Rovers promotion is O’Driscoll’s cup of tea

DONCASTER manager Sean O'Driscoll celebrated his side's return to the Coca-Cola Championship for the first time in 50 years with nothing more than a cup of tea.

Doncaster secured a third promotion in five years thanks to James Hayter's diving header early in the second half of their all-Yorkshire Coca-Cola League One play-off final at Wembley against Leeds.

But O'Driscoll refused to join in his players' champagne celebrations after a tense encounter, preferring a clear head as he quickly focussed his attentions on surviving in English football's second tier next season.

Jubilant Rovers chairman John Ryan joked his sights were now set on reaching the Champions League final inside the next five years, but O'Driscoll was keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

The former Bournemouth manager said: I've got a cup of tea waiting, but it's going cold.

No, I won't be having any champagne. When you've got 20- odd players with bottles of champagne I don't think they're going to give any to me.

They've worked hard all season, so we've left them to it and we'll wait for them to calm down before having a quiet word with them, which we do after every game.

We'll reflect on what we did well and what we can improve on because we go into a difficult division next season with a big financial gulf that we've somehow got to manage.'' James Hayter flung himself full length to head home Brian Stock's 48th-minute corner and send Doncaster into the second tier of English football for the first time since 1958.

It has been a meteoric rise for the South Yorkshire club, who were playing non-league football five years ago when Leeds were in the Premier League.

Doncaster made a more incisive start to both the first and second periods in front of a crowd of 75,132 and although Leeds went on to enjoy a monopoly of possession, Gary McAllister's side fell short in the final third.

O'Driscoll added: The hard work starts from here.

As soon as the game ends you're thinking 'well now I've got to try and improve the squad within the budget we've got'.'' The 50-year-old was delighted for match-winning striker Hayter, who scored his first goal since January in only his second start since the New Year.

Hayter was O'Driscoll's first signing after taking over at the Keepmoat Stadium and the manager said: He got injured. I'm blessed with forwards. I had three on the bench.

"James had a hernia operation and the fellow that came in did really well.

It's just one of those things in football, but his attitude has been first class.

He has that football knowledge and takes responsibility, so I'm delighted for him.'' McAllister declared he was proud of his players for going so close to promotion after being deducted 15 points at the start of the season for breaking Football League rules on insolvency.

The 43-year-old former Leeds and Scotland midfielder said: It goes without saying how disappointed we are.

But what I'm trying to impress on the guys is that myself and the coaching staff are very proud of them.

To start the campaign with such a hefty handicap and get right to the final play-off match, they deserve to be applauded.

They've continually picked themselves up and got on with it.

It's simple. That group of players won 27 games, gained 91 points and barring the handicap would have been promoted.''