Andy Butler confident Doncaster Rovers will be heading in the right direction

Rovers have won just two of their last 12 matches, with last weekend’s defeat to MK Dons seeing them drop out of League One’s top six for the first time in two months.

The Rovers boss feels his side have not been too far away from picking up better results in recent weeks, or getting back to the sort of form they showed at the turn of the year.

“I wouldn’t say I’m concerned but it’s a challenge at the moment,” he told the Free Press.

“Everyone is due a little dip during the season and we’re dealing with everything that is thrown at us.

“Players are coming back from injury and I feel at this stage with those players coming back then we’re in a good position.

“I know results haven’t shown that in the last few games but I feel like we’re building towards something.

“Once the players are back and fully fit, I feel we’ll show in the results.

“In terms of results, they need to pick up.

“I think we’ve had a tough run of games when you look at the fixtures.

“Barring the Oxford game, I think it’s been pretty close. Even the game without a recognised striker, it was pretty close.

“That’s why I go back to fine margins. We were almost there - an almost pass or an almost through ball.”

Butler did not take training on Monday due to attending a funeral but coach Paul Gerrard reported back a positive response from the players.

“Gez said the lads were determined to come in and right the wrongs from the weekend,” he said. “We need to just address a few things.

“We’re looking where can hurt teams and penetrate in the final third. I think the building of the attack is good, it’s just the finishing of the attack where we seem to go a bit flat and predictable.

“We’re working on it. Hopefully it will show on Friday [against Charlton].

“I feel we had some really good chances. In the first 45 seconds we had a 5 v 2 after winning the ball back but we made the wrong decision.

“I think a little bit was down to lacking a bit of confidence. It will come and the players are working hard on that.

“Sometimes you have periods in a season where everything you try doesn’t come off. It’s not coming off for us at the moment.”

“Looking through the clips that I’m going to be showing the players, there are some real positive ones.

“I know it doesn’t look like we’ve created much but we’ve had chances to create things if that makes sense.

“The end product wasn’t there but we’ve been close to it with the final detail, the final pass or movement was just lacking which is something we’re definitely working on.”

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