Sad to see Coppinger leave for Forest loan
I HEAVED a big sigh of relief as the Supporters’ Club coaches pulled out of the Keepmoat early Saturday morning en route to Yeovil as the majority of the people who had booked had turned up and I had not missed anybody off the list.
Had I done so I, and several others, would have given up our seats and made the long trip to Yeovil by car - something I did not fancy!
Talking to a lot of fans they had burned the midnight oil watching the transfer deadline come and go. The only significant deal at the club saw our longest-serving player, James Coppinger, team up again with Sean O’Driscoll at Nottingham Forest, this after travelling on the Rovers’ team coach as far as Taunton, where he hopped off and travelled back to Nottingham.
All Rovers’ fans wish him well; its just a shame our finances have dictated that all the higher earners have now left the club.
We stopped en-route to the game for a swift half at Burnham-on-Sea, the poor girls in Weatherspoons suddenly having two coach loads descend on them with only two staff!
I bumped into Clem from the Football League Show, who was doing a feature on Yeovil for that night’s show. I think he was quite disappointed that I had no biscuits for the Press.
The team nearly picked itself, with Shelton Martis and new loan signing Iain Hume on the bench. The first half saw the hosts hit the bar, but chances were few and far between.
Former Rovers striker James Hayter got a good reception from the visiting fans. Yeovil also had former Rovers’ defender Byron Webster (their man-of-the-match. Just like last season at Southampton, where Billy Sharp scored against us, you just knew Hayter would do the same.
He duly obliged for Town, and with Rovers pushing forward, they were caught out again when a misguided header fell into the path of the Yeovil substitute to lob Woodsy.
Rovers kept on going and struck in the third minute of stoppage time and Billy Paynter opened his account for the club. But it was another loss, and the prospect of a long trip home for the 330 Rovers fans who had made the trip, One positive saw Hume introduced and when totally match fit, looks like he will cause defences a problem.
Whilst at the match, we learnt that tomorrow’s game against Oldham had been postponed due to the Latics having three players on international duty.
Our next two games are away at Colchester, who have a new ground, so we should have a few more fans ticking it off their lists, then on to Bramall Lane on the following Tuesday. With the Capital Cup third round draw pairing us with Norwich on September 26th, we will have travelled a fair few miles come the end of the month.
Bus times to Colchester are: Retford 8.15, Harworth 8.20, Bawtry/ Rossington 8.30, Hare and Tortoise 8.35, Infirmary 8.45 and Keepmoat 9.00, We will probably put the bus times back slightly for the Sheffield United match due to the police meeting the coaches at a certain time, which will give Rovers’ fans more time to get home from work.
The Retford branch of the Supporters Club are holding their AGM next Thursday at the Retford United SC on Leverton Road at 7.30 pm. All fans are welcome.
Hopefully Dean Saunders and Gavin Baldwin will attend.
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Weather for South Yorkshire
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North east
