'Don't settle for silver' - Louis Jones on his mantra and settling into life as Doncaster Rovers' number one

His introduction to life as the number one for Doncaster Rovers has been a whirlwind one so Louis Jones has appreciated the chances to reflect which the last week has afforded.
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The Thorne-born goalkeeper made his league debut for Rovers four weeks ago, yet already has seven League One appearances under his belt.

With no midweek fixtures last week and this, Jones has had the opportunity to look back on what he has produced so far.

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Rather than resting up, the 22-year-old has been focused on ensuring his mentality is correct.

Louis Jones makes an excellent save from MK Dons' Will Grigg. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIXLouis Jones makes an excellent save from MK Dons' Will Grigg. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIX
Louis Jones makes an excellent save from MK Dons' Will Grigg. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIX

And he believes his own personal mantra of ‘never settle for silver’ needs to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds as Rovers look to redress their decline in form.

“This week has given me a real opportunity to reset my mind and refocus,” he told the Free Press. “Copps has spoken about mentality and I’ve spoken about it with him.

“It’s a big part of my game that I’ve really worked on.

“We’ve spoken about it before but I’ve had setbacks. I think it allowed me to refocus and for everyone I would say that you should never settle for silver.

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“That is the mentality that we’ve got to have. You should always try to be the best.

“That is what this week has allowed me to look at myself and think about it, looking back at the game and thinking was I at my best?

“You could see on Saturday [at MK Dons] that I played maybe one of my best games. I still want to keep improving. There is never an end goal.”

As a learning experience, it has been an intense few weeks for the academy graduate.

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“I feel I’ve done all right,” he said. “I think every game there has been something different to pick out.

“Gillingham are so direct so you’re going to be exposed and you want to come out and be commanding more.

“At MK Dons I thought I came out well. I punched one almost near the edge of the box which is what I want. I definitely want to improve and be more commanding.

“Every game is so different and if you’re not mentally on every part of your game, you get exposed.

“I’ve done all right but I think you can always improve.”

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