Tom Anderson misses Doncaster Rovers next two games as they play it safe with concussed captain

League One promotion hopefuls Rovers host Sunderland at the weekend, and Accrington Stanley on Tuesday.

“Tom will follow a concussion protocol now and we're into the first stages of it, which is just a rest,” explained Darren Moore. “He's got to through a five-day period of total rest to make sure there are no reactions from the collision.

“He's doing that now and he feels a lot, lot better than he did on Tuesday night.

“I would imagine even though he would be eligible to play (on Tuesday), we would rule him out rather than rush him back for a game or two. His long-term health is far more important so we'll rule him out of that game as well.”

Though often overlooked, Anderson's quality as a dependable centre-back should not be downplayed, but Rovers are fortunate they have centre-backs in Joe Wright and Cameron John who have been playing at full-back recently. Wright was a regular alongside Anderson during the first half of the season but has been moved partly to accommodate the form of Andy Butler.

Specialist full-backs Brad Halliday and Reece James have been featuring regularly further forward.

“Joe stepped in there the other night and we've got Cameron John who can revert into there having been playing at left-back so we've got adequate replacements.

“Tom's been really, really solid for us, not just over the course of this season but last as well. He will be sadly missed but his health is the No1 major concern. It's now down to somebody else to step in and carry the baton.”

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