Southend v Doncaster preview

Southend should have goalkeeper Mark Oxley available for their Sky Bet League One opener against Doncaster on Saturday.

The 27-year-old sat out the Shrimpers final pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient as a pre-caution but manager Chris Powell confirmed the stopper was only suffering from muscle tightness.

There are plenty of summer recruits who will be looking to make their Southend debuts at Roots Hall. The likes of Timothee Dieng, Sam Mantom and Luke Hyam are among those hoping to make their respective bows.

Grant McCann will take charge of Doncaster for the first time in a competitive match having replaced Darren Ferguson at the Keepmoat Stadium. Rovers, too, have some new signings who could take their place in the starting line-up this weekend.

Defender Tom Anderson and winger Ali Crawford, as well as forward duo Max Watters and Mallik Wilks, are the players who could make their debuts. Just seven points separated Southend and Doncaster last season and both will be keen to hit the ground running at the start of this campaign.

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After four straight league victories over Doncaster between 1987 and 1990, Southend have only managed to record one win from the last 10 meetings (D2 L7).

Doncaster have kept clean sheets in four of their last five league visits to Roots Hall (W3 D1 L1) and will be looking to record three successive shutouts away from home against a particular opponent for the first time since they kept three in a row v Brentford between 2006-2013.

Southend have won three of their last five league games on the opening day (D1 L1), including beating Blackburn 2-1 last season - they haven't won back-to-back opening day matches since 1-0 victories over Plymouth and Accrington Stanley in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

New Doncaster boss Grant McCann has won both of his previous matches on the opening day of the season, beating both Plymouth and Rochdale whilst in charge of previous club Peterborough.

Southend have only won two of their last 17 league games held in August (D8 L7), managing to keep just two clean sheets.