Doncaster Rovers One To Watch: Brian Stock

Cardiff City face Doncaster Rovers tomorrow, and will be confident of winning the game, if we can keep the defence tight and look to dominate possession. With the striking potency at our disposal, we can score goals – the key is creating them, and stopping our opponents.

Key to doing that will be to starve Donny of possession, and keep their creative players quiet. I think the Doncaster squad is composed of non-spectacular but highly effective Championship players, studded with one or two quality performers who make them into a very good team. Key to the set-up, is Welsh midfielder Brian Stock – a former target of Cardiff City and a very creative player in the Championship.

Stock is a cultured left-footer, in the mould of Stephen McPhail. Both are highly adept passers, and provided real quality and creativity from central areas. However, Stock certainly has the edge on McPhail in terms of goalscoring ability, and although he failed to find the net in an injury hit campaign last season, he can usually be relied on to chip in, and netted 8 times in the 2008/09 season.

Stock is an excellent set-piece taker, and will be a real threat in those situation. Cardiff City do not look comfortable dealing with crosses, and Doncaster will surely look to exploit that vulnerability, as well as the potential to counter-attack with Stock looking to free Shiels and Billy Sharp against the cumbersome Hudson or Gyepes.

Any Cardiff City fan who thinks teams will just roll over and die because we have Bellamy, Chopra and co. is sadly mistaken. Talks of challenging for promotion is woefully premature and Doncaster Rovers will provide the first of many difficult challenges this campaign

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