Owen Gamble is hoping for a happy homecoming when he returns to Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday evening.
The Worksop-born defender swapped Doncaster for Wearside ahead of the 2015-16 season and he’s relishing the chance to line-up against his former club.
Currently 19th in League One, Rovers will provide another stern test for the young Black Cats who suffered a 3-1 defeat against Scunthorpe United in their Checkatrade Trophy opener.
And although Gamble acknowledged the task at hand, he was unable to hide his excitement.
“I’m absolutely buzzing for it and I’ve always wanted to play against them,” said Gamble.
“From the youth league to the youth cup, I’ve always wanted to be drawn against them so I’m lucky we have and hopefully the game will be a good one.”
He continued: “I got a text from my dad saying ‘you’ve drawn Donny in the cup’ so I was very happy and I’m looking forward to playing at the Keepmoat as I’ve never played there before.
“A few of my mates are now breaking into their first team and there’s coaches there who did a lot for me, so it’ll be nice to go back home and have my family and friends coming to watch.
“It opens your eyes a bit [playing against senior opposition] and you get a feel for the physicality of men’s football and that’s what we’ll get tomorrow, so we have to be ready for it.”
