'It was an experience' - Doncaster Rovers boss talks first taste of behind-closed-doors football

Rovers played their first match of the 2020/21 season under Covid-19 related restrictions and in front of empty stands at Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park - albeit with crowd noise piped into the stadium by the hosts.

And Moore was pleased with the performance as Rovers pushed Blackburn all the way in a 3-2 defeat.

“It was an experience for us all,” Moore said.

“The projected crowd noise into the stadium is very different.

“Credit to the players for playing at the tempo and the rhythm they did because you have to generate your own atmosphere and generate the mentality.

“Maybe in a full ground or when there’s fans there, automatically that is generated and the adrenaline is going.

“But I felt they needed to generate it themselves.

“On first experiences, they’ll grow into it as weeks go on.”

The matchday was far from normal for Rovers, with the players travelling to Lancashire in their own cars rather than the team coach, while only the starting XI were permitted to change in the main dressing room.

He said: “Landing at the ground, the different procedures and where you’ve got to be, segregating in different rooms together, in bits and pieces to keep limited numbers and keep the distance - it was all new.

“You have your team talk, you’re in and out quickly to stay within the guidelines.

“They’re all different but they will become the norm.”

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