Ryan On The Record: Ryan on Madine, Furman, Hayter and Yeovil
BRIAN Flynn has been busy on the phone this week after he was given the go-ahead to hand pick some emergency loan players.
Myself, Terry Bramall and Dick Watson are as keen as mustard to see this team promoted back to the Championship at the first attempt.
And we want to do that via automatic promotion if at all possible.
That is why the manager has the go ahead to bring in three quality players to assist in this process.
We have been linked with Sheffield Wednesday striker Gary Madine who, I understand, is keen to come to us.
But I heard ahead of the Crawley game that the Owls management were not “playing ball on terms”.
Another name on the table was Oldham’s South African skipper and midfielder Dean Furman.
We are now inside the final third of the season and everyone in the squad has to step up to the plate, commencing this Saturday.
If they all rally round Captain Fantastic, Rob Jones, then we have a very good chance of pulling it off.
Our last two games, against MK Dons and Crawley Town, were very hard fought encounters but at least we did not lose.
Unfortunately, with only two points from a possible 12, the chasing pack have closed in on us.
Now there are some seven clubs in the race for the two automatic places with 14 games to go.
Had we been able to stay clear of injuries and kept on winning then we could well have been clear of the pack.
Among those clubs are Yeovil, our visitors on Saturday, who have won an incredible eight games on the spin in League One.
At least come Saturday I feel we will see Iain Hume back in contention.
Iain’s energy, skill and willingness to shoot on sight, while also opening up opportunities for others, has been sorely missed.
I also hear that David Syers, who is another box-to-box player, and one very adept at picking up second balls and despatching them goalwards, is going to be fit.
Paul Keegan, who is not afraid to put a foot in, should also be in contention.
I hope you will all give James Hayter a warm reception when he enters the pitch at the Keepmoat.
He made history for Rovers when heading home at Wembley shortly into the second half of the League One play-off final with Leeds United.
I have now been chairman for almost 15 years and that victory in 2008 must go down as one of the club’s finest moments not just in that time span but its entire history.
James, until the end of last season, was a prime member of our squad and one of the nicest players I have met during my tenure as chairman.
He always gave the team one hundred percent and was one of the best predators we have had up front.
It is a shame I will not be at the game as I am currently in Cape Town but I have asked our chief executive Gavin Baldwin to make a presentation along with Stuart Highfield to James to recognise his services for this great club.
After that I hope we can shackle him out of the game and he doesn’t come back to haunt us!
Yeovil will, of course, be looking to complete a double after beating us 2-1 at Huish Park back in September.
I just hope we can beat them and stop their run, which might then set them back for a few games.
There is also a welcome back to centre half Byron Webster who also graced the Rovers’ shirt, I hope that we have a decent day and a good crowd for this one.
Come along and cheer us on.
After all, we are still joint top of the table and still on the promotion trail.
We need all the vocal support we can get.
Rovers Till I Die
John Ryan
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Weather for South Yorkshire
Saturday 25 May 2013
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Temperature: 6 C to 16 C
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