But the millionaire businessman, who was 58 yesterday, won't be shouting the odds ahead of tomorrow's crucial League One automatic promotion affair against Cheltenham at Whaddon Road.

He said: "I don't want to say too much about winning promotion because I don't want to jinx anything. But now the Leeds scenario has been sorted out, if we beat Cheltenham we are up.

"If we can win promotion then I'll be the happiest man in the world because I have been hoping for this for the last 10 years.

"I think that we are a fabulous football team and quite frankly we deserve promotion.

"We have humiliated a lot of League One teams with the quality of our football and passing skills and I actually think that we will be better suited to the Championship than we are League One."

Ryan has been critical of the level of support at times over the years, but he is pleased with how things are going.

"Our support is moving ahead and this season we've averaged around 8,000 and I think that if we were in the Championship we might average 12,000.

"To be in the same league as Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday next season would be a great achievement for us."

Unlike Ryan, vice-chairman Dick Watson is not a lifelong Rovers fan.

But Scottish-born Watson, who has previously supported Aberdeen and Leicester, where he moved to in 1951, is just as passionate about Rovers now as his fellow millionaire.

The retired businessman has lived in Doncaster for more than 30 years and has followed Rovers for most of that time.

He said: "Were we to reach the Championship it would be a huge achievement for the town first and foremost and, of course, for the club.

"That is why Terry Bramall and I joined the club as shareholders and directors.

"We would have joined the Board had the club still been at Belle Vue, though obviously the facilities would not have been fit for Championship football."

"Were we to achieve promotion then we would be looking to try and stablise the club for the next two or three years in the Championship and a mid-table spot would be terrific.

"I think it would be unrealistic to expect the club to be challenging again and I think that the fans would realise that. If we could follow Hull's example then that would be superb.

"Whether we would like to challenge for a place in the Premiership is something be discussed at a later date; let's take it one step at a time.

"You are talking big money; You are talking a bigger stadium – obviously you are not going to be a Premiership club if you have only have a 15,000 capacity – though the stadium is built in such a way that it could be expanded and that could be a future possibility."

Watson makes no secret of his respect for Ryan.

He said: "What John has achieved is phenomenal. He has put his heart, soul, body, commitment and money into the club.

"There are not many people like John Ryan about and Doncaster has been very lucky to have him."

CLICK ON THE GREEN ICON TO SEE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOHN RYAN

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