'˜A good night' for Ferguson as Doncaster Rovers advance

Darren Ferguson reflected on a good night's work as his much-changed Doncaster Rovers side secured their passage into the next round of the Checkatrade Trophy.
Will Longbottom made his first Rovers start in the Checkatrade Trophy draw with Port ValeWill Longbottom made his first Rovers start in the Checkatrade Trophy draw with Port Vale
Will Longbottom made his first Rovers start in the Checkatrade Trophy draw with Port Vale

A goalless draw with Port Vale was enough to see Rovers win Group E and make sure of a home draw in the last 32.

“We were pretty solid and I think it’s very good for us that we got a clean sheet,” said Ferguson.

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“We’ve topped the group so in a lot of ways it’s been a good night.

“We want to do well in the tournament and we’ve managed to make sure we’ve got a home tie in the next round.”

He added: “I thought we deserved to win the game because we had better chances.

“After the initial first 15 minutes, when we weren’t aggressive enough, we played some good stuff.

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“Apart from the save Ross [Etheridge] made at the end we weren’t really threatened throughout the game.”

Defenders Craig Alcock and Frazer Richardson both came through 45 minutes unscathed and are now in contention to start at Exeter City on Saturday.

“I thought Craig [Alcock] was outstanding and it’s good that him and Frazer are back because it gives me more options at the back,” said Ferguson.

“I’ve now got some tough decisions for the weekend.

“It was good, it was solid,” he added on the performance.

“I changed the shape back to the 3-4-3 and given the players I had available and wanted to play I thought that was the right way to go.

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“There was a good balance to the team and I was pleased for Ross getting a clean sheet.”

Young forward Alfie Beestin came off with a groin complaint but Ferguson said his removal was more precautionary.