Doncaster Rovers: Grant McCann reveals one of his most important mantras

'Don't ask for the ball if you don't know what you're going to do with it.'

McCann opened up about one of the key philosophies driving the style of play he has implemented on Rovers after being disappointed with aspects of their play in the first half of their trip to Plymouth Argyle last weekend.

As he prepares to take his side on the road again, with Accrington Stanley the next destination on Tuesday night, McCann says the second half performance shows just how key the idea is for his side.

'I've got a saying that I say to the group and it's don't ask for the ball if you don't know what you're going to do with it,' he said.

'I thought on Saturday we asked for the ball a lot in the first half without knowing what we were going to do with it.

'I told them to check their shoulders, look what is around them.

'I asked my full backs to be more aggressive and worrying about their players. I said to let them worry about you.

'We played forward and run forward a lot more.

'Stop playing safe, stop playing backwards, stop playing straight passes into midfield and getting caught.

'Get on top of the game by playing forward and running forward.

'And break quicker and we did that.'

Tuesday's hosts Accrington have made an impressive start to life in League One, having lost just once so far this term.

And McCann is expecting a tough test in a difficult atmosphere at the Crown Ground.

'They love a Tuesday night game up there,' he said.

'We know it's a tough game. They're a good team, they really are.

'They are a team, like I touched on when we played Luton and Wycombe, that are used to winning.

'They won League Two last year comfortably and we're under no illusions of how difficult it will be.

'I'm not surprised at all at how they've started.

'All the teams that came up are good teams and I fancy all of them to hold their own in this league.'