League One welcomes back a long-running rivalry

As part of our look ahead to Exeter City’s League One campaign next season, we continue our rundown of the new teams joining the division – this time, with League Two champions Doncaster Rovers.

The South Yorkshire side sealed promotion back to League One after a dramatic title race that went right down to the final day of the 2024/25 season. It marked a return to the third tier after three seasons away.

Managed by Grant McCann – now in his second stint at the club – Doncaster hit early form with four wins from their first five matches and remained in the top seven for the rest of the campaign. An unbeaten run of 11 matches to end the season helped them claim top spot, with a 2-1 victory over Notts County on the final day confirming their place as champions.

McCann, a former Northern Ireland international midfielder, first managed Doncaster between 2018 and 2019 and returned in 2023 after spells with Peterborough and Hull. Under his leadership, Donny have re-established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

Their home ground, the 15,000-capacity Eco-Power Stadium, is a modern multi-use venue opened in 2006 and formerly known as the Keepmoat. It also hosts Doncaster Belles and Doncaster Knights and has welcomed major events such as the 2022 Rugby League World Cup and a 20-0 Lionesses win over Latvia in 2021.

Exeter City and Doncaster Rovers share a competitive head-to-head record. Of 47 meetings, the Grecians have won 19 to Donny’s 23, with their last clash coming in April 2017 – a memorable 3-1 win for City that secured a play-off spot thanks to goals from Jordan Moore-Taylor, David Wheeler and Liam McAlinden.

Next season will mark the first league meeting in over eight years – and a renewal of a fixture that dates back to 1959. With Doncaster on the up and City looking to push on under Gary Caldwell, it’s one to circle on the fixture list.