Shrewsbury Town v Doncaster Rovers: Darren Ferguson expects '˜big, big test'

The Rovers chief has been at the centre of a brouhaha surrounding unfortunate and controversial comments that he made after last week’s draw with Plymouth in which he lambasted referee Andy Haines.

Ferguson later apologised for saying he would “shoot” League One’s “appalling” referees after being critical of the performance of Haines, but it did not stop the FA from handing him an improper charge on Wednesday afternoon.

After a testing period, Ferguson is now glad to be able to focus on football again, albeit in the shape of a visit to second-placed Shrewsbury, the undoubted surprise packages of League One this season.

Ferguson’s last visit to the Shropshire venue was a milestone one, with Rovers claiming their first win under his watch in a 2-1 triumph in October, 2015.

Performing a repeat will be a somewhat more strenuous exercise, with Ferguson acknowledging his side will have to be at their best to extend their unbeaten league run to six matches.

He said: “Shrewsbury are a very good team who are having an excellent season, deservedly so. The manager has done a fantastic job in how they play.

“It will be a big, big test for us. They play a specific way and everyone knows their job and works for each other and it is a real team.

“There are similarities to ourselves in that they leave everything out there and I believe that my players do that as well.

“We will have to match their energy as they keep going and going.”