Tranmere Rovers v Doncaster Rovers: Phone pest Grant McCann coaxing best out of Joe Ironside

Ahead of Friday's game at Tranmere Rovers, the Doncaster Rovers striker received a message goading him about his goal return.

It was not from some anonymous, embittered rival fan, but someone with previous for bothering him on the phone – his manager, Grant McCann.

"I'm challenging him all the time," said McCann, who faces his former Scunthorpe United manager Nigel Adkins at Prenton Park. "I sent him a message the other day to say, 'You're four or five goals behind the leading goalscorer in the league, just to let you know.'

"He likes that, Joe. I hope he does, anyway!

"I've no doubt he'll keep scoring and if he's not scoring he's making goals and helping people around him. Defensively he's big for us at set-plays and with his shape and press."

Unsurprisingly, "four or five" means four league goals behind Jake Young, the nine-goal Bradford City striker on loan at Swindon Town – two if you count cup strikes.

With five goals in as many matches in all competitions, Ironside is building momentum, just like his slow-burning team, whose four league wins have all come in the last six. But McCann looks at more than just the targetman's impressive goal return.

"He's been brilliant since he came to the football club, not only his performances but his endeavour, his work-rate, his ability to mould into the group very quickly, help younger players," he said.

"There's a lot more to come from him.

"We had to work hard in the summer to get him because there were a lot of League One clubs wanted to take him but once I had the inkling he wanted to get back up this way we were straight in.

"It was probably one of the first things I was looking for when I saw the squad at Doncaster, I felt they lacked a little bit of a physical presence, somebody to get hold of the ball and keep the team up the pitch.

"There was a lot of persuasion, I rang him four or five times when he was on holiday. He must have got annoyed at me ringing him.

"Hopefully the Docnaster fans are starting to see what he brings to our team."