Doncaster Rovers players granted Christmas Day off

Darren Ferguson is looking to spread a little festive cheer '“ by giving his players Christmas Day off.
Darren FergusonDarren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson

The Doncaster Rovers boss will allow his squad to forego training as a group on Sunday in order to spend time with their families.

But he insists his decision will have no bearing on Rovers’ trip to Notts County on Boxing Day.

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“They’ve got Christmas Day off,” Ferguson told the Free Press.

“It’s something I’ve always done. Everyone is different.

“We do give them the heart rate monitors to go home with so they have to do something.

“But certainly, the week and how it is tailored, they’ll have had three tough-ish days

“It’s something I’ve always done. I think more and more managers are doing it, speaking to some.

“Everyone has their opinion on it.

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“I just think it’s a day they should spend with their families.

“The players I’ve got, they’ve put in a real shift.

“That one day before a game, we put in very short time anyway. The intensity of the training is very low key, everything is done.

“So it really shouldn’t make a difference. It won’t have any bearing on the game on Boxing Day.”

Ferguson has every reason to be in a giving mood this Christmas with his side holding a seven-point cushion in the League Two automatic promotion places.

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Plus, Rovers sit on the magic two-points-per-game average the boss has set for them to win promotion this season.

Ferguson is hoping for a couple of presents under his tree this weekend in the shape of extended loan deals for Jordan Houghton and Niall Mason.

Continuing both deals until the end of the season is Ferguson’s priority heading in the January transfer window.

He said: “The first thing I want to do is tie up Jordan and Niall and get them sorted out.

“We’ve got to speak to Aston Villa about Riccardo Calder as well.

“I think the first thing I am concentrating on is extending Jordan’s and we’re pretty close with that. We’ll go from there.”