Owen Bailey is not only Doncaster’s captain, but their Mr Reliable.

Since the start of the 2023/24 season – when he joined the club from National League side Gateshead – no outfield player in the top four divisions of English football has made more starts than him.

In simple terms, with 101 under his belt, he has never missed a game.

The midfielder – nicknamed the ‘Geordie Rodri’ – has developed a keen eye for goal, too, this season. He is Sky Bet League One’s joint top scorer with five in nine so far, and provided one goal and one assist in the Carabao Cup second round win over Accrington at the end of August.

Wednesday 24th September 7:40pm


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Those efforts set up a first trip to Tottenham since 1975 in the third round, a tie that will be shown live on Sky Sports+ on Wednesday night.

Injury nightmare at Newcastle

But there was a time when such a feat was completely out of the question for the 26-year-old, who came through the ranks at Newcastle.

After he captained the club’s U23s to the Premier League 2 play-off final in 2018/19 and was part of the side that reached the last 16 of the Checkatrade Trophy, new Magpies boss Steve Bruce named Bailey in the squad for the pre-season tour to China, and he made his first team bow in a heavy 4-0 loss to Wolves in Nanjing.

He had hoped it would spark a first loan move away from Tyneside. But just over two months later, it was confirmed he had torn his meniscus during the course of a Premier League 2 defeat to Swansea

“I think I was out for six months, the first time,” he tells Sky Sports.

“When I was rehabbing it and when I came back into training it went again, so I had to have another operation and then I kept having setbacks.

“It was getting to, if it’s not going to work now, it probably never will. It was desperation at one point.

“The knock-on effect of that was I was unable to get any kind of exposure to men’s football. Ultimately, when you spend 18 months, 19 months, whatever it was, out of the game and you come out of that with no senior experience, you’re always going to find it difficult to pitch yourself to certain teams.

“It was just a difficult situation, but I suppose it was just an unlucky situation and there was nothing I could really do about it, but I can look back on that now, knowing where I am now, it made me the person I am today.

“When I got injured that year, Matty Longstaff – who I had come through with – broke through, so it was a massive plus for me knowing, though I was injured and unable to be someone who stepped up, Matty did it and he and his brother went on to play together a lot of times for Newcastle.

“Seeing that gave me a lot of happiness and comfort, knowing that lads that I’d grown up with and had spent a long period of my life with were going on and doing it.

“When you’ve spent that long out and had those days where you would do anything to get on a pitch, to have the privilege of being fit and available for as many games as I have now is massive and not something I take lightly.”

Dropping into non-league to get back on track

After 538 days sidelined, Bailey returned to action for the U23s in March 2021, before the sadly inevitable release from Newcastle.

He credits another former Newcastle academy product – and current Dorking defender – Louis Storey with helping him get his career back on track at nearby Gateshead, then of the National League North.

“Louis was my brother’s best friend and then he became one of my best friends. When I came out of Newcastle, I’d been on trial at Doncaster and I didn’t have anywhere to go, to be honest.

“I was struggling to pitch myself to any club and Louis was the one who said, come in to Gateshead and you’ll be surprised how good it is and how good the gaffer is. He was always a mentor to me.

“Quite quickly, I knew it was a great team, a great set of lads, great staff and somewhere I wanted to play football.

“It’s a totally different sport playing in the Premier League 2 compared to the National League North. It’s chalk and cheese and things you do don’t quite translate. I learned quickly as, luckily, I had some amazing people, amazing experiences and amazing coaches as well that helped me along the way.”

Bailey played in every league game as Mike Williamson’s team that won the title in 2021/22, and continued to play an important role in the first season back in the National League, with six goals in 32 appearances.

He finally had the grounding in senior football he had longed for, and was given the chance to step back into the EFL in June 2023, when he signed a two-year deal at Doncaster.

“I pushed for it,” he says.

“Even my agent was starting to get a bit annoyed with me because it was always Doncaster for me.

“When you’ve got your mind set on something and you feel like you can really impact a club and you can see yourself doing it, that makes a massive difference.”

Sports psychologist bringing out the best

Bailey quickly endeared himself to the Rovers faithful. In his first season, he played at right-back, centre-back, defensive midfield and in central midfield, racking up 59 appearances in all competitions as Grant McCann’s side reached the League Two play-offs.

And he was integral in last season’s title win, contributing five goals and five assists and, in all bar seven games, leading the line as captain in Richard Wood’s absence.

The club demonstrated his value by awarding him a new three-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months, in the summer of 2024. In the summer of 2025, he was given the armband on a permanent basis in the summer, following Wood’s retirement.

“It is a massive honour and I carry myself in a way I feel like the people of Doncaster would want,” Bailey says.

“I like to try and lead by example. And by putting my body on the line and running until I drop, that’s my way of showing I’ll go the extra yard for everyone.”

His attacking output this season speaks for itself, but the key question is: what has changed?

“The gaffer’s put a lot of emphasis on me getting into the box and affecting that. I’ve always had that in my game, but that bit of licence, and a bit more pressure to do it, I suppose, has probably helped.

“He has put so much faith and trust in me that every time I go on the pitch, I want to repay that.

“I’m working on the mental side of the game quite a lot, too, and that’s helping massively. I go on the pitch now believing I can score.

“I’ve started working as a sports psychologist once a week. That started this season and so far, so good. One month, one player of the month award and six goals, so whatever we’re doing is definitely working!

“It’s just bringing the best out of me, just being confident and not doing anything drastic; just refining different processes and the way I think in certain situations. Ultimately, it’s to get the best out of myself and do the best for the team.”

Watch Tottenham vs Doncaster in the Carabao Cup live on Sky Sports+ on Wednesday night; kick-off 7.45pm