Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann gives his Stockport County verdict after late defeat

Rovers almost held out for their first away clean sheet of the season against an in-form and free-scoring Stockport at Edgeley Park.

But they left Tanto Olaofe unmarked inside the six-yard box to head home the winner in the 83rd minute.

Until that point Doncaster had defended resolutely with their goalkeeper Louis Jones pulling off two fine saves to keep the scores level.

McCann, who watched the game from the stands due to a touchline ban following his third yellow card of the campaign, said: “Our game plan was good.

"We wanted to to press them high, we wanted to get after them, we made them kick.

“I knew when they kicked Tom (Anderson, Joseph (Olowu) and Owen (Bailey) could deal with Olaofe and Louie Barry.

"For the last ten or 15 minutes we sat off them too much. I said to the boys (at full-time) ‘to play in my team you need to get after people, to be pressing, you need to be in people’s faces.

"For ten minutes we went safe and they scored in that spell.”

McCann put the drop in performance levels down to mentality, rather than fitness levels.

He said: “We will keep working on that ‘no fear’ approach. It doesn’t matter where you go, we have to be consistent with our game plan for the whole game.”

The visitors also created chances to score and wasted a brilliant opportunity at the start of the second half, with Mo Faal and Joe Ironside denied by Stockport keeper Ben Hinchliffe.

Ironside appeared to be taken by surprise when the ball fell to him on the rebound and may have been off balance when he shot.

That was the closest Doncaster came to a winner in a tightly contested affair.

McCann said: “I don’t think there was anything in the game.

“I didn’t feel threatened at all. I thought we did our job well until that moment (the goal).”

McCann added: “I said to Mo ‘if you go around him you have got a chance to score or he possibly brings you down.

"Joe has to keep it down rather than go high, then we score."