Doncaster Rovers: Grant McCann's bold Walsall statement has provided catalyst for promotion | OneFootball

When Doncaster Rovers manager Grant McCann claimed his side could chase down runaway league leaders Walsall many will have laughed.

When Doncaster Rovers manager Grant McCann claimed his side could chase down runaway league leaders Walsall, many would have laughed.

Doncaster sat 15 behind the summit of Sky Bet League One, having played a game more when McCann made his bold claim in January.

Mat Sadler’s men were 12 points ahead of the second-placed side, but after a dramatic collapse over the second half of the season, have sunk to fourth. No wins in 13 games, and just two in the 20 games, have paved the way for a cataclysmic drop-off for the Saddlers.

The exit of stellar loanee Nathan Lowe in the winter transfer window could be pinpointed as one of the key reasons why the overachieving Walsall have slumped from a seemingly uncatchable perch to not even being favourites to win promotion, but Doncaster’s rise must be given credit too.

The bold statement before Doncaster Rovers’ promotion charge

As the Doncaster Free Press reported, sitting at a ‘Meet the Owners’ event in January, alongside chairman Terry Bramall and CEO Gavin Baldwin, McCann boldly claimed: “You might think I’m mad, but I am still chasing down Walsall.”

What has come since has been nothing short of remarkable.

Not just for Walsall’s fall from grace, but the stretch of 10 unbeaten games that has got Doncaster over the line in their race for automatic promotion at the second attempt under returning manager McCann.

The Rovers’ manager’s public words were surely similar to those echoed to his players during the winter months, and perhaps a catalyst for the stellar run-in Doncaster have put together.

The end goal of automatic promotion has been no secret, with McCann stating his target of winning the League Two crown this year in the minutes that followed play-off semi-final penalty shootout heartache against Crewe Alexandra last May.

Getting over the line has not been an easy feat in a division that has seen a condensed race for promotion at every twist and turn. But, McCann has steered a winning Doncaster ship, and has successfully chased down Walsall in the process.

Rovers put the race back into their hands over an Easter weekend that has proved pivotal, picking up consecutive 3-0 wins to take top spot heading into the final outing.

Lightning strikes twice for Grant McCann

McCann’s surprising words that he backed Doncaster to hunt down runaway leaders Walsall came a year on from his claim that Rovers could still achieve a play-off spot.

The South Yorkshire outfit sat just narrowly above the relegation zone when the Rovers gaffer stated he still had an eye on the top seven midway through the campaign.

In the end, after a run of ten wins in succession and a stellar surge up the table, Doncaster finished fifth and entered the play-offs.

Lightning has struck again for McCann, as he has preempted his team’s dramatic rise and has been made to look rather canny by the events that have duly followed.

One game remains for Doncaster, with a win or at least bettering the result of Darren Moore’s Port Vale enough to claim the League Two title.