Doncaster

Rovers in new home

Doncaster Rovers v Darlington

Johnstone Paints Trophy Northern Semi-Finals

Tuesday January 9th 2007, 7.45pm

A return for former boss Dave Penney - albeit in unfamiliar surroundings - should give this a little extra spice.

Donny will have moved to their new stadium in time for this trophy tie, so it will be a chance to visit a new ground. The club under Sean O'Driscoll
have been going well in League One, within striking distance of the play-offs.

Man to watch
Lewis Guy Brings pace to create and score goals.

Full match preview on the D@rlo Uncovered website.

This will be one of the first chances to visit Donny's new 15,000-seater Keepmoat Stadium, which opened on New Year's Day. The stadium is part of £32m complex which includes all-weather pitches, restaurant, bar, park and health club. Away fans will normally be allocated between 1,345 and 3,344 seats. Away fans are in the North Stand behind the goal - all ticket for away fans (no cash at turnstiles), £10 adults and £5 concessions, with under 16s free if ticket bought with an adult in advance. Contact Darlington FC to book over the phone the ticket office can be contacted on 0870 0272 949. It's a non-smoking stadium in all areas.

Doncaster Rovers FC,
Keepmoat Stadium, Lakeside Sports Complex, Potteric Carr Rd, Doncaster, DN4 5JW.
Tel: 01302 539441
History: Formed in 1879 from a group of factory apprentices, playing in the FA Cup for the first time in 1888 and joining local leagues. A brief election to the Football League in 1901 and 1903, the club carried on in the Midland League after the war until becoming members of Division Three in 1923. Donny spent most seasons in the bottom division, although were relegated to the Conference in 1998. They spent five seasons out of the league after a dark period in the club's history off the pitch in the early 1990s before being promoted back in the play-offs in 2003. Promotion followed again and at the end of 2006 the club moved to a new council-owned stadium, shared with rugby league.
Record Attendance: 37,149 v Hull City, Div3N 1948 (Belle Vue)
Capacity: 15,000 (Keepmoat Stadium)
Last season: 8th (League One)
Honours: Div3N champions 1934/1935, 1946/1947, 1949/1950; Div/League 2 champions 1965/1966, 1968/1969, 2003/2004
Record victory: 10-0 v Darlington, January 1964
Defeat: 0-12 v Small Heath ,Birmingham 1903
Nicknames: Rovers, Vikings, Donny
Colours: Red and white hoops
Manager: Sean O'Driscoll
Chairman: John Ryan
Famous players/fans/connections: Harry Gregg, Brian Deane, Sydney Bycroft, Rufus Brevett (players), Charlie Williams (centre half, comedian), Billy Bremner, Dave Penney (managers), Jeremy Clarkson, Paul Daniels (fans, allegedly).
Click for Streetmap of ground

Anything worth adding? Please e-mail us any suggestions. Back to index page

As it's a new stadium, the club advises motorists allow extra travel time.
A1 (M) exit at junction 36 (signposted A630 Doncaster, Rotherham. Follow the A630 before turning right onto the A18 (signposted Scunthorpe, Bawtry). At The Sidings roundabout take the 3rd exit onto the A6182 (signposted Sheffield M18, M1). The new ground is at the Lakeside Sports Complex off the A6182 White Rose Way.
From the M18: Follow the A6182 from the M18 junction 3. The new ground is at the Lakeside Sports Complex off the A6182 White Rose Way. Follow the yellow signs.
The Lakeside Sports Complex has parking for 1,000 cars, with £5 charge. They're encouraging people to car-share. A "park and walk" service will also operate from the old Belle Vue ground, nearby - follow the yellow signs. Stadium parking should be signposted from the M18 junction 3 and town centre. There may also be parking available around the leisure/shopping areas at the complex.
PDF map of town centre, stadium complex and car parks
Distance from Darlington: 84 miles.

