Darren Moore on the response required from his Doncaster Rovers side - and particularly the youngsters

Rovers dominated much of the first half but failed to convert pressure into goals and ultimately lost their unbeaten league record.

Moore believes the manner of the defeat will have been difficult to stomach for some of his younger players, particularly those with little senior experience.

But he is confident they will be able to shake off the disappointment quickly and get back on track, starting with Tuesday night’s trip to Oldham Athletic in the EFL Trophy.

“It’s all part and parcel of building as a professional footballer,” Moore said.

“They’ll have felt it. They’ll have learned and seen that despite coming away from home and having dominance of the ball, there’s times when you really have to stamp your authority on the game.

“From a learning point of view for them, they’ll have experienced that probably for the first time and they’ll have gone away and hopefully pondered, look back on the game, talk amongst themselves and they’ll be ready to go again.”

Moore will check on the fitness of left back Reece James, who was taken off after a knock to his knee on Saturday.

He said: “Reece went into a challenge with their lad and even though their lad came off worse, he got a knock on his knee.

“We’ll assess him and see how he is at the start of the week.”

Josef Bursik, Danny Amos and Tyreece John-Jules are set to leave on international duty this week.

*

Thank you to all who support local journalism with a print subscription.

The events of 2020 mean trusted, local journalism is more reliant than ever on your support.

We couldn't do it without you.

Please subscribe here https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/ so we can keep campaigning on your behalf.

Stay safe.