Saunders offers backing for tragic Doncaster hero Sharp

Sharp played and scored in Tuesday night’s 3-1 defeat by Middlesbrough and attended his son’s funeral yesterday.

Saunders said: “I knew what was going on all week. I also know the finer details of what happened which is worse than you think.

“He rang me on Monday night and asked if he could play. He wanted to score a goal for his son and his family. When he said that to me, I couldn’t really refuse.”

Sharp scored a stunning long-range volley and then lifted his shirt to reveal a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘That’s For You Son.’

“He won’t score a better goal than that,” said Saunders. “I just thought it was incredible. I thought the story had already been written and he would end up with a hat-trick and we would win 3-0.

“It didn’t turn out that way but I’m really proud he wanted to play and it tells you something about him as a man to do that. Not many people would have done that. It tells you what he thinks about the club and his team-mates that he was prepared to come and play.

“Hopefully, he can turn a new leaf now and get on with his life because this has been hanging over him for a long time

“He’s going to have a bit of pain for a long time I suppose but you have to learn to live with it. The best thing for him to do is come in training every day and get out on the football pitch.”

Sharp is being chased by Championship leaders Southampton who are pressing for a loan with a view to a permanent £3m move in the New Year transfer window.

Saunders said: “I’m sure there are lots of clubs out there who would like him. But he is our player and I’m hoping he starts banging in goals for us.

“I have not spoken to anybody about him – but I can see the vultures are circling so we will see what happens,” he added.

Former Liverpool striker El-Hadji Diouf made his debut against Middlesbrough but Saunders says he will need time to recover full match fitness after two months without a club. “He’s about 70 per cent fit but we’ve got two weeks to get some training into him after this weekend. He still showed what a good player he is. He is different class, a Premier League player.”

Rovers have dropped to the bottom of the table and Saunders said: “I know there are problems and I have to put them right. I have to try and solve the puzzle.

“I wouldn’t be here if everything was perfect. I’ve got to try and plough through this and try to turn the club round so we get enough points to stay in the league this season and then next year our plan is to try and go the other way.”