Doncaster Rovers: Walsall horror show was a watershed moment - Ferguson

And the Rovers boss was delighted to see his words heeded with a thoroughly accomplished performance in beating Fleetwood Town on Saturday.

The 4-2 defeat at the Bescot Stadium raised fears Rovers would be dragged into a relegation fight, should they fail to bounce back quickly and decisively.

But Ferguson said it was important the worryingly poor performance was turned into a positive – as a wake-up call for his squad.

“I said to the players we had to use it as a positive, what happened last week,” he told The Star.

“We had to make sure it was a watershed moment.

“It’s not something I’ve been accustomed to from my players or anyone that has watched all our games.

“It was an unusual performance and when you get performances like that, you have to see a reaction immediately.

“You cannot wait and we got that.”