Doncaster Rovers face a stern test away from home this evening as they face a Bristol Rovers side that have only lost a single game since the end of 2007. However, the Pirate's recent run of form isn't a shock for Doncaster Rovers' assistant manager Richard O'Kelly, who confesses that he was more surprised that the form didn't start sooner. DoncasterRoversFC.co.uk caught up with the Rovers number two at the team's hotel following training to get his thoughts on Tuesday evening's opposition.

"When Bristol Rovers came up last year, they surprised us that they didn't start better. Last year, we obviously encountered them in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final and prior to that, myself and Sean (O'Driscoll, manager) had seen them three or four times. On every occasion, they always impressed us; their organisation, their philosophy on the game and the way that it is played. Paul Trollope and Lennie Lawrence have done an excellent job there. They have the basics of a good footballing side. You add to that the ability of Rickie Lambert and Andy Williams; and you can add Richard Walker to that list of people who can score goals."

"There aren't a lot of secrets in football. There is never the idea of 'wow, I didn't know people could do that'. Everything that Bristol Rovers do; they do it very well. They're organised, they usually play 4-4-1-1 - with the strikers working in tandem. In Stuart Campbell, they have an excellent captain who understands the game and has been around a while. He started as a wide player but seems to have settled in as a midfield role exceptionally well. He dictates the play and the other boy who plays in there is Craig Disley."

Bristol Rovers manager Paul Trollope could be forced to change his squad this evening, with a few of his regular starters suffering from a bout of influenza that has spread in the camp - however Richard states that who the opposition has available on the evening has had no bearing on his team's preparation for the task ahead.

"What you always try to do is look at all possibilities, but I think that whatever personnel - and I think that their personnel has changed a couple of times throughout the season - they always play the same. Paul Trollope has a set of players who have a lot of understanding. He puts his faith in what they know and each player seems to know their role in the side."

A win for Doncaster Rovers will put the side back into the second place of League One, with Carlisle United leapfrogging the Rovers Monday evening with a victory over Nottingham Forest.

"In our position, every game between now and the end of the season is vital. It's that old one; I think that our destiny is in our own hands still. I know that if we win all our games and Carlisle win all of their games; they will go up before us. But I still feel that there are lots of twists and turns to come. Some weeks you will be up and some weeks you will be down. All the time though, you look at how you react to it. If you have done particularly well, you have got to keep it up. If not, then you need to prepare to the best of your ability to make things right for the next game."

One factor that Richard was delighted with was the way that the Rovers bounced back from defeat at the hands of Carlisle United at Brunton Park. An impressive performance capped by a sensational James Coppinger strike sealed a 1-0 win for the Rovers against Tranmere.

"Tranmere was a very tough game. I think that it has been well documented that some sides think that if they compete against us, we're not so effective. On Saturday, the players showed their discipline, their organisation and their composure under pressure - which I think that they showed in abundance on Saturday. You come off the pitch after the game; and it was a very tough game of football. The feeling that you have from winning a game of football away from home 1-0 in that fashion, is fantastic. We've been away from home a few times this season and played excellent football and come away with the result. On Saturday, it was a different type of game - but in some daft way, it meant more."

The Rovers trained this morning at Bristol City's Abbots Leigh training ground - a team themselves promoted from League One last season and currently topping the Championship. Prior to their training session, the Rovers players had the chance to go down to Bristol Rovers' Memorial Stadium and have a look for themselves at the infamous pitch.

"We took the players down to the Memorial Stadium this morning before training so that they could look at the pitch and see what they have got to play on. They don't need to wonder what the pitch is like; they know exactly what the pitch is like now. That is something that we need to put to the back of our minds, we can't change it and what you do is make decisions on the day."

For Bristol Rovers, this evening's game against Doncaster Rovers is the set-up for the Pirates' big FA Cup quarter-final against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Despite such a big game in prospect, Richard knows that it won't be a factor in Bristol Rovers' preparation.

"They do have a big game this weekend and having experienced times like those as a player, the fact that you have a big Cup game coming up doesn't influence you at all. If they lose the big Cup game, then that will be a tough test for them. Perhaps there will be players out there with niggling injuries, desperate to show that they are not injured for their game next Sunday. They will be right up for it tonight, no doubt about that."

Don't forget, if you aren't supporting Rovers from the stands, you can listen to all the action as it happens by tuning in to Rovers World. Commentary starts just prior to kick-off.

Picture by: Barrington Coombs/EMPICS Sport/PA Photos