- 24/04/2025
Ricky and Robbie chat Easter wins, Bradford and Luke Molyneux
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00hello and welcome along to the latest episode of rovers chat i'm joined uh once again by robbie
00:07andrews of bbc radio sheffield robbie how we doing yeah good thanks ricky looking forward
00:11to the weekend yeah absolutely i think there's a bit of nerves and trepidation about it but
00:16um you know before we look forward let's look back obviously since the last time we spoke we're
00:21kind of looking ahead to what was going to be a you know a tough little period obviously back to
00:26back to back games if you like um couldn't have gone much better could it two wins two cliche six
00:33goals and uh yeah back on top yeah i think the last time we spoke was before the salford game wasn't it
00:39and perhaps even after that there were more questions around rovers than answers but boy have
00:46they now gone on to answer them over over the easter weekend the only team to to take maximum points
00:51which has been massive for them as well not only getting their own business done but then being
00:55able to go back into the dressing room and seeing that everybody around them has dropped points it
01:00it must have been a massive confidence booster because now rovers are sitting pretty at the top
01:04knowing that well destiny's in their own hands isn't it absolutely yeah like you say it's the only
01:11the stark fact was the fact that they're only team in the top half i think to to win both the matches
01:17you know we were looking at the results weren't we thinking oh they've slipped up they've slipped up
01:20you know portvale losing at calisle on good friday you know walsall's continued stuttering
01:26um and then obviously bradford slipping up a 3-1 lead at chesterfield so you know it's all gone to
01:33plan hasn't it these last two or three match days yeah there's been an assurance about rovers
01:40performances as well haven't they almost a feeling of belonging now in the top three i think going to
01:45tram mirror a team who were were still fighting for their lives and managing that going a goal up
01:49get in a second and then that probably at 2-0 the only really rocky spell rovers had was for maybe
01:55five or ten minutes i think tram mirror at the bar and ted shaman low made one or two big saves
01:59but the moment the third one went in it was game set and match then you flip it to to monday and the
02:05start was so quick that i think colchester tried a bit of mind games by turning rovers around and
02:10almost saying okay well we've won the first psychological battle game on well rovers then won and went went and
02:16won the uh the big battle didn't they i think attacking the the south stand in the first half
02:20seemed to sort of bring out the best in them molyneux was unbelievable again he's gone from
02:25the goals on friday to to assists on monday i'm sure we'll come on to speak about him later on but
02:31just the all-round performance and and i think yeah colchester second half had a little bit of the
02:36ball which is inevitable when you you know rovers were two nil up and didn't need to go chasing the game
02:41but other than maybe one save i think for shaman low in that game struggle to really remember
02:47colchester having a real sustained spell where you thought hang on maybe maybe a goal's coming
02:52rovers have seen out the last two game brilliantly uh and and look look like the real deal at the
02:57moment yeah that that colchester one especially it was strange one because there was no there's no
03:02stress was there it was like well i don't think i think a lot of the crowd obviously where we sat
03:08fans were like oh two nil up absolutely cruising you know i know they gave it a go didn't they
03:13second half colchester um you know brief little spell uh the start of the second half but apart
03:18from that you know it was just rovers were in cruise control and like you said to have done that we
03:24haven't seen that back-to-back have we this season enough it was hence why the league's so tight
03:29and hard to predict yeah and i think you always felt during that second half that rovers had another
03:34gear or two to to maybe go into and i know grant picked the exact same 11 the exact same bench from
03:40friday so maybe there were one or two tied legs as the second half went on i think the subs did help
03:45with that kelly and westbrook and this all came on as they did on friday but yeah there were no
03:51sort of doubts or fears that rovers might let the two goal lead slip which is perhaps a little bit
03:56surprising given that only a few weeks earlier they did that against swindon didn't they 2-0 up at
04:01half time within five minutes of the restart it was back at two apiece but maybe also a sign of
04:06just how far rovers and the supporters have come in in how much they believe that this is the season
04:12where rovers can go on and win promotion yeah that's it exactly like you said in terms of the
