Silent coach journey, rattled cages and a vow - the fallout from Doncaster Rovers' nightmare Easter

As if a limp 3-0 defeat wasn't bad enough, the fact that it occurred away at Exeter City only added to the sense of frustration.

That morphed into anger from some quarters of the travelling support down in Devon with expletives and other verbal criticisms hurled the way of manager Grant McCann and his charges. Safe to say then that the mammoth journey back up to South Yorkshire was far from a pleasant one.

"I was pretty quiet to the players after the game. The only words I said to them was 'get in the shower and get on the bus'," McCann said, as he had the final word on a chastening setback against a side whose previous win was way back in January.

"It was the quietest bus journey I've ever had on the way home. I don't think anyone spoke to anyone, including the staff. It was so quiet and flat. I didn't really sleep too well Monday, either."

McCann, whose side had lost 2-0 to Mansfield just 72 hours prior to the Exeter defeat, admits to dishing out a rollicking upon everyone's return to the training ground on Tuesday morning. "I came in angry and probably said a few things that - maybe not that I regret - but that were probably close to the bone. But I think it was needed," he adds.

"The players know how I felt after the second half of Mansfield and the lack of any aggression or intensity against Exeter. We went through the game with a fine toothcomb. I'm hoping they've realised that they're not at a club that wants to stand still. We've moved forward ever since we came to the club and the last thing we want is to take a step back.

"It was interesting that after that meeting the players who hadn't played at Exeter went out and some hit top speeds that they've never hit before this season. That gave me an indication that I've rattled a few cages which is what was needed to be done."

Regarding the vocal chants aimed at him and his players post-match at St James Park, McCann is thankful that it has not been a regular occurrence since he returned to the DN4 hotseat for a second time in the summer of 2023. Not that that makes it any less painful: "I said to the players that the last time I remember being booed off and being told 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' was Notts County away (December 2023).

"But it's never nice and it's not something we want to make a habit of because we've worked so hard to put the club back in this division. And we've had an up-and-down season and realistically it was probably to be expected, given it's our first time back at the level. It's been a season of learning really but what we need to do is attack the league next year and get to a place where we want to be."

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the Easter losses for McCann was that the tepid showings came after his players were given a long weekend off, allowing them rare time off during a tireless campaign. Safe to say that is unlikely to be happening any time soon.

He added: "After the Port Vale game they had some days off. So my message before they went away was to make sure they came back ready to finish strong. Now I don't know if there's some in the changing room who thought 'well we're safe so I can take it easy for the next few days' and come back and turn it on like a tap. It's not as easy as that. It's just not. It probably won't happen again (time off) but we need to get back to the levels we've showed.

"Training was good (since Exeter) but it's always good. Now it's about performing well on the pitch. We want to go and put on a performance on Saturday against Reading where our fans can clap us off the pitch instead of booing us."