Ex-Sunderland attacker aiming for Championship return after penning three-year deal with League Two club
The former Sunderland and Hartlepool United man wants to return to the Championship in the future
Former Sunderland man Luke Molyneux holds long-term aspirations of returning to the Championship - and hopes to do so one day with his current club Doncaster Rovers.
The attacker signed a new three-year contract with the League Two club last summer and is pushing hard for promotion this season. Rovers are currently fourth in the division and just three points off Port Vale, who occupy the top spot.
Molyneux has been in superb form for Doncaster Rovers this season and has netted six goals in his 14 league appearances during the 2024-24 campaign. However, the 26-ear-old winger still wants to return to the Championship one day after sampling the division with Sunderland during 2017-18 as a youngster.
“For me, it's just I want to play as high as possible. I feel like I'm definitely capable of playing top-end League One to Championship and I feel like that's the aim for me,” Molyneux told The Echo. “I think I'm into my prime now I feel like I've definitely got some good years ahead of me.
“I feel like if I keep continuing the form that I am with Doncaster, whether that's getting promoted with them and taking them up the league or whether I move on somewhere else in the future then obviously my aim is to play as high as I can. It is exciting times because I'm enjoying my football at Doncaster and I feel like I'm playing well and the gaffer's been unbelievable with me and he's brought the best out of me I'm just enjoying how things are going at the moment and I hope they continue.
“I back myself anyway and I feel like I'm definitely capable of playing higher. I think, obviously, when I signed my new deal in the summer with Doncaster, obviously, the aim was to do that with Doncaster and to get them promoted and then play with them higher up. So yeah, I definitely feel like I'm capable of playing higher.”
Molyneux has been ever-present for Doncaster Rovers for the past three seasons and also played a great deal of football for Hartlepool United before that. As such, the attacker has already played 264 times in all competitions despite only turning 26 last March.
“It's something that I've always strived out to do play as many games as possible and that’s probably one of my biggest regrets is to not go out on loan younger to get more first-team games under my belt, Molyneux told The Echo.
“I think I've got about 260 already and the aim is to get 300 by the end of the season I think I've averaged over 50 for the last four seasons and I've still been lucky with injuries and stuff like that but I just want to play every game possible. I hate missing games. That experience is huge, especially for young lads that are coming through I'd just say try and get out and play men's football as quickly as possible
“You don't want to be stuck playing 21s football because obviously at the time you might enjoy it and it's a good experience but to play men's football is a completely different game you need that side of the game if you want to progress through an academy into the first team.”