04:17the second half i thought it was just so and then also the results were going the way weren't they as
04:22well at that point so it was like oh and then i think when when the chesterfield third goal went in
04:27i think there was a collective not a sigh of relief but you know everyone was like right
04:32we're on top now and then the peak in at possibly just the right time it was incredible really i think
04:38we had the the walsall game on in the press box before the game yeah 100th minute everybody's
04:43thinking oh they're going to draw they're going to draw then they score and you think oh it's it's
04:48all on rovers again and then it's disallowed for handball quite why he handballed it when he could
04:53have just headed it and i'm not sure i'm not complaining sort of one bit but then so that's
04:57happened rovers already know that walsall have dropped points going into it it was good for me
05:01because i'm so i'm doing updates of the game for radio sheffield i've then got in my ear i can hear
05:07that chesterfield have scored and equalized and i'm almost looking around the stadium waiting for
05:12that to sort of spread and as it did it was incredible because rovers i think had just scored
05:16their third at that point or maybe just before the third goal and i think there was a sense of
05:21wow like we may be on to something here yeah absolutely yeah and you know i think you know
05:27you mentioned it earlier crucial to all of this certainly these last two results you know and
05:32all season as well luke molyneux i mean he's just been different gravy hasn't he you know we'll come
05:38on to the nominations for the efl awards in a bit but in terms of peaking at the right time again
05:43you know not to say he's gone off the boil at all in the last few months but he's ratcheted up a few
05:48years hasn't he he certainly has i think it was surprising really prior to that tranmere game
05:53he'd only scored one in eight which when you look at his record he scored so many goals and so many
05:57assists that you almost lose track of that but then to go and get a hat-trick against tranmere the
06:02first of his career to back it up with two assists against colchester he is the man for rovers this
06:09season he's the man for the big occasion i think he always looks to me once he gets a goal he plays with
06:14with a lot more calmness so i think we saw at solford maybe one or two um instances where
06:19he's taken the shot maybe that wasn't the right decision but once he's got a couple of goals under
06:24his belt at trammere then against colchester the balls he plays are the are the right ones at the
06:30right time so the pressure's almost off him and i know i think it was the first game of the season
06:34he'd scored two and got an assist and he was asked what are your targets and he made no bones about the
06:39fact that 30 goals and assists was his target we had a little bit of a chat with him after
06:43after trammere and i think he was on 29 wasn't he and he argued that he'd had one or two taken off
06:49him that prevented him against the 30 maybe that was the uh like what gave him the bit between his
06:54teeth to go on and get those two assists uh against colchester on monday oh it's um i i it's
07:00definitely over 30 but i'm not sure it's 30 or 31 like i said a bit sketchy with the trophy
07:05statistics but i guess they all count um but yeah like you said there it's um he's been the
07:11the out and out you know in lieu of a regular starter in terms of sharp iron side and street
07:17he's been the one the ever present ante in that that forward clutch of players you know even gibson
07:23obviously hurst's out at the minute um he's the one who effectively when fit he plays every game
07:30and he's and he's backed that up hasn't he yeah and you can tell that he's the man the opposition
07:35are all trying to stop as well if you stop luke molleneuve they feel that you go a long way to
07:40stopping doncaster rovers we've seen it multiple times where the left back or the left winger they'll
07:46double up on him and then as he cuts in there's always a third man coming to stop him but what he's
07:50been good at this season he's finding ways to overcome that so he's shown that you know we all know
07:55he's got a wand of a left foot but on monday to go on the outside and whip the ball in with his right
08:01for clifton's goal he's giving defenders something else to think about so they're not just expecting
08:06him to cut in and have a shot which i know he's like most wingers way he'd almost rather score than
08:12than assist if you asked him and put him on the spot but to add that to his game as well to be able
08:16to have that delivery to create for your teammates as well at this stage of the season is so important
08:22because he can't score all the time but if he can assist then he adds so much more to his game and
