Promotion party: '˜Doncaster Rovers will keep going and going,' warns title-seeking Butler as Rovers celebrate

A little over 12 months ago, Butler was part of his home-town side relegated from League One and he confessed:

“Last year, I didn’t really want to show my face around town. My house got egged. Someone aimed for the window and it hit the bottom of my house after the last game of the season. Hopefully, they will now come around and clean it up!”

Burton Albion players celebrating promotion at the Keepmoat on that fateful day when Rovers’ fate had already been all but mathematically sealed, was the motivation for Butler and his side to bounce straight back up.

“The gaffer said at the end of the Burton game when they started celebrating to take that as an example of what we need to do.

“There is nothing worse than somebody celebrating in front of you when you get relegated and that is what we had to take on board.”

Manager Darren Ferguson, given the backing of the board despite the drop, immediately recruited Tommy Rowe as a signal of intent and it was the attacking midfield player’s 74th-minute headed goal from James Coppinger’s corner to the edge of the six-yard area that guaranteed a top-three automatic promotion spot with five games to go.

It was virtually all over at half-time for Stevenage, the only side who could deny Rovers a top-three spot, were already 4-0 down at Colchester.

News of the scoreline had filtered through but Butler said: “We had heard but it didn’t affect us as a team because we wanted to go out and win the game.

“It wasn’t a case of they’re 4-0 down so we’ll hold on for a 0-0 because the players in the dressing room are not like that. We have got winners in there and we want to win every game.”

Now, Rovers want to capture the title and keep Plymouth and Portsmouth at bay.

“I want us to go unbeaten from now until the end of the season,” said Butler.

“I don’t know how many points we will need for the title but I just want us to win every game and enjoy it.

“We have a big P next to our name now and people may think we will take our foot off the gas but we won’t. We will keep going and going. We want to win every game. People still have contracts to play for so everyone has to push each other and, hopefully, we will get there sooner rather than later.”

Rovers enjoy a six-point buffer going into the final five games, though it could have been four had referee Dean Whitehouse a muscular stoppage-time challenge by Butler on diminutive substitute Alfie Potter had been worthy of a penalty.

However, Rovers did deserve their victory although their first-half display fell below the standard expected – Butler’s robust defending ensuring their were few alarms, however.

Ferguson soon swapped his formation to a three-man defence with Niall Mason moving into midfield alongside the outstanding Luke McCullough.

But it was not until the Rovers chief brought on James Coppinger and Alfie May for Gary McSheffrey – Rovers’ biggest threat in the first period – and Andy Williams that they were at their buzzing best.

It all ended with a pitch invasion and Butler, who journeyed from Scunthorpe United to Huddersfield Town and Walsall before arriving home two years ago, said: “It’s brilliant. I never thought I would play for Doncaster. I thought my time had come and gone.

“I have loved every moment I have been here. It is 10 minutes from my house to the training ground which makes it so much easier.

“To have made a bit of history for Doncaster Rovers means a lot and that is what every single player in there has done. We have got a lot of captains in that dressing room and that gives you encouragement. I see other team sheets and I wouldn’t swap one player from ours for one from another team.

“I’m extremely happy. You saw from my celebrations how much of a relief it was.

“Promotion is one thing but winning the league is what we set out for at the beginning of the season. You want to put that medal around your neck because there are not that many times in your career where you win a league.

“We had a proud unbeaten home record until the Plymouth game recently so we righted some wrongs from that game. We are in pole position and want to keep going.”

Reflecting on what has helped them bounce straight back, he continued: “The winners we have in the dressing room have been the key factor. The recruitment has been brilliant and we have a great team ethic.

“This knock back (relegation) has helped us grow again all the way down to academy level. I think it is possible to go higher and higher with this team.

“I think we will do well in League One. I have watched a few games in that division and there is not that much difference.”