Trains: It's around two miles from the railway station. Service buses and taxis are the best bet for those who don't fancy the walk. It's more or less a straight walk along Trafford Way and the A6182 from the town centre.
Buses: An "enhanced" service on the 72 and 75 buses running to the stadium is promised from the new Frenchay Interchange in the town. This is found next to the railway station. The last bus back is at 22.11. See timetables.
A return bus shuttle will operate from Doncaster Racecourse (Town Moor Ave/Leger Way) on normal match days between 1pm and 3pm (returning until 6.30pm), priced £1 - no news yet on arrangements for this match.

Alpha: 01302 323333
Leger Cabs: 01302 340000
Gillards: 01302 342222
Station Taxis: 01302 368636

Darlington FC Supporters Club
Coach Time 4.30pm, £10, Contact: 01325 243911. See Darlington Supporters' Club for more details.
EVENING TRAIN TIMES:
Darlington: 17.25-arr 18.20, return 22.57-arr 00.16 or last train 23.54 (York 00.42) 00.50 arr 01.29. Saver return £33.90 or advance returns from £19.

Last train back to London Kings Cross is 22.12, so tight. No late trains back to Birmingham New Street.
Sheffield: 17.11-arr 17.38, rtn 22.12-arr 22.54, 23.21 arr 00.01. Cheapday return £3.80.

There are plenty of pubs in Donny, not too many of which are worth working up a thirst for. The town centre has the most choice and the local CAMRA branch have a good map and guide to tbe best pubs. But it's a a bit of a walk from those hostelries near the ground to Belle Vue.
Real ale/town centre

Leopard 1 West Street Old fashioned large corner pub in the town centre, which has been refurbished recently. Selection of real ales including the local Glentworth brew.
The Corner Pin. 145 St Sepulchure Gate West CAMRA-recommended pub, part of the Unique Pub Co chain in the town centre, a short walk from the station. There's also a taxi rank in the street.DAFTS recommended. Click for street map
Salutation Hotel, 14 South Parade, DN1 2DR
A wide selection of up to six real ales in this recently refurbished, welcoming 18th century coaching inn. Away-fan friendly. Around a mile and a quarter to the ground.

Near the ground
The Cheswold, Doncaster Leisure Park, off Bawtry Road, DN4 7NW
Brewsters family pub/restaurant on the Lakeside complex, about 10 minutes walk from the ground - off the A638.
Tha Lakeside, Lakeside leisure complex, Wilmington Drive DN4 5PJ, off White Rose Way A6182
Beefeater pub and restaurant, promising one real ale too, within 10 minutes walk of stadium.
There is beer and lager at bars at the ground (£2.70 a pint), which has annoyed home fans as it's more than charged at Belle Vue.

Should you need it, there are webpages for Doncaster Museum & Gallery and the Civic Theatre.
Doncaster Tourist Information Centre, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3JE Tel: (01302) 734309 Fax: (01302) 735385 E-Mail: tourist.information@doncaster.gov.uk It runs an advanced accommodation booking service. There are also an accommodation list online. There is a Premier Travel Inn (Tel 08701 977074, £53 per room) at the leisure complex near the stadium.

The new stadium promises good catering facilities, with meat and potato pies (£2.30), burgers (£2.60), hot dog (£2.50) as well as, pasties and pizza.
There's KFC, Macdonalds and Pizza Hut at the stadium leisure park and also a Frankie and Benny's, Italian-style chain restaurant, on the adjoining leisure park.

If you'd like to be e-mailed a regular bulletin with the latest updates on this site - including details of DAFTS members known to be travelling then E-mail DAFTS

Rail timetables Virgin Trains GNER National Express Online map
Doncaster council Hotels/B&Bs Visit Doncaster Doncaster Today

Surfing there...

Starting with the Official site which is a neatly laid out and informative guide to the club, while Viva Rovers is the Rivals site, which is pretty bare. Best is probably Yet Another Unofficial Rovers Site, which is busy, informative and heavy on stats, for those that like them, but has a lively forum.

Next away match:
Bury (Tues 16th January).
Grimsby (Sat 20th January).

No responsibility is taken for accuracy, if in doubt check before travelling.