EFL League One Matchday 12 brings Doncaster Rovers and Stockport County together at the Eco Power Stadium on 20 October 2026. Stockport sit second after ten games on 19 points with a plus ten goal difference, making them one of the more credible promotion candidates in the division right now, while Doncaster are 17th on nine points from nine matches and still finding their feet after coming up, sitting just four points above the relegation zone and needing a result to arrest a run of one win in four.
Grant McCann has been in charge of Doncaster since replacing Danny Schofield on 12 May 2023, while Jim McNulty took over at Stockport on 5 June 2026 after Dave Challinor departed. The two haven't faced each other as managers before, so any tactical read has to come from what each side has shown under their current leadership rather than from previous encounters between these specific coaches.
Doncaster's last five reads L W W L L, including a 1-2 defeat to Leicester on 17 October and a narrow 1-0 win over Burton around 10 October, whereas Stockport arrive in much better shape with W W W D L across their last five, including a 3-1 win at Barnsley and a 1-0 victory over Bromley on 17 October. Stockport have found a consistency Doncaster haven't come close to.
Doncaster are stretched thin going into this. Francis Okoronkwo is out until the new year with a hamstring injury and long term absentees Jack Senior, Jordan Thomas, Tommi O'Reilly and James Collins (Collins facing an extended absence with an ACL issue) compound the problem. James Husband and Jamie Sterry are also unavailable or doubtful with hamstring problems of their own and Will Keane, who arrived on a short term deal on 13 October specifically to cover for Okoronkwo, will likely lead the line. Stockport have their own absences in Kyron Gordon, Brad Hills (long term cruciate), Ryan Rydel (separate long term concern) and Adama Sidibeh, who has yet to play, with Harry Wood a doubt after coming off early in a recent match.
McCann has built Doncaster around a compact, counter attacking shape and the injury list may push him toward a back three to reduce the space Stockport's forwards run into between the lines, with wing backs given room in transition. Owen Bailey and Robbie Gotts are the engine room in midfield, with Keane up top as a physical hold up presence and their clearest route into this game runs through winning the second ball from Norwood's distribution and forcing play back before Stockport settle. Whether Keane can get in behind Stockport's high defensive line before it gets plugged is the other real tactical question of the afternoon. Stockport under McNulty average around 2.1 goals per game this season, with Kyle Wootton leading the line on seven or eight goals already, Oliver Norwood organising in midfield and Jack Diamond operating wide.
Stockport have the better of this fixture historically, winning five of eight meetings against Doncaster's one, with two draws. Recent results lean that way too: Stockport won 2-0 and 4-2 in 2025 and the sides drew 1-1 in the EFL Cup in August 2026, with matches averaging 2.6 goals and both sides scoring in roughly half of them.
With both squads missing defenders, set pieces could matter more than usual. Keane's aerial ability makes him a target at corners if McCann sets up to exploit it and Wootton's presence in the opposition box means Stockport carry their own threat from dead balls, so playing at home gives Doncaster at least one avenue to stay in the game.
Stockport to win 2-1. Their clinical run this season and Doncaster's depleted defensive resources point the same way as the head to head record and fatigue on a thin bench may well tell in the second half.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
