'Terrific at times' - Cliff Byrne's assessment of Doncaster Rovers' performance against Rochdale

It was Jersey Mike’s delight for Doncaster Rovers, who came back from behind to secure a thumping 4-1 victory away at Rochdale.

There was nine changes made from the team that were hammered by MK Dons on Saturday, with Brandon Hanlan marking his return to the starting lineup with his first goal this season, in an evening which also saw Alfie May, Owen Bailey and Isaac Hutchinson all add to their tallies for the season.

Cliff Byrne said: “At the start, we wanted to secure our place in the next round. I think the level of the performance tonight was terrific at times. It was exhilarating. I know we didn’t have many fans in the stadium tonight but the ones that were here I think will appreciate that.”

Rovers came from behind to secure the victory, marking the first time the team has managed that across all competitions since beating Rotherham United on derby day back in February. Sean Grehan was at fault for Rochdale’s opener in a challenging evening for the young defender, who was replaced by Owen Bailey at half-time.

He added: “We did conceded from an error and our behalf and we got punished for it. I think over the course of the game we had a lot of control and we showed in particular during the second-half a lot of calmness in the top end of the pitch, which resulted in the four goals.”

Reflecting on his team’s spirit along with the first-half error, Byrne added: “We ask the players to play a particular way and we give them autonomy within that to be flexible within the guidelines of how we like to play. Sometimes mistakes can happen and it’s important that we don’t be overly critical because we want players to take opportunites and we want them to be risk takers as well.

“It’s important that the whole group contribute and I think we’ve seen that tonight.”