There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with being bottom of League One after six games, and Grant McCann knows all about it. Doncaster Rovers sit without a single win to their name (three draws, three defeats), and Saturday's trip to Peterborough United (15:00 BST) is about as loaded a fixture as their manager could reasonably be handed at this point in the season.

McCann has strong ties to Peterborough. He played for the club and later managed them, so London Road is about as familiar a ground as a visiting dugout occupant could wish for. Whether familiarity helps or haunts is the question Doncaster supporters will be turning over heading into the weekend.

A health scare, and perspective

The backdrop to all of this is not purely footballing. McCann recently revealed publicly that he was diagnosed with skin cancer last year. He says he has recovered, and the candour with which he has spoken about it has earned him a good deal of goodwill from across the division. It also, as he has acknowledged himself, has a way of reframing what a bad run of results actually means.

He has been clear that he is not using the disclosure as a shield from scrutiny: "I'm not putting any extra pressure on the players," he said, according to the BBC report. That is a measured line from a manager who will be well aware that sympathy does not change a league table.

The table makes uncomfortable reading

Doncaster are bottom of League One. That is the blunt fact. Three draws suggest they are not being hammered every week, but draws do not accumulate points quickly enough when you have none from wins to show alongside them. Six games in, the margin for comfort is already thin.

Peterborough are not exactly thriving either. They sit just two points above Rovers, meaning this is, in effect, a basement scrap dressed up as a derby. Both clubs will know that losing on Saturday puts the loser in a position that becomes genuinely uncomfortable before October has properly arrived.

For Doncaster, the arithmetic is simple enough. A first win of the season would lift them off the bottom and close the gap on a clutch of clubs immediately above them. A defeat, and the early-season questions about their squad and their system become louder and harder to deflect.

Familiar ground, unfamiliar role

McCann's history with Peterborough adds texture to what is already a high-stakes afternoon. Managers returning to former clubs tend to get a mixed reception from the home crowd, and whatever noise greets him from the stands, he will need his side to produce something they have not managed yet this season: a winning performance.

The case for cautious optimism, if there is one, is that familiarity with an opponent's ground and style occasionally strips away some of the anxiety that visiting sides carry into unfamiliar surroundings. McCann knows what London Road is like on a matchday. His players do not have to arrive cold.

Whether that translates into three points is another matter. League One is rarely so kind as to reward narrative tidiness.

What Doncaster need

The honest assessment is that Rovers need not just a result but a performance that suggests they have a structure capable of accumulating points over a long season. Three draws in six games can mean a team is hard to beat; it can also mean a team is struggling to create and convert. The statistics from their opening run will tell McCann which it is, and he will have no shortage of material to work with on the training ground this week.

Peterborough at London Road, with two points separating the sides and McCann's personal history adding an extra layer, is the kind of match that can define the early mood of a season. Doncaster's supporters will be hoping their manager's familiarity with the ground counts for something when the whistle blows at 15:00 on Saturday.

Frequently asked

Why is Grant McCann significant ahead of Doncaster vs Peterborough?
McCann has a close history with Peterborough United as both a former player and manager, making Saturday's visit to London Road a personally loaded fixture for the Doncaster boss.
Where are Doncaster Rovers in the League One table?
Doncaster are bottom of League One after six games, with three draws and three defeats and no wins recorded so far this season.
What did Grant McCann reveal about his health?
McCann recently disclosed that he was diagnosed with skin cancer last year. He has said he has now recovered and has been open about how the experience put football matters into perspective.