Doncaster Rovers: '˜We've taken massive strides but we've got to finish the job off' - Ferguson

But they will not be in a good place until they are back in League One.

That was the unequivocal verdict of boss Darren Ferguson after Thursday night’s impressive 3-1 win over promotion rivals Portsmouth.

The victory moved Rovers ten points clear of fourth-placed Pompey and extended the club’s unbeaten sequence at the Keepmoat Stadium to 16 league games.

It is all a far cry from the sorry 17-game run without a win that led to Doncaster’s surprise relegation from League One last season.

Asked to reflect on how far Rovers have come since their demotion, Ferguson was reluctant to say too much.

For the Scot, this season’s job is only half done.

“We’ve taken massive strides and we’ve got to make sure we finish the job off as such and get to League One,” said Ferguson.

“At that point we can then say ‘yeah, we’re in a good place’.

“Until we’ve done that I don’t really want to say too much on it but we have obviously come a long way in terms of the whole club and the way it is now.

“The atmosphere and the culture of the football club is different.

“But that takes time and you have to be given time.

“Considering the run we went on last season, and the loss of form, it told me a lot of things.

“But we have stuck together as one and I think we’ve come a long way since then.

“And it doesn’t matter what league you’re in. This is a hard league to get out of, harder than League One. It’s shown. Portsmouth finished sixth last year, Luton didn’t go up, Plymouth didn’t go up - there are some big clubs in this league now.

“So if we are successful it’ll be really hard work to do it.”