DONCASTER Rovers may be struggling for results on the league front, but striker Brandon Hanlan’s glass is remaining very much half-full - and with good reason.

And not because he ended his recent scoring drought with back-to-back goals in League One and the EFL Trophy against Lincoln City and Bradford City either.

Twelve months ago, he made his return to action after being out of the game for a year following a serious ACL injury sustained in November 2023 for former club Wycombe Wanderers.

He left the Chairboys for a loan spell at Stevenage - Hanlan and his Rovers team-mates visit Hertfordshire on Saturday - in the second half of 2024-25 before heading north on a permanent basis last summer.

Tottenham Hotspur's Austrian defender #04 Kevin Danso (L) vies with Doncaster Rovers' English striker #09 Brandon Hanlan (R) during the English League Cup third round football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Doncaster Rovers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 24, 2025. (Photo by Ian Kington / AFP)

placeholder image — Tottenham Hotspur's Austrian defender #04 Kevin Danso (L) vies with Doncaster Rovers' English striker #09 Brandon Hanlan (R) during the English League Cup third round football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Doncaster Rovers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 24, 2025. (Photo by Ian Kington / AFP)

Hanlan’s strike at Sincil Bank last weekend - his first in the league since his switch to Rovers - failed to yield any tangible reward.

Straightaway, the visitors conceded a poor own goal en route to a 2-1 loss as Rovers’ winless streak at league level extended to nine matches.

With the run is an obvious concern, there is a fair amount of perspective for Hanlan, 28, given what he went through before joining Rovers.

He said: "One hundred per cent. When you have a long injury, it changes your perspective on football, playing and everything.

Doncaster Rovers manager Grant McCann applauds the fans after the final whistle of the Sky Bet League One match at the LNER Stadium, Lincoln. Picture: Nigel French/PA Wire.

"You don't realise what you have - even if you are on the bench or not playing (picked). You don't realise what you've got until it's taken away.

"Obviously, I've had a big injury and am buzzing to be back.

"Things will take time (at a new club) as they always would do - whether I am injured or not. But it (previous injury) definitely puts it all into perspective.

"It doesn't happen overnight. For some people, it does, but for some, it doesn't. It's a long season. Recent results haven't gone for us, but it's a long season. Things will change.

"I was pleased with my two goals. I'll take scrappy goals as well. I'll take them however they come, but they were two good finishes."

Two defensive moments to forget and a lack of ruthlessness in the final third proved Rovers undoing in Lincoln on a day when the hosts moved up to second and the visitors slipped to 19th.

In terms of general play, it was hard to distinguish that Lincoln were the side flying high and Doncaster were without a league win since September 6.

Hanlan remains confident that Rovers are playing well enough for things to change sooner rather than later, with the feeling shared among his team-mates.

"Lincoln went joint top, but they weren't far off of us, were they..", he continued.

"In League One, things can change very quickly. You go on a good run and the league table and position looks a lot different and it's just about knowing that. It's just about getting them (results) sooner rather than later.

"I am a confident person and player. Obviously, I am not going to lie and say I am always confident, but I try and build on things like scoring."