Video - Old heads now key but Darren Ferguson still planning long-term for Doncaster Rovers

By contrast, the legendary Old Trafford manager’s son is pinning his hopes on another footballing maxim regarding the merits of young players at the business end of a season ringing rather more true for Doncaster Rovers – namely that you don’t stay up with kids.

Twelve matches without a win and with nine League One ‘cup finals’ to go, besieged Rovers – and Ferguson – have turned to hardened experience as opposed to kindergarten tactics in their quest to stave off what would be a disastrous second relegation in three seasons.

Following on from the midweek arrival of Tommy Rowe, Ferguson has now brought in seasoned forward Gary McSheffrey from Scunthorpe United for the rest of the campaign on loan. The pair are effectively replacing top-flight rookies Conor Grant and Lynden Gooch, who have returned to their parent clubs.

McSheffrey, 33, is likely to stride out for the ninth club of his nomadic career in tomorrow’s massive game at relegation rivals Colchester United, with another monumental survival ‘six-pointer’ following against Blackpool at the Keepmoat Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.

At least one other imminent signing with experience is expected to be in the frame for tomorrow’s game at Colchester, with possibly another brought in ahead of today’s emergency loan deadline as Rovers try to pull out the stops to move away from the relegation trapdoor and ensure a despairing season doesn’t turn into a catastrophic one. Norwich City goalkeeper Remi Matthews has been strongly linked with a move to Rovers.

The move to bring in senior campaigners is a far cry from Rovers’ previous loan policy at various points of the season with a number of promising but unproven loanees arriving to differing degrees of success.

The arrival of McSheffrey, Rovers’ 13th loan signing this term, is a sea-change and Ferguson acknowledges that the current need for a pragmatic short-term approach to clinch safety massively out-weighs the wider picture in the next month-and-a-half.

That is at least for the time being, with Ferguson – who is on a rolling contract – also keen to stress that despite the current short-terms aims, he is committed to the long-term rebuilding job.

Ferguson said: “I have tried to express my need for a long-term vision at the football club and many areas need to be changed.

“But it would be remiss of me to focus on that too much when the short-term aim is to make sure we stay in this league, which is clear and obvious to everyone.

“We are on a terrible run and need to break that cycle.

“But my long-term vision hasn’t changed.”

The short-term sees McSheffrey entrusted with the likes of fellow 30-somethings James Coppinger and Nathan Tyson in helping Rovers to break the debilitating cycle of a desperate winless streak stretching back to January 2.

That needs to happen during a huge Easter programme when a collective holding of nerve will be required.

Ferguson said: “It’s a vital weekend in terms of how this season is going to pan out, there’s no point hiding away from that.”

On the signing of McSheffrey, he added: “He is out of contract in the summer and I don’t know what is (quite) going on but Scunthorpe are probably thinking of trying one or two younger players.

“But I don’t want people thinking he can’t get in Scunthorpe’s team as he has played a part. And I think everyone that knows football knows that the boy has quality.

“And in the short term – and maybe in the long term – we know that in the last third, he can assist and score a goal.”