'We seemed to shrink in confidence' - Andy Butler left with plenty to address after Doncaster Rovers' defeat at Oxford United

Rovers started brightly but conceded the first goal after 19 minutes to Matty Taylor.

And by half time they were 3-0 down with Taylor scoring again and Olamide Shodipo also finding the net.

Butler felt all three goals were preventable and believed the youthfulness of his squad on the day may have played a part in their lack of fight before the break.

“I thought we started quite bright but once they got the first goal we seemed to shrink a bit in confidence which is something we’ve got to address,” he said.

“All three goals were avoidable.

“In the second half we huffed and puffed but never really threatened. They looked comfortable at 3-0.

“I look at the average age of the squad today and it was very young.

“Sometimes when youngsters take a hit to their confidence it takes them a while to bounce back.

“But at the same time we’ve got experienced players there to help them.

“I just think we lost some key one v one battles today. I won’t name names but that cost us.

“I think in any game if you have individual mistakes it’s going to cost you.

“It’s about how we move on now. We stay level headed and we look to put it right in the next game.

“We’re in a great position. We’ve got players coming back into the squad and that will strengthen us.”

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