'Things take time' - Long-serving Doncaster Rovers player reflects on team's mindset change
Long-serving Doncaster Rovers man Tom Anderson believes that the team has come on leaps and bounds since this time last year.
After seven games last season Rovers had just two points on the board. Flash forward and last weekend's eventful draw at MK Dons means Grant McCann's men are up to the respectable tally of 13 from their first seven, with the team firmly in the play-off conversation at this early juncture.
After a superb second half of the campaign last time out, Rovers defender Anderson can see vast improvements as they bid to go one better in 2024-25 after play-off heartache in May.
"Things take time. Things don't happen overnight," the centre-half told Radio Sheffield after the 1-1 draw at Stadium MK, where he netted the equaliser in a game that saw both teams finish with ten men.
Rovers' red card saw Harry Clifton harshly sent off after two bookings inside the opening ten minutes. But a resilient effort saw them fight back to earn a share of the spoils.
"Last year we know it wasn't good enough. In the end we put it right but unfortunately just fell short and that's what football is sometimes. You have to keep sticking at it, doing the basics right and stay as a team and that's what we've done.
"It's about character and resilience. Last season we might have gone on to lose this game 2-0 or 3-0 but now we've stayed in it and got something we deserved."
The result went some way to atoning for the shock loss at Harrogate in their previous fixture.
Anderson added: "It's always important after a loss to bounce back. Generally if you take care of the performance then normally the result will come. It's vital after that little setback that we get back on it and train as hard as we can every day because that's what it takes."
Rovers are back at home on Tuesday night when they face Manchester United's under-21s in the second of their three Bristol Street Motors Trophy group games. Kick-off is at 7pm.