08:27to what rovers have got to offer as well absolutely and talk about assists that second assist um for
08:33gibson i mean that'll be played on repeat i wouldn't imagine for a while yeah i mean that was
08:39you know quite a nice segue i suppose into the to the efl nominations you know um i mean if he doesn't
08:46win that considering matt lowe sorry um nathan lowe is one of the three on the shortlist i mean
08:53i think that a little bit makes a mockery of the of the shortlist i'm pretty sure this player's on
08:58there probably more worthy of it you know considering he was only there for half a season
09:01i think cheek has done great you know first season in the efl 20 plus goals but
09:07mon you asked to win it don't you for me yeah and i know we're probably both looking at it with a
09:14slight bit of bias ricky aren't we however i think it's backed up by the by the figures i think you
09:19also have to look at how much of an impact his performances have had on his team as well so you
09:24the percentage i mean i'm not sure what the percentage is of goals that he's contributed
09:28that rovers have scored but it'll be be right up there for players oh yeah not just in week two but
09:33but the whole of the efl goals assists just all-round contribution he's coming good at the the right
09:39time of the season if he doesn't win it i think you know well i think you'll have to ask grant
09:45mccann about that afterwards won't you what his thoughts are because i think he'll make it pretty
09:47clear he told us after tram here didn't he that he felt luke molyneux was the best player in the
09:52league he almost then said best in his position because he'd watched david mcgoldrick then went
09:57into the top corner at bradford the night before but i think molyneux mcgoldrick arguably the best
10:02two players in the league molyneux i think given his goal contribution this uh this season it'd be
10:06really really um deserving of the award wouldn't he if he gets it on sunday night
10:11absolutely yeah he would i think grant mccann would have would be in with a good shout but
10:16he's not even in the shortlist um what do you make to that because obviously
10:20you know darren moore graham alexander yeah fair dues i accept that matt sadler again it's you know
10:28this is the problem with these efl awards they do them so early you get handed out before anything's
10:33been decided and i know why they do it because before players go on holiday and etc so they have
10:37to get wrapped up don't they before for the season ends but you know if mccann was to win the title
10:42and not be even on the shortlist i mean it'd be so that's a nice little bit of motivation i imagine
10:47isn't it for him yeah and i'm sure grant mccann is isn't motivated necessarily by those individual
10:53awards but he is somebody who likes to prove people wrong and i think to be not nominated for the
10:59manager of the year and then potentially get promoted and win the league with a game to spare
11:05of course that's best case scenario and not even be involved then that would ask one or two questions
11:11of the whole process wouldn't it i think matt sadler don't get me wrong i think up until january
11:15had done a great job he got walsall into a fantastic position they may still go on to win promotion but i
11:21think they've not won 12 games it's something like two in 19 or something something like that
11:26so i think grant mccann's got a really big case for arguing that he uh he certainly should have
11:30been on the shortlist if not uh if not winning it absolutely i just worth a mention as yours
11:35joseph ollow as well i think he's up for the community uh player of the award player of the year
11:41against a you know representative from league one and championship so that'd be nice for him to get
11:46that as well um so yeah let's uh we've not talked about yet let's get on to it two days out from
11:52bradford it's got all the ingredients haven't it to be a to be a memorable day hopefully for the rovers
11:58it certainly has the crowd's going to be be massive isn't it i think rovers have
12:03have sort of responded to that in the last few weeks they took a good number to tram here got
12:08the result there there's a good crowd on uh on monday as well i think it's a big test really to see
12:13how far rovers have come since that crew game in the playoffs because that was a sellout for the
12:17eco power for probably the first time in in a number of years for the first real sign really
12:21that grant mccann had made it go full circle for rovers that you know they'd sort of they were on a
12:27downward spiral i think it's fair to say before he came back and in that playoff semi-final two goals
12:34to the good things were in their hands and they didn't quite match up to the occasion did maybe
12:39the occasion got to them a little bit i think it might be fair to say you know two nil down quite
12:44early in that one and then you're always trying to fight back and get yourselves back into the game
