Doncaster Rovers have announced the arrival of attacking midfielder Isaac Hutchinson from League Two outfit Bristol Rovers on a two-year-deal for an undisclosed fee.
The 26-year-old is one of League Two’s hottest properties and arrives at the Eco-Power Stadium after a personal best season in front of goal, scoring 18 goals on loan at Cheltenham Town.
A Personal Best Campaign
Hutchinson came through at Ratton Rangers before earning a move to Brighton and, later, Southend, where he got his first taste of senior football. A switch to Derby County followed, with loans, including a stint at Forest Green, helping him build experience across the EFL.
His career accelerated at Walsall, where a hat-trick against Gillingham underlined his growing influence, and he ended the campaign as Player of the Year. That form earned a move to Bristol Rovers, but with opportunities limited, he was sent to Cheltenham Town, where he became a key attacking outlet.
A productive spell across two loans in Gloucestershire saw him hit regular goals, helping to secure their survival, and secure a place in the League Two Team of the Season, even as Bristol Rovers prepared to move him on. In 36 games in all competitions, Hutchinson scored 18 goals and provided four assists, the best attacking return of his career thus far.
High Praise
Speaking to Doncaster Rovers official website, Rovers’ boss Grant McCann said:
“Quite a few clubs were after him, and the fact that he chose us gives us great reassurance that he wants to come here and he wants to make his mark.
“I’m delighted to get him, and I think he’s going to add some goals and assists and presence to our midfield.”
A Big Season Ahead
Hutchinson arrives in Yorkshire with a point to prove after the best goalscoring campaign of his career and will hope to help Doncaster build on last season’s solid 14th-place finish, their first campaign back in League One since promotion two seasons ago.
Manager Grant McCann would also be desperate to keep hold of captain Owen Bailey, who, like Hutchinson, proved a major attacking outlet from midfield, scoring 13 League One goals.
He joins fellow additions Tommy Simkin, Josh Clarke, James Husband, Neil Byrne, Frankie Okoronkwo, Leon Ayinde and Alfie May in what is shaping up to be an ambitious transfer window. With proven end product added across the pitch, Doncaster look determined to now be mounting a far more serious push up the table in the coming season.
