Why Doncaster Rovers were lucky to hold on for a draw against relegation-threatened Crawley Town

Danny Schofield admitted the game was 'must-win' for his side to keep their increasingly slim play-off hopes alive but they spent most of it camped inside their own half.

They were blunt in attack against a team with the division’s second leakiest defence and managed just one effort on target for the second game running.

Injury-depleted or not, that’s hard to justify, especially given the magnitude of the match.

Caolan Lavery's first goal for the club came against the run of play in first-half stoppage time but failed to inspire any attacking improvement after the break.

Schofield is managing a mini injury crisis yet was able to field a pretty strong starting XI, even if some players were lacking in match practice.

What they produced was more proof Doncaster are not good enough to mount a promotion challenge.

It's a sad reality most fans seem to have already accepted.

Many could excuse Saturday's display against a well-backed, star-studded Salford side.

The same can't be said of Tuesday.

Lowly Crawley were egged on as Rovers sat back and retreated deeper.

That gave a side fighting relegation belief, even after the sucker punch of conceding.

They didn’t pepper Doncaster’s goal but eventually got their reward and looked the more likely to win it, with the visitors incapable of a response.

‘Possession-based’ Rovers struggled to keep hold of the ball for longer than a few seconds at a time, underlining how poor they were going forward.

Lavery's first goal for the club was a positive but he had another tough night leading the line before and after his well-taken header.

His replacement, Kieran Agard, encountered the same problