CONVENTIONAL football wisdom will teach you that pre-season results are meaningless.

Win them all, lose them all – nothing matters once that first whistle blows on the opening day.

But Doncaster are hoping to defy the “friendlies don’t count” mantra and carry on at Valley Parade where they left off in the warm-ups.

Gary McSheffrey’s side went through pre-season undefeated – Saturday’s 3-0 win at FC United of Manchester their fifth to go with a 2-2 draw against Rotherham.

And while trying not to read too much into their July form, the Rovers boss hopes they can maintain their good habits when the real thing begins with the short trip to BD8.

“We’ve got through unbeaten, our performances have been good in parts and we’ve shown we have plenty of goals in us,” he said.

“We’ve got enough in the squad to adapt and mix things up if needed, and that is exactly what you want going into the new season.”

Doncaster started the League One campaign dreadfully last year with only four points from their opening nine games and never recovered.

McSheffrey was promoted from leading the under-18s side to take over after Richie Wellens was sacked in December and wins away to MK Dons and Sunderland showed some resistance.

But their first season since 2004 without the talismanic presence of James Coppinger saw them drop out of the third tier after a five-year stay.

Their bid to bounce straight back has been boosted with the summer arrival of Lee Tomlin, Hartlepool’s tricky winger Luke Molyneux and former Bantam George Miller.

The nippy striker scored against City in January for Walsall and returns to Valley Parade in good nick having helped himself to six pre-season goals.

Experienced midfielder Adam Clayton will captain the side having worn the armband in the friendlies.

The former Leeds and Huddersfield man said: “I was delighted when the manager told me. It was quite an emotional drive home to be honest."