JOHN’S BOOSTED BY FERGIE’S FAITH
Marquis eager to repay his manager
THE guiding hand of Darren Ferguson has helped Doncaster forward John Marquis discover his potential – and the front man is confident he can help fire the club to the next level.
He hit the ground running when he joined the South Yorkshire side from Millwall in 2016, plundering 26 goals to help Donny out of League Two at the first time of asking.
Marquis, 25, has hit double figures since making the step up to League One, but it hasn’t been all plain sailing.
He went 11 matches without finding the back of the net until he ended a drought against Bristol Rovers in January, and Marquis feels his manager’s support proved invaluable in turning things around.
He said: “It’s nice to have the belief from your manager and he’s given me that confidence, especially when you’re going through the tough spells. It shows how good the manager is.
Tough
“He stuck by me and spoke to me regularly about getting in the right positions and chances would come.
“Everything else will come with it, so I was told not to get disheartened and keep going, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.
“You have to keep believing in your own game and keep working hard. You want to make sure you’re bringing something to the team and I was making goals. So, I was warranting my place.”
Once dubbed a dressing room joker by Ferguson, Marquis believes he’s matured since arriving at Doncaster.
He may only be 25, but the Donny sharpshooter has played more than 200 matches in the EFL.
“I see myself as someone that’s experienced and I’ve played quite a few games, especially in the last few years,” he said.
“The manager gives me that confidence and that belief, too. He treats me like a senior professional and he values my opinion.
“He asks me for my opinion on things and I’ll voice my thoughts if I think things aren’t right. It’s good because it gives me the responsibility to help me progress in my career.
“It adds a lot and I want to help the younger players.”
Doncaster spent four seasons in the Championship between 2008 and 2012, finishing in a club-best 12th in 2010.
They have established themselves back in League One following promotion last season, but Marquis is confident the club have the potential to get back to the second tier in the near future. He said: “We have a very good manager. He’s done very well in League One and League Two. “He’s managed in the Championship as well, so that’s where his ambition is – as it is for myself and the rest of the players. We want to keep improving. “It doesn’t just happen overnight, but we have good players, a good manager and good staff to help the club move forward. The mid- to long-term plan would be to have Doncaster in the Championship again.
Double
“Anyone who goes up is always looking to establish themselves in the league above. It’s very rare a team gets a double promotion.
“We were looking for a midto top-end finish, which is still very possible for us. We haven’t been far off.
“As a newly-promoted team, I think we’ve done OK (Donny were 14th pre-weekend, six points above the drop zone).
“We want to pick up as many points as we can. We want to start by pulling away from the relegation zone. We can then look forward and go up the table.”