FourFourTwo UK – September 2019

gangmembers.Althoughthatclaimwasnever

substantiated,thequartetrarelytrainedin the

weekbutstillplayedonmatchdays.

Weaver’scontactsbookwasbeingstretched

toitslimits.Whilehedidunearthsometalent

• includingtheenigmaticPrinceMoncrieffe,
  whobecametheteam’stopscorerandonce
  playeda gamein a bobblehat– othertargets
  hadn’ttakentothefieldin years.
  “I gotoffereda contractonthephone,”says
  PhilBrennan,anex-strikepartnerofWeaver’s
  fora parkteamin Stockport.“ThelasttimeI’d
  spokentohim,hewaswitha localamateur
  club,soI assumedhemeantthem.I toldhim
  I wasn’tinterested,buthesaid,‘Justcometo

“Theturnoverofplayerswasscary– every
weekthereweredifferentplayers,”sayswinger
IanClark,whowasinhisthirdseasonwiththe
clubbeforejoiningHartlepoolin October1997.
“Therewereplayerscomingin ona Saturday
morning.You’dturnupatBelleVuereadyto
playandthere’dbea newguythere,andyou
didn’thavea cluewhotheywere.Theyweren’t
onloan,theywerejustsomenon-leaguelads.
Atthetime,therewasnodevelopmentatthe
club.Weonlyhadabout 15 playerssothey
weredefinitelygoingtoplay– it wassohard
goingupagainstprofessionalclubs.”
Asthelossesstackedup,a totalof 45 players
wereused,withthetallyofrecognisedsenior

FourFourTwo September 2019 99

prossteadilydwindlingastheseasonworeon.

Oneofthesigningswhocametoepitomise

Doncaster’splightamongfanswasgoalkeeper

DaveSmith,anamateurglovemanwhoearned

a FootballLeaguedebutonthebasisofbeing

Weaver’sneighbourandplayingforhisdad’s

SundayLeagueteam.Unsurprisingly,it didn’t

goverywelland“Fatty”Smith,ashebecame

knownwiththehomefaithful,washauledoff

athalf-timeasRoverslost5-1toDarlington.

Heneverplayedforthemagain.

Newfacesweredraftedinfromalloverthe

north-west,witha groupoffourplayersfrom

Manchesterearningregularslotsintheside,

despitemultiplesourcestellingFFTtheywere

AboveDonnydire:

theirline-upathome

toColchesteronthe

finaldayof1997-98

TopleftFansfeared

thatwouldbetheir

lastvisittoBelleVue;

beforeconsolingthe

teamafterthe34th

lossofa lousyyear

DOn CASTER

ROVERS

1998
The Westferry Consortium
buy the club and bring in
John Ryan. The cosmetic
surgery kingpin takes over
at the end of Rovers’ first
season in the Conference,
saying he wants to lead
them back to the second
tier and move to a new
stadium within 10 years.

2003

After finishing 3rd, Donny

win the first Conference

play-off final, defeating

Dagenham 3-2 after extra

time at Stoke’s Britannia

Stadium. It’s the one and

only time a ‘golden goal’

is used in non-league’s

promotion showpiece,

scored by Francis Tierney.

2004

Doncaster romp to Third

Division glory and secure

back-to-back promotions.

They lose just one of their

final 18 league matches

to head the table by four

points from Hull. It’s the

club’s first league title

since winning the Fourth

Division back in 1968-69.

2006

Rovers eliminate Premier

League pair Manchester

City and Aston Villa en

route to the League Cup

quarter-finals. They are

seconds from the semis

when Arsenal equalise in

the last minute of extra

time at Belle Vue, before

winning 3-1 on penalties.

2007

Ryan’s dream of building

a new ground in a decade

is realised as Doncaster

welcome Huddersfield to

the all-seater Keepmoat

Stadium on January 1.

A near-15,000 full house

watch a comfortable 3-0

Donny victory and three

players getting sent off.

2008

After a trio of top-half

finishes in League One,

Doncaster come 3rd and

win the play-offs. James

Hayter’s header sees off

Leeds in front of 75,000

supporters at Wembley,

ensuring Rovers’ return

to the second tier for the

first time since 1957-58.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?