Tommy Rowe praises Gary McSheffrey for impact made prior to landing Doncaster Rovers job on a permanent basis

McSheffrey took charge of four matches on a caretaker basis following the sacking of Richie Wellens but now has been handed the reins permanently, signing a one-year rolling contract.

Rovers U16 boss Frank Sinclair, who assisted McSheffrey during his time as caretaker, is expected to join him on a permanent basis also.

And Rowe says the pair have made an impact on the squad.

“Together they work really well,” he told the Free Press after Monday’s defeat to Sunderland.

“I know they’ve joked about being good cop, bad cop.

“Frank is really an organiser and you could see that on the defensive side of things that he had as a player. He brings a lot of communication.

“With Gaz, you can see he’s very settled and calm with his thoughts and the way he speaks.

“He sees things that the players might not see and if we can identify that before the game or at half time, it really helps.

“I think we found that against Oxford and Shrewsbury as well - just little key things that have helped the group at times when we needed them.

“I think we had against Sunderland after half time but they nullified it by scoring straight away.

“We had come out and you could see a bit more intent from us. The communication from the manager and Frank has helped us.

“And I think it will over the next run of games.

“Together they work well and with this group they communicate well so it’s been a real positive.”

Rowe says Rovers must quickly put to bed Monday’s 3-0 defeat at Sunderland and focus on picking up vital points against relegation rivals Morecambe and Fleetwood Town in their next two matches.

“Forget is a word that doesn’t sit right with some fans and some players find it hard to forget about these games,” he said.

“But I’ve always said with the balance of football that you have to sit in the middle about taking things on board about the performance you put in but also understanding that it’s just one game.

“Where you go from that game and how you analyse things is what is important.”

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