Sharp had ‘heart set’ on move back to Doncaster

Admittedly, that day has arrived sooner than he expected.

Just under two years ago he swapped a relegation scrap with Rovers for a passport to the Premier League which was waiting to be rubber-stamped at Southampton.

Battling for Championship survival might be back on the menu again for the Sheffield-born striker and massive fans’ favourite after joining Rovers on loan for the rest of the season, but he could not be happier about enjoying a few home comforts again.

A Sheffield United fan by birth and the first to admit he will always be a Blade, Sharp has a second and no less enduring footballing love: Doncaster Rovers and the Keepmoat Stadium, his true footballing home and place where he has most successfully held court during his career.

Sharp provided a medley of goalscoring memories in two previous spells at Rovers, while the club have also done their bit for him.

They were there by his and his family’s side to offer total and instinctive support following the tragic death of his two-day-old son Luey Jacob in the autumn of 2011.

It ensured a bond would always be there between Sharp and Rovers and just as the club’s support proved overwhelming following the events of just over two years ago, so the backing following his decision to return to Doncaster has been similarly emphatic.

Sharp, set to make his third Rovers ‘debut’ at Blackpool tomorrow, said: “I always wanted to come back, although I didn’t think it would be so soon. But I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait to get started.

“Everyone knows I am a Sheffield United fan and I do still support them. But Doncaster is special to me and the support they showed to me when me and my family went through some tough times means more than football. I feel like I owe this club a lot for the support they gave me.

“I (also) enjoyed my time here on the football pitch and can hopefully re-create that.

“There were a few clubs and rumours, but I had my heart set on coming here. I had a great spell here last time and hopefully can do it again.”

While Sharp’s previous footballing spells at Rovers remain among the happiest of his career, the less said about the last year, the better.

The forward, 28 early next month, endured an underwhelming emergency loan spell earlier this term at Reading, while in 2012-13 he was farmed out on a season’s loan to Nottingham Forest, where he played under three managers.

The one thing that has been consistent has been his exile on the south coast and he acknowledges he is in need of a lift back at a place he knows well.

Sharp, who has just over a year left on his Saints deal, said: “It’s nice to feel wanted.

“In the last 12 months, I’ve not played a lot. I (always) dreamed of being a footballer and the money’s good, but I want to play football and score a lot of goals.

“I was really happy here, playing some of the best football I’ve played. I’ve won two promotions at Scunthorpe and Southampton, but I thought my football was at its best here.

“To be honest, at this stage of my career I do need a lift and the support the fans gave me on Twitter when I signed (on Wednesday) was overwhelming.”

Back enjoying some home cooking at his parents’ home in Sheffield, before moving into accommodation with his family, Sharp added: “I’ve always looked out for Doncaster’s results.

“I was at a service station at the end of last season when they went down to Brentford and managed to see Copps (James Coppinger) and a few of the lads and said to Copps, ‘I think you’ll score the winner’. And he did and texted me the next day, ‘How scary was that?’

“I was buzzing just as much as they were for getting back in this league.”

Despite being totally out of the first-team scene at St Mary’s – and a virtual stranger to manager Mauricio Pochettino – Sharp looked like having to bide his time regarding his next port of call with Saints seemingly intent on interested clubs funding all of his five-figure weekly wages before letting him out.

But recent boardroom upheaval, which has seen owner Katharina Liebherr take on duties as non-executive chairman following the exit of chief executive Nicola Cortese, helped push the door ajar for Sharp.

Sharp’s desire to make it happen, Rovers manager Paul Dickov’s dogged persistence to sign him, and the Doncaster board’s solid support, meant a deal was brokered, although Rovers will still be paying a decent chunk of his wages.

Dickov said: “Billy was always the No 1 (target). We had a little nibble in the summer when we didn’t get much encouragement.

“But over the last couple of weeks with the changes at Southampton as well and Billy showing the desire to come back here, that’s what has made it happen.

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get sometimes. And if you don’t pester people you don’t get, as well. What I will say is that Southampton were fantastic in the deal we’ve been able to do and the board have been fantastic too.

“A lot of credit also has to go to Billy because there were a lot of top clubs in for him.

“He showed a massive desire to come back here and, in his mind, he wants to be the man who comes back here and scores the goals to keep us safe.

“He is a top quality player. Added to that fact is that everybody here, from the cleaners to the kitmen, players, fans and board and myself, all love him as well.

“It gives the place a buzz and with 20 games left, we know we have a squad which is more than capable of getting us out of the bottom three and getting points on the board very quickly.”