Aiming to strengthen their position in the top three of the League Two table, Doncaster Rovers will travel to the SO Legal Stadium on Wednesday to take on Barrow.
The visitors have returned to the automatic promotion spots with back-to-back victories, while their hosts made a winning start to life under the new management of Andy Whing at the weekend.
Match preview
© Imago
Barrow return to the SO Legal Stadium on Wednesday aiming to make it consecutive League Two victories under new boss Andy Whing, following a disappointing first half to their fifth straight fourth-tier campaign.
The Bluebirds began the 2024-25 term under the management of Stephen Clemence, but his tenure came to an end in mid-January as they had amassed just 28 points from their first 25 league outings, losing 11 and only winning seven of those after back-to-back top-10 finishes.
That time under Clemence culminated in a particularly concerning slump, as a 15-match streak since mid-October produced just a single victory and nine points, culminating in back-to-back 2-0 losses to Swindon Town and Harrogate Town.
Andy Whing then took the reins in Cumbria and was able to oversee a much-needed victory in his first game at the helm at the weekend, as the Bluebirds hosted Grimsby Town and took all three points in a 3-0 triumph as Robbie Gotts opened the scoring before the interval and Tyler Smith and Theo Vassell added second-half goals.
Now bound to have renewed confidence having made a winning start to their new era and climbed to 16th spot in League Two, while only trailing the top 10 by five points, Barrow will aim to put a run together in the coming weeks to trigger a quick rise up the table, starting with a second straight win on Wednesday.
© Imago
They face a tough test, though, as the visitors travel north in search of a third consecutive victory to strengthen their automatic promotion bid this season.
After falling short of a return to League One in the playoffs last time around, Doncaster Rovers have enjoyed a strong campaign thus far, currently sitting third in England's fourth tier having earned 46 points from their 27 games.
Their cause was harmed in a 2-1 home defeat to fellow promotion-chasers early in the new year, but the Yorkshire outfit have since rebounded with back-to-back victories, firstly triumphing in a 1-0 win away at Gillingham thanks to Luke Molyneux's first-half goal, ending a three-match winless run away from home.
Grant McCann's side then hosted Harrogate Town at the weekend and again took all three points from a 1-0 victory, as Harry Clifton broke the deadlock four minutes from time at the Eco-Power Stadium.
Thanks to those wins, Doncaster Rovers now find themselves third in League One, only trailing second-placed Crewe Alexandra on goal difference but only leading Port Vale by one point and AFC Wimbledon, who have two games in hand, by two points, and they will now look to build a lead with a third victory on the bounce on Wednesday.
Team News
© Imago
Andy Whing should field an unchanged Barrow starting XI from the weekend's 3-0 victory in his first game at the helm, with Bradford City loanee Tyler Smith bound to lead the line again having scored on his Bluebirds debut in that win.
He will likely join Aaron Pressley up top, despite competition from Emile Acquah, while MJ Williams, who also earned a debut at the weekend following his January arrival, will continue to feature alongside key men Kian Spence and Robbie Gotts in the midfield.
After seeing out a first league clean sheet since before Christmas, Theo Vassell, Niall Canavan and Kyle Cameron will all keep their places in the middle of the defence.
Doncaster Rovers should also field a similar starting XI to their win at the weekend, but Grant McCann has an abundance of options, particularly in attack.
In their 4-2-3-1 setup, Harry Clifton has a claim to return from the start in an advanced midfield role, after netting the winner off the bench against Harrogate to move onto four goals for the season, while Rob Street and Billy Sharp, who sits joint-top of their scoring charts with 10 goals this term, will both hope to displace Joe Ironside and lead the line.
Elsewhere, Jordan Gibson could return on the wing, while Luke Molyneux remains a star man having also netted 10 goals thus far, and Owen Bailey and Charlie Crew should continue their midfield partnership despite competition from George Broadbent.
Barrow possible starting lineup:
Farman; Duru, Vassell, Canavan, Cameron, Jackson; Spence, Gotts, Williams; Pressley, Smith
Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Sharman-Lowe; Sterry, Olowu, McGrath, Maxwell; Bailey, Crew; Molyneux, Clifton, Gibson; Sharp
We say: Barrow 1-1 Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers will be keen to put a winning run together in their automatic promotion bid and have the quality to do so, but they face a tough test away at a rejuvenated Barrow side and may settle for a point in Cumbria.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
