'There'll be big demands' - Doncaster Rovers boss lays down gauntlet to players in bid to bounce back

Relegated Rovers endured a miserable campaign in League One as they struggled for goals and leaked them at the other end.

The majority of last season’s squad remain under contract and McSheffrey’s summer rebuild will be more a case of evolution rather than revolution.

But Rovers’ young manager says he will be setting the bar high in terms of demands on his players as he aims to transform the club’s ailing fortunes.

And he has challenged Rovers’ inconsistent and underperforming players to step up to the plate.

The Free Press put it to McSheffrey that the squad requires more of a transformation following such a poor campaign.

"We can't have a complete overhaul because financially we're not just going to pay up ten players and say you can leave,” he said.

"We've got to work with them and the bulk of them are good players.

"We know the goal targets you need in that league to get promoted so there are going to be key messages and key roles and responsibilties for the players and the units in the team.

"The goals we want from strikers and from wide men, it'll be big numbers.

"We're going to demand goals from midfield and we're going to demand goals from centre backs from set plays.

"So there'll be big demands on players and big targets set that they have to hit for us to bounce back.

"We might have to tweak one or two, or get a good few additions in on loan that will give us those extra bits of quality,” he added.

“But in terms of the lads here some of them will definitely have to up their game and some of them will have to keep going and doing what they've been doing.

"There's about five or six them did well quite consistently [last season] and we challenge the others to step up to the plate."

Rovers scored 37 goals in League One last season. Forest Green Rovers, promoted as champions from League Two, scored 75.

Tommy Rowe finished as top scorer with nine goals last term and right back Kyle Knoyle topped the assists chart with five.

Forwards Joe Dodoo, Reo Griffiths, Jordy Hiwula and Kieran Agard, who all remain under contract, netted four, two, one and zero league goals respectively.

National World journalist expected more than 'four or five' signings at Doncaster Rovers following relegation to League Two