Doncaster Rovers v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites will be at 'pretty much full-strength' for season-opener

Long-term absentee Stephen Dooley is the only player who has no chance of playing any part at the EcoPower Stadium this weekend after defenders Toby Sims and Rod McDonald and winger James Daly proved their fitness during last Friday’s pre-season win at Hartlepool United.

Thus, the Sulphurites boss admits that he has had some tough calls to make in terms of the team he has settled on to start the opening game of their fourth League Two campaign.

"Everyone has trained really well the first few days of this week and everyone apart from Dools is fit,” Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"Toby, Rod and James Daly all came through okay on Friday and they are better for it, which bodes well.

“So, all being well over the next few days and assuming that we make it through the last couple of training sessions without any issues, we’ll pretty much be at full-strength at Doncaster.

"It’s a big positive and it lifts the mood about the place, so I think that we can say we have achieved our aims for pre-season, which were to get the players as fit as possible while coming through it without picking up any injuries.”

On the starting line-up he intends to field against Rovers, he added: “I do know the starting XI, I decided over the weekend.

"I always value the conversations I share with Paul Thirlwell and between us we’ve worked out who we are going to start with, although that’s not necessarily the same team we will finish with. We’ve got clarity about it, and I’m pleased about that, I think that is a positive.

"Of course I’ve had a bit of a selection headache, but it’s a good one to have. I’ve had to make some big decisions, but I want the lads to understand that this is a 50-game season we are heading into if we do well in the cup competitions.

"Yes, Saturday is a big game, but they’re all big games and we’ve picked a team taking into account the opposition and how we want to go about it on Saturday.”

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