Doncaster Rovers: Adam Clayton itching to kickstart career at Rovers

It is the big day of the week for every footballer worth his salt and everything is carefully time-tabled. From the routine travelling to the ground from home or the away team hotel to the pre-match meal and the superstitions. And then the game.

Doncaster Rovers’ recent signing has plenty of miles on the EFL clock, having represented the likes of Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Middlesbrough for a good number of years. He has played over 450 competitive matches.

But you have to go back to almost exactly a year for his last appearance – coming on as a late substitute for former club Birmingham in their Midlands derby with Coventry City.

After a nightmare time at St Andrew’s, the midfielder, now 33, left by mutual consent in November, with his competitive days at Blues long since over.

It’s been a tough past few years for Clayton and his family. Back in the spring of 2020, his father Steve spent 51 days in intensive care with Covid-19 in a Manchester hospital. He recovered and was given a guard of honour by doctors and nurses when he left.

A regular for most of the teams he has played for, Clayton then found himself doing it tough on the pitch at Birmingham. Not being involved over the best part of 12 months has been hard. Saturdays were to be avoided as opposed to cherished.

It did, at least, afford him precious family time with wife Mandi and young daughter Bea at their Yorkshire home. But there will be relief at getting back to the day job.

He professed to nerves at watching Rovers’ game at MK Dons as the club he was soon to join held out for a much-needed win, with his wife also nervous as she texted him in those tense last few minutes. For the Clayton family, it’s a welcome return to a bit of routine.

On the difficulties not being involved on a Saturday in particular, Clayton – ready for involvement if called upon in Saturday’s home game with Plymouth – said: “It wasn’t nice...

“I’ve had a little girl and she is two now and she’s probably come at the right time. Saturdays were ‘we’re out of the house, we will go somewhere and do something.’ A good thing that came out of the situation is that I got to spend a lot of time with her.

“I always like to take the positives out of things and I would not have got that time and I got to spend Christmas with her this year and I would not have got to do that (normally). I felt quite refreshed coming off the back of it and ready to really give it a go.

“But having my wife and my daughter definitely helped on the Saturdays when I’d normally be getting ready for a game.

“I definitely went through a period of not watching or doing anything until about maybe a month ago and I watched a game and thought: ‘I need to get going now.’

“Probably when the window opened, it was knowing there was a chance of going somewhere as I couldn’t go anywhere before that. I started getting itchy feet and wanting to get back out there.

“I will be playing football until I am 40 – whatever level I am allowed to do that. I’ll try to stay as high as I can until someone tells me: ‘you can’t do it anymore!’”

Despite being unwanted at his previous club, Clayton never considered packing in the game he loves. He feels he still has much to give and has unfinished business.

Rovers’ relegation fight does not faze him either. Or potentially playing in League Two next season. But hopefully not.

He continued: “Even in a promotion season, there’s major low moments and it’s how you react.

“If you followed Boro’s promotion season, it was the most mental season you had seen in your life. It was like a drama series.

“It is about how you deal with things and I think this group are dealing with the situation quite well and there is a lot of positivity about what we can do if we can get things right – especially after last Saturday.”

Rovers manager Gary McSheffrey has said that Clayton is unlikely to be involved from the start tomorrow.

The Mancunian is ready whenever he is called upon, having kept in good condition amid an intense fitness regime at home, where he has been pounding the treadmill and the exercise bike.

Whatever transpires, feeling part of it at a club again is something he is looking forward to.

On what he has missed, Clayton, handed a glowing reference on Rovers by George Friend, a good friend from his Boro days and an ex-Doncaster favourite, said: “It’s probably just walking out onto the field and the atmosphere and knowing it means so much to so many people.

“I always used to have a little moment before kick-off where I stood in the centre circle. When I was putting my head on the pillow (last year), I’d think: ‘Would I get that feeling again? It was the one thing that upset me.

“Just walking out with the team knowing that: ‘Right, I have got a job to do’. I can’t wait for that.”