Fleetwood Town v Doncaster Rovers: We've '˜naturally progressed' since 4-0 defeat to Cod Army '“ McCann

In a competitive fixture in October, Rovers were undone by ruthless finishing from Fleetwood and suffered a heavy defeat.

But McCann says Rovers have improved greatly in the meantime, particularly in defending set pieces which proved a significant Achilles heel.

'We conceded two or three from set plays that day and it killed us,' McCann said.

'It was a strange game really. Afterwards I wasn't really that disheartened because of the performance. We actually played well on the day.

'We probably played better that day when we ended up losing 4-0 than we did when we beat Scunthorpe 3-0.

'It was disappointing. We just didn't take our chances when they came and we had plenty.

'We were disappointing from set plays but I think we've fixed that.

'We've seen natural progression and have been naturally getting better over the last six or seven games.

'We want to make sure we don't feel that disappointment again that we did when Fleetwood came here and we are much better than that.

'Hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves.'

The Rovers squad travelled across to the north west on the evening of Christmas Day to ensure they were fully prepared for the game.

McCann is expecting a tough test from Joey Barton's side whose form has been patchy this season, with three wins from their last ten matches in League One.

'They've got some dangerous players,' McCann said. 'Paddy Madden is a goal machine so we need to be wary of him.

'They've brought some good experience in as well in the midfield areas.

'It's a tough game for us but we'll go there well prepared to try to get a result.'