Oxford hoping to take advantage of Doncaster’s post-Darren Moore struggles

A surprise managerial departure is often a surefire way to destabilise a promising season, and Darren Moore deciding to leave League One promotion-chasers Doncaster Rovers for Championship-strugglers Sheffield Wednesday is beginning to look like it could derail Donny’s campaign.

After Moore established Rovers as one of the main contenders for promotion thanks to his impressive use of the loan market combined with an adventurous playing style, the chance to make the immediate jump to the second tier proved too tempting to turn down despite Wednesday’s issues on and off the field.

Wins against Portsmouth and Plymouth followed Andy Butler stepping up from defensive stalwart to interim manager, but a defeat at Crewe and a goalless draw against relegation-threatened Northampton at the weekend have seen Doncaster lose ground in the race for automatic promotion.

Donny now sit six points shy of second-placed Peterborough, and perhaps more worryingly they are only four points clear of seventh-placed Portsmouth as the play-off chase looks set to go to the wire.

Another issue for Butler has been an ever-growing injury list across his two weeks in charge. Omar Bogle, Josh Sims, John Bostock and Reece James have all picked up knocks across the last four games, and on Saturday midfielder Scott Robertson hobbled off midway through the first half.

“We’ve just got to be mindful of their bodies because we don’t want to bring them back too soon and risk losing them for longer.

“Everyone else seems okay. We’ll get the wellness report on Tuesday morning just to make sure but they’ve looked sharp in training.”

– Doncaster Rovers interim manager Andy Butler on the club’s injury woes

The injury to striker Bogle has seemingly been the most noticeable issue. Without the powerful forward, Doncaster have struggled due to a lack of presence upfront with no other recognised target man in the squad – going someway to explaining their toothless performance against the Cobblers.

On Tuesday they make the journey to the Kassam Stadium to take on an Oxford side that have their sights set on disrupting the play-off picture.

Defeat at Hull on Saturday showed they are probably not at the same level as the main contenders vying for automatic promotion, particularly with the number of injuries they also have.

Goals either side of half-time from Tigers’ starlet Keane Lewis-Potter condemned Karl Robinson’s side to a first defeat in five, preventing them putting further pressure on the top six in the process, but a win against fifth-place Doncaster would be a sure sign that their play-off ambitions are alive and well.

“I often talk about what’s building here and what I have the flexibility to do.

“I’d love to make this a top-30 club in England over the next five years.

“I’m so happy here and I’m really proud to be associated with Oxford United.”

– Oxford United Head Coach Karl Robinson speaking to the Oxford Mail about speculation linking him with the vacant managerial position at Birmingham City

Injuries to James Henry, Sam Long, Marcus McGuane and Sam Winnall have limited Robinson’s options in recent weeks, and as regular rotation was such a key aspect of their club record nine-game winning run over the festive period, it is no real surprise that they have not been able to show such impressive form of late.

Regardless of absentees, Oxford have maintained their push for the top six by battling for points against the sides around them in the table and beating those in the bottom half. Draws with Charlton, Ipswich and Peterborough looked far more valuable following last week’s A420 derby victory against Swindon as the Yellows remain just four points shy of sixth place.

It was in fact Doncaster who brought their winning run to an end with a 3-2 victory at the Keepmoat Stadium at the beginning of February.

On that afternoon, Donny’s Taylor Richards ran the show with a goal and an assist to effectively decide the game in his team’s favour, and there will be an emphasis on the Brighton loanee to deliver on Tuesday with so many of Butler’s attacking options unavailable.

With Doncaster struggling with injuries and inconsistent form, it could well require another inspired individual display to take the spoils at the Kassam and kickstart life without Darren Moore.

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