Grant McCann on Doncaster Rovers' 'basketball' draw at Salford City + update on injured trio

Doncaster Rovers chief Grant McCann felt his side's 1-1 draw at Salford City on Tuesday night resembled a basketball game.

Rovers had to make do with a point with Rob Street's strike cancelled out by Luke Garbutt's free-kick. Both sides ventured forward in the second half but spoils were ultimately shared.

The result does little to improve Rovers' top-three hopes - they're now level on points with third-placed Walsall and with just four games left.

Speaking post-match at the Peninsula Stadium, McCann said: "I thought it was a good advert really for the league but we're not about adverts at the minute, we're here to win football matches.

"I can't fault the boys' application and attitude all night. We started strong, scored but then we concede and it went abit away from us then. I felt second half it turned into a wee bit of a basketball game. They attack, we attack. And I enjoy games like that but I enjoy it more when my team scores.

"But we just made wrong decisions and moments didn't go our way and we have to improve on that in the last four games.

"I knew Tom Garbutt is good at free-kicks but it goes through the wall and through Ted (Sharman-Lowe) and it's a cheap goal to concede. But we rallied, kept going and created moments but not enough for me and we have to better with our end product. I'm annoyed, not frustrated, that we didn't take those moments."

McCann was without three senior players for the game against Karl Robinson's side: centre-halves Richard Wood and Jay McGrath and striker Joe Ironside. Issuing an update on the trio, he added: "Woody's a tricky one. We'll play it day by day as he's still feeling his ankle. He's in excruciating pain so we'll see how he is.

Rovers' players react during their draw at Salford. Picture Bruce Rollinson/AHPIX LTD.placeholder image
Rovers' players react during their draw at Salford. Picture Bruce Rollinson/AHPIX LTD.

"Joe and Jay saw a specialist yesterday just to try and free up the nerve feelings they're both feeling around their groin area. We're hoping the injections they've had this week will help them be available for Friday (Tranmere). We'll just take it day by day."

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