[Div3North]

Doncaster Rovers

V

Accrington Stanley

2023/24 Prediction League Game 44 v Donnie (away)

Starter for Ten; Name the only player from these Green and Hallowed Lands who scored at least one hat-trick in the Premier League, Le Championnat, League One, League Two, the FA Cup, the League Cup and for his country …….

After game 31 of this season – when they got a point at Sutton courtesy of a goal on 90+6 - Donnie were in 22nd place in the League table; after 42 games they’re now 10th ……… in their last eleven games they’ve W10 D1 and L1 (3-1 at Walsall), scoring 26 and conceding 10, and they’ve kept 6 clean sheets ……they sit on 61 pts and have three more to play after us – at home to Barrow, and then at Colchester and Gillingham; you wouldn’t say the playoffs are impossible, although probably unlikely ……… Grant McCann might well be the Manager of the Year, but for their cr*p start to the season (2 pts from their first 7 games) ….

You’ll remember that we drew at Ours (a Goalless Desmond), and that in the FA Cup First Round we did the hard work, drawing 2-2 at the Eco-Power Stadium, and then lost aet at the Wham ………… three goes to beat them, no wins ………

Second Starter for Ten; name the only football club in England to have won the Charity Shield without ever having won the League or the FA Cup, and when did they achieve it?

In the Transfer Window Donnie signed Irish CB Jay McGrath from St Patrick’s Athletic, plus free agent striker Maxime Biamou, and LoanSigned striker Conor Carty from the Trotters, DMF Matthew Craig from Spurs, forward Billy Waters from Disney FC, RW Hakeeb Adelakun from the Imps, and GK Thimothée Lo-Tutala from Hull .... they got to the QFs of the Trophy, losing 1-0 to Bratfud, and went out of the FA Cup in Round 2 to the Posh and the EFL Cup 1-2 to Everton after beating Hull

Deadline for entries – few and far between as they are – is scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 13th April ……….. aside from Pride (which Goeth Before a Fall, of course) we have nothing to play for (except a new contract, maybe) …………. And the Hat Trick King is Robert Earnshaw ……. he was born on the outskirts of the Zambian mining town of Mufulira on 6 April 1981 to Rita and English-born father David Earnshaw. His mother was a professional footballer in Zambia and later became a boxer and his father was a manager of a gold mine. His uncle Fidelis was also a professional footballer who played for Nkana and two of his cousins, Kalusha and Johnson Bwalya, represented Zambia at international level. Kalusha later went on to become president of the Football Association of Zambia. (Bit of pedigree, then)

And the only winners of the Charity Shield who never won the FA Cup or the Football League were Brighton in 1910 – the third year of the “competition” ………. The Charity Shield was a different proposition when Brighton won it, as it was contested between the winners of the Southern League and the Football League, with the victors being unofficially known as the champions of England. As Southern League champions, Brighton beat Aston Villa 1-0 to win the trophy. So now you know! Football Trivia for all …………….

Good luck to everyone (or should that be “both of you”?)! …….. Keep the Faith! ……… And thanks for playing!