12:47i think they will have learned lessons from that and i think grant mccann his message on saturday
12:52will be just play the game and remember where we are you know don't worry about how many people are
12:57here or what what may or may not happen the simple facts are if you win the game you're playing in
13:03league one next season let the rest take care of itself absolutely yeah i mean it's it you know going
13:10back to what we said earlier it's a massive turn of events because i i don't know about you i thought
13:14it was inevitable that it was going to go down to the last day at knots and now it's in their hands
13:20to to take it out of that you know and get it done before you know win on saturday like you say
13:24and and i know it's a bit defeatist but you know you're effectively asking walsall to win two games
13:31on the spin and they've not done that since what december maybe january at a push so you know they
13:37have every opportunity to get it done saturday which would be some some achievement wouldn't it and then
13:42also the context of it against a rival a yorkshire rival at home you know it all kind of adds into
13:49the melting pot it doesn't to do it on home soil as well you know if you ask grant mccann at the
13:54start of the season i think it would just be a case of we don't care how we just want to get promoted
13:59but if you could ask for the ideal circumstances to do it in front of your home and in on a day as
14:04well where port vale are playing in the early kickoff against nimble and so rovers will know
14:08in terms of the title which i know grant's made no sort of secrets of the fact that's what he's
14:14going for that could be done on saturday if rovers can get their business done and then you you're
14:18almost glancing at down at wimbledon to see what they're doing but yeah i mean even before easter
14:23weekend you were expecting it to be three from five three from six weren't you and now rovers can only
14:29be caught by walsall so it is three from four where they're concerned obviously wimbledon could still i
14:35think i think sneak into third um depending on results and again the same way as rovers and
14:41chesterfield could do each other a favor on monday playing against colchester bradford rovers and
14:46wimbledon could probably do each other one uh on saturday as well by beating their uh their opponents
14:50yeah it's mad how it obviously fixtures have done way in advance and yet it's pitted what first against
14:56third and second against uh fifth you know on the same day you know penultimate game of the season
15:02um yeah just lastly then um how do you kind of see it going because like you said the atmosphere
15:09is going to going to play its part into you know the the occasion um but how do you kind of see it
15:16panning out because bradford are on a not a bad run of form i'd say if if if you run a form i think
15:21one winning six for them so how do you kind of see it playing out i think the start will be key it
15:28sounds obvious to say but looking at how rovers performed on monday if they can get themselves in
15:32front early bradford they're doing they've had a great season but they've only won five on the road
15:38i don't think they've won any of the last four or five so no so they are hitting a bit of a sticky
15:44patch they've actually led by two goals in each of their last couple of away games at chesterfield
15:49and at swindon so they're clearly having moments and spells on the road they're just not quite for
15:54one reason or another being able to to top it off so it will be difficult for rovers isn't and i think
15:59the key thing for the supporters is to stick by them because there might be spells in the game
16:03you're coming up against a team who are also desperate to go up so it's not going to be plain
16:09sailing it's not going to be 90 minutes you wouldn't think of rovers dominance i've just got a feeling
16:13billy sharp coming back in i imagine he'll be off the bench scored the winner in the reverse fixture
16:18something is is going to happen i think with him he's scored a couple against bradford in the past
16:24and he'll want to make up for that red card against wimbledon won't he that looks like it's not going to
16:29cost rovers but he'll still feel he's got something to uh to offer in these final couple of games i'm
16:35sure but i think and i hope that rovers will uh will get the job done on saturday yeah teed it up very
16:41nicely there robbie um yeah seconded um yeah thanks very much for your time and thanks for everyone
16:47tuning in as i say you can watch it on demand on the facebook page and yeah hopefully we'll
16:52well we will do another one um depends on how saturday goes in terms of the timing of that but
16:57yeah hopefully it's a celebratory one but yeah thanks for tuning in and we'll catch you again very shortly
Recommended
19:57
|
Up next
19:03
14:21
28:38
22:00
24:24
23:03
25:14
19:41
15:36
33:19
23:42
54:44
34:24
1:20