Sheffield Utd v Doncaster: Jones gets stamp of approval to land Doncaster Rovers job

Adkins was in charge when Jones was a player at Scunthorpe United, and kept tabs on his career as he moved to Sheffield Wednesday and then Rovers.

Jones, 35, is caretaker-manager after Paul Dickov was axed and has officially applied for the job on a permanent basis. While Adkins hopes he can put a dent in Jones’s record with a home victory in today’s South Yorkshire derby, he is a fan of the no-nonsense defender.

“Rob has been behind the scenes and done a lot of work at Doncaster Rovers for a couple of years now,” he said.

“From my point of view, we need to win a game of football, but defeat can sometimes show you how to deal with situations as a manager. Rob is in that position now, and I am sure he is going to flourish and do okay.

“When I had him at Scunthorpe, he was always a very deep thinker. He works hard and he is in that transition now.

“But from what I can see he is doing a good job at Doncaster.”

Jones is very popular at Doncaster, both in the dressing room and with supporters, and Rovers midfielder Paul Keegan has been impressed by the caretaker.

“He’s been very enthusiastic and has put his stamp on things straight away,” he said.

“Training has been good, tough but enjoyable. He’s got his points across on exactly what he wants.

The Irish midfielder has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in March, but made his first league start in last week’s draw with Oldham.

“It’s nice to be back fit and playing,” said the former Leeds United youngster.

“We played well last week, created the better chances and should have won.

“But it gives us confidence going into the next game,” added Keegan.

Doncaster sit third-from-bottom in League One, having won just once in their opening eight games, while drawing four.

The biggest worry, though, is their lack of league goals, having failed to find the net in four away games so far this season.