Doncaster Rovers: Tom Anderson out to show he’s more than ‘a head on a stick’

Schofield has introduced an easy-on-the-eye passing game at Doncaster Rovers following his appointment as head coach, which involves the team playing out from the back.

Anderson has re-established himself in the starting XI following his injury struggles last term and is enjoying his new role of being a ball-playing centre-half.

“I love it,” he said.

"In the past few years sometimes I’ve found it a little bit annoying when people just say ‘head on a stick’.

"First and foremost I am a defender, that’s what I do. But I am a player, I play football.

"I had to work on it a lot in my younger years, but I believe in myself and know I’m a good football player.”

The 29-year-old, who is now working under his seventh manager at the club, doesn’t care what any potential doubters might think of his abilities.

He said: "I try not to get too carried away with proving people wrong, it’s just proving myself right.

"I know I have always been good enough to be a ball-playing centre-half. I’ll never shy away from your headers, tackles, and one-versus-ones because that’s also a massive part of the game.

"But over the last five or ten years the game has changed and developed a lot more. You have to be good on the ball.

"I have worked on it and it’s time to go and show people how good I am.”

Anderson feels close to full speed after suffering several setbacks in his return from a persistent foot injury, which kept him out of action for almost nine months.

He captained the team in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat to Stevenage with Adam Clayton benched and will likely take the armband against Gillingham tomorrow as the skipper serves a one-match suspension for collecting five yellow cards.

He said: “There were a few games earlier in the season where looking back I wasn’t feeling too great.

"At Crewe and Stevenage the other night I felt more like my old self.

"You do have doubts, you think ‘can I get back to full fitness and play as well as I did?’

"But you have to believe in yourself otherwise there’s no point being here.”