Well, it wa a peaceful Sunday walking in the country with no thought of football, so this is a bit late. Never mind, it’s back to the grindstone!

Doncaster allegedly has more pubs per square mile than any other town in South Yorkshire. Unfortunately only a few of them are remotely near the ground which is out near the racecourse, two miles out of town.

Train travellers seeking a town-centre pint can walk down the underpass, past the ubiquitous tramp (to whom I always donate a can of lager), through the small shopping centre into the town itself. Turn Right down the High St. to the “interesting” Coach and Horses on Scot Lane. It’s a strange place, go in before the game and its all blokes watching the big screen, go in early evening and there are dozens of scantily clad ladies drinking cheap shots as though the world’s about to end. I’ve never been in late enough to find out what happens next.

The nearest bar to the station is The Tut and Shive tucked down the side of the shopping centre as you exit the main entrance. Although a bit rough round the edges it’s a proper pub that does proper hot meat butties in a bustling atmosphere, although some of the bottled beer is ludicrously expensive.

The rest of town centre is dominated by the usual chain pubs including a decent enough Wetherspoons further down Scot Lane from the Coach and Horses, but generally speaking nothing to get too excited over I’m afraid.

Near the ground most of the bars are in so called hotels, although they all look like pubs to me. In reverse order of desirability there is the Grand St. Ledger Hotel on the last roundabout before you reach the ground that usually offers one guest ale amongst the fizzy lager.

The Rockingham Hotel on Bennethorpe Road and The Park Hotel on Carr House Road are both walkable, the latter being the best bet in my book. The beer isn’t anything to write home about in any of them but The Park has a good atmosphere with a nice mix of home and away fans, and service geared up for a match day.

Indeed the atmosphere at Doncaster seems to have become more convivial since their flirtation with oblivion and that spell in the Conference. Could it be our turn next?

Adjacent to the ground there are another couple of bars. The Rovers Return in on the lunar landscape that masquerades as a car park, with away fans usually admitted for a quid door charge. Meanwhile in-keeping with neighbours Barnsley there is The Cheswold Bar in the leisure complex behind the ground near the Golf Course.