Fergie time to shine

Ferguson and his Donny side are going places

Darren Ferguson has been nominated for the League Two manager of the month award, and that will come as little surprise to followers of football at that level, or those who have been keeping tabs on the son of a famous father.

Fergie Jnr’s Doncaster Rovers top the League Two charts, and enjoy a five-point cushion over nearest rivals Plymouth. They are looking increasingly likely to be playing football at a higher level next season, sitting 14 points better off than Exeter who are one outside of the top-three automatic promotion spots.

If getting his wish, Glaswegian gaffer Ferguson would love to take Doncaster up as league winners, while hoping the board back his push for further glory in League One. Unbeaten in their last nine – seven wins and two draws – Donny are nailed-on 4/11 favourites with Coral to pocket a winner’s medal.

Marquis a marked man

In striker John Marquis, Ferguson looks to have found a player destined for better. The 24-year-old from Lewisham is also up for a January award, player of the month, and he will take some beating too, having netted six goals in five starts last month.

The leaders didn’t only win all their five league matches in January, they achieved it in the style that would have been expected by Darren Ferguson, scoring exactly three goals in four of their five starts.

It’s little surprise to see the manager’s performances have many predicting that the 44-year-old won’t be employed at the Keepmoat Stadium for the long-term, with a number of higher ranked clubs picking up on his progress. The former Manchester United midfielder, who turned out 27 times for the Red Devils – on ability alone I am sure – also played his football at Wolves and Sparta Rotterdam, before hanging up his boots in 2008.

Ferguson on the Forest list

Certain sources have him linked with the Nottingham Forest job, with The Tricky Trees currently in search of a new gaffer. Gary Brazil has taken charge of the Championship club on an interim basis, and Darren Ferguson, who boasts plenty of experience in English football’s second-tier – not all of it good – is believed to feature on the list of long-term replacements at the City Ground.

Current employers Doncaster certainly wouldn’t be glad to see their manager go, especially given his reputation for taking sides up through the divisions, but in their current shape, both Darren Ferguson and John Marquis are sure to be involved in a better standard of football next season. But with who?

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