Robert Snodgrass hopes to make his long-awaited comeback after injury at fourth-placed Doncaster tonight as Leeds United look to expunge the memory of their 5-2 defeat at Barnsley.

Scottish winger Snodgrass has been out all season with a knee injury but he came safely through 90 minutes in a friendly against Middlesbrough reserves on Tuesday.

Striker Billy Paynter, who played in the same friendly, is also nearing full fitness, but Snodgrass is further down the recovery road.

Grayson promised changes after the debacle at Barnsley and, with Leeds in the midst of three matches in seven days, he could rest skipper Richard Naylor and bring Alex Bruce into central defence. Andrew Hughes, meanwhile, is poised to replace left back Federico Bessone.

There could also be a place in midfield for Amdy Faye, the former Stoke and Portsmouth Senagalese international, who recently joined the club on a short-term deal until January.

“I was always contemplating making changes anyway because of our heavy programme but hopefully the team I put out will be the right one to win the match,” said Grayson.

“There is a lot of pride to be played for and hopefully the players will come off the pitch at Doncaster having done themselves more justice than they did at Barnsley,” he said. “Hopefully we have learned our lesson because we need to eradicate the mistakes that cost us all five goals the other night and give Doncaster something to think about.

“The players were naturally disappointed with the result but I would like to think their confidence has not been affected. Sometimes, like a wounded animal, you want to come back and show people what you are capable of doing.

“They were quite critical of themselves on Wednesday morning. Sometimes players can bury their heads in the sand and say ‘it wasn’t my fault’ but there was none of that. It was all about what we could do collectively to make sure that performance doesn’t happen again.”

It will be the first time the teams have met competitively since Doncaster’s 1-0 win in the 2008 promotion play-off final at Wembley. Neil Kilkenny, Jonny Howson and Bradley Johnson are the only three Leeds starters from that match still at the club, though Hughes came off the bench and a fourth starter, Lubo Michalik, is currently on loan at Carlisle.

Grayson commentated on the Wembley match for BBC Radio Five Live. He said: “As a Leeds fan it was disappointing how Leeds played on the day but that is in the past. Now it is all about what my team is capable of doing against Sean O’Driscoll’s team.”