Bacup boy’s role in Rovers push for top
B‘I love playing the deeper role, trying to be brave and make things happen’
ACUP youngster Reece James is staking a claim for a regular starting berth in League One Doncaster Rovers’ line-up.
Darren Moore’s men are pushing for promotion to the Championship after a solid start to the season, the Yorkshiremen currently sitting fourth in the table, six points behind leaders Lincoln City with a couple of games in hand.
And Lancashire lad James is playing a key role in the side having been used more times in midfield than his native left back role for Rovers this season. His versatility is proving useful for manager Moore.
In recent weeks he has occupied one of two sitting midfield positions as Rovers adapt to losing their former captain, Ben Whiteman, who has joined Championship club Preston North End.
And 27-year-old James is hoping to have a longer run in the holding role.
“At the minute, I want to just do well for the team,” he told the Doncaster Free Press.
“Wherever the manager thinks is best for me to play right for the team and do our best and try and get us promoted and do as well as we can in this league, I am happy to do that.
“From a personal point of view, it is something I’d like to do and do the best I can.
“I will always work hard to play and be as good as I can in this position.”
James learned his trade as part of Manchester United’s Academy and credits coach Warren Joyce for helping him develop in the midfield position.
“From previous times in my career, I have to credit a lot to Warren Joyce.
“In my U21s football when I was at United, he was someone who always said that midfield was a position where I would actually play. At United, I used to play it quite a lot in reserve games.
“Here, the gaffer has shown a massive trust in me and I can only be thankful for it as I am really enjoying my football in there and I love playing in the deeper role, trying to be brave and make things happen.
“Any footballer who does not want to get on the ball as much as possible, you are not playing football in the right way.
“It is something I love to do - get on the ball as much as possible.”
James recently featured for Rovers in the FA Cup defeat against Premier
League West Ham and felt the experience would serve him well.
He said: “It was brilliant. It was an unbelievable experience playing against top players such as Mark Noble, who has been in the Premier League for God knows how many years.
“It was unbelievable playing against international players like [Tomas] Soucek, who was outstanding.
“You see their quality of movement and you have to be on the swivel at all times whether it is to the left or right or the pass will just go past you.
“You don’t know what to do with the movement and that’s where the difference comes in the level of the players - in terms of knowing where to be and not to be and the movement side.
“It is so hard to defend against.”