Can the Rams continue their good form and good will from their mid-week triumph or will the let down of coming down from such a high - make it hard to get back up again a few days later.

Doncaster Rovers vs. Derby County

Keepmoat Stadium

3:00pm – Saturday March 17th

Doncaster: 22nd – D, D, W, D, D

Derby: 13th – L, W, D, L, W

Classic Rams vs Donny Clash – 2006 League Cup:

Belle Vue, the old ground, on its last legs, tired.  It’s a Wednesday night  league cup match in 2006. Derby has Bob Malcolm in midfield. We are a shambles; we trail by three goals to nil.

Words said we wake up, first an own goal, then big Darren Moore a header, Arturo Lupoli (where is he now) a pacey finish and the scores are level.

Extra time comes and goes then its penalties.

Fourteen fantastic and different finishes and its seven all and it has to end.

It does as Lewin Nyatanga blasts the ball high and wide, the Vikings winning 8-7, a fantastic finale to a game of football that for seventy minutes the Rams hadn't been at the races.

The Teams:

Doncaster

Defender Shelton Martis returns from injury to be available for selection.

Left-back Tommy Spurr will carry a broken bone in his hand for the match but Habib Bamogo and George Friend are on the improve but unlikely to be match fit to be considered for this clash.

Doncaster’s midfield will continue to be depleted as both Martin Woods and Brian Stock are still on the injured list.

Rams

Shaun Barker has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he was stretchered off during the mid-week victory over Forest. This means the Rams are severely depleted in defence with Barker joining O’Brien & Brayford also done for this campaign.

Nigel Clough will no doubt add Tom Naylor to the squad and also have the option to recall Miles Addison if required.

The Rams super sub Jake Buxton is the obvious replacement after waiting on the sidelines for his chance for so long.

Despite hoping that he would return for this weekend’s match, Jamie Ward is still struggling to shake off a thigh injury ad will stay at home for the trip.

I.Saw’s Match Preview:

Well what a week we’ve had.

Tuesday morning, I risked everything by putting a bottle of champagne in the fridge, what joy as fate withstood temptation for once and what an incredible high of our first double over the Forest for forty years.

Back home and sharing a glass afterward not even the serious injury to Skipper Shaun Barker or the ignominy of the chanting could dampen our mood.

How can anything this Saturday be anything other than an anti-climax?

Dean Saunders, Doncaster’s current manager, was a hero at Derby and like many Rams supporters I always follow as ex-players careers and generally wish them well.

So to Saturday, the Vikings, valiantly fighting relegation, needing all three points, for Derby possibly the first of a series of end of season meaningless matches (Leeds excepted), it wouldn’t surprise me if the home team snatched the points.

And whilst I can’t wish for anything other than a Rams win, Doncaster staying up and Forest going down works for me.

Whatever the result this has been a week to remember.

I.Saw’s Match Prediction:

Donny 2 vs. Rams 2

Opposition Player Watch:

El Hadji Diouf - Twice African Footballer Of Year and a man who can conjure chances easier than a magician rabbits out of a hat, a tough challenge for Jake Buxton and Jason Shackell.

The Word From Clough:

Nigel speaking to the media about his aim for the remainder of 11/12.

"It's great to reach 49 points with ten games left to play and I think that really shows we've made progress this season - especially in our performances. We're close the 50 point mark now, which we've been talking about for a few weeks now."

"We don't know how many points we will end up getting but we want to get as many as possible, that goes without saying. There's 30 points up for grabs in the next few weeks and it would be nice to get as many as possible and really get our points total up compared to last season."

"It's nice to see the progress is there for everyone to see and I don't think we could have done it in any other way than by scoring a last minute winner against Forest."

"The Forest game will have taken a lot out of us, but we want to get something at Doncaster on Saturday".

"Dean Saunders has got them in a good little habit of not losing games at the moment and four draws and a win in their last five games shows they are hard to break beat. It's another tough game for us. Doncaster have some very talented players in their squad and they'll be looking to get a result in front of their home fans and claw themselves out of the bottom three."

"We want to put together a good run of results and after not backing up the Blackpool win last Tuesday with a good result against Watford we're looking to ensure that doesn't happen again this time around."

Photo: Action Images

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