Doncaster Rovers notebook: Colchester United plans change, ticket boost and academy latest

They have won their last nine league games, a run that has them on the brink of breaking into the play-off spots.

Here, in the first of a new, semi-regular feature, we take a look at some of the titbits and nuggets of news that may have gone under the radar as Grant McCann's side bid for a happy ending to the campaign.

Pre-Colchester wish granted

Speaking to the Free Press in the aftermath of the superb comeback win over Barrow, McCann revealed that he granted the players' wish to alter the travel plans for the game at Colchester on Tuesday.

"We initially had planned to go down there on the day (Tuesday)," said the Rovers chief.

"We were going to give the boys some day-beds and allow them to sleep in the afternoon, but we've since changed that.

"And it was a request from the players really. They said they'd prefer to go down the day before (Monday night) so we'll train and then travel down to Colchester so that they can get a decent enough rest at night and then just have a walk on the Tuesday afternoon before the game."

The hope is that the change will benefit recovery better and that the squad will be in peak condition at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Ticket boost

Amid frantic refreshing of the club's social media channels, Rovers supporters finally got some good news on the ticket front on Monday morning.

After seeing tickets for Saturday's finale at Gillingham get snapped up in double-quick time, Rovers have now announced that the club has been given 634 extra tickets for the Priestfield Stadium trip.

It means that McCann's men could have as many as 1,500 loud and proud supporters in the away end, as they look to cheer the side on to a strong finish - with hopefully further chapters still to come this season.

Record in sight

A win at Colchester will not only see Rovers move into the play-off spots but it will also see them rack up ten straight wins, but it will also equal the long-standing club record.

That stretches way back to the 1946-47 campaign, when they achieved the feat in Division Three North.

Birthday week

It's been a busy time of it when it comes to birthdays within the Rovers coaching staff.

Last week saw manager Grant McCann turn 44, the day after the win over Accrington Stanley.

This week will see two of his staff blow out the candles, with first team coach Lee Glover turning 54 on Wednesday. Then, on Friday, assistant Cliff Byrne celebrates his 42nd birthday.

Academy march on

Rovers' under-18s' coach Frank Sinclair has been pleased with his side's progression in recent months. The team won 1-0 at Huddersfield Town on Saturday, with Charlie Thompson scoring the only goal of the game.

It's just one defeat in their last six EFL Youth Alliance League fixtures and Sinclair is hoping for a strong end to the campaign with just two fixtures left. A recent bounce match against top flight side Tottenham Hotspur saw a young Rovers team narrowly lose out in a seven-goal thriller but it left Sinclair with far more positives than negatives.

Speaking to the Rovers matchday programme he said: "It's been a really good season when you look at the progression from the start of the year.

"We've had a lot of players playing above their age groups and that's fast-tracked their development throughout the season.

"The Tottenham trip was such a brilliant experience for the lads because it’s an incredibly place to go. I came away from that game really pleased with the effort, pleased with the quality we showed on the day and full of encouragement for next season.”