda and Herita Ilunga have also become staples of Rovers’ teamsheet in recent months.

Saunders said: “We’ve managed to get good players at the club. Financially we couldn’t do it but we’ve had to sell the ambition of the club and the project that we’re doing, and they’ve come.”

Piquionne only trained lightly with the club for the first time yesterday, with Saunders revealing he plans to train him sparingly to keep the Frenchman fresh for the eight remaining games of his loan deal.

Rovers are still without Brian Stock, while George Friend will be missing for another 10 days and Shelton Martis is touch and go with a groin strain. Ilunga is not 100 per cent fit but with the loss of Friend may have to play.

Last six games: Doncaster Rovers LLDDWD, Reading WWWWWW.

Last time: Doncaster Rovers 0 Reading 3; January 15, 2011; Championship.

Referee: T Bates (Staffordshire).