Doncaster Rovers talking points from Bradford City as winger moves up list amid good response

Here, we look at four talking points to emerge from the Yorkshire derby:

Good response

After a tough day at the office against Walsall, this was a much-improved showing from Rovers.

They showed purpose and rolled their sleeves up to frustrate the vast majority of the Valley Parade crowd for long periods. The game plan, as Grant McCann alluded to post-match, almost worked a treat but for Tyler Smith's instinctive finish six minutes from time.

Whilst the lack of killer instinct will annoy McCann, he'll no doubt look back on this performance with plenty of pride. He'll also be hoping it's the start of another unbeaten mini-run as they look to end a turbulent campaign on a brighter note.

Questionable officiating

Not only were nine players shown a yellow card by referee Leigh Doughty but both McCann and his opposite number Graham Alexander were also cautioned. Both men aired their frustration at the performance of the man in the middle and both spoke of how the officiating ruined the flow of the contest.

Speaking to the Free Press, McCann said: "I'd imagine this is a difficult place to referee, especially when Bradford are getting beat. The fans are getting on top of you and they can be a little intimidating at times. But it just felt like that in the first half, for both teams, that any tackle was a booking."

Old boy curse strikes again

For the second game running a former Doncaster Rovers player netted against them. On Saturday is was Walsall's Mo Faal and at Valley Parade it was the turn of erstwhile Rovers loanee Smith.

He finished smartly to ensure spoils were shared and for McCann it came as little surprise: "I know Tyler, I've signed him twice. That's what he does. We have to be marking people like that."

Winger's aim

Luke Molyneux marked a return to the fold after missing out at Walsall and capped an impressive performance with his fifth goal of the season.

Those of a Bradford persuasion will argue that his strike on the stroke of half-time should have been chalked out for offside, but Molyneux did what all forwards are taught to do and played to the whistle, applying a crisp finish into the bottom-corner.

For the 25-year-old it bumps him up to second in Rovers' list of top scorers - and he says the aim is to continue to add to his tally in the remaining 11 games.

"That's the aim," said Molyneux. "Me and Gloves (Lee Glover, first team coach) had a chat about it last Thursday about stats and stuff.

"We spoke about goals and how many I can get before the end of the season. We didn't put a figure on it but that's the aim - to get as many as I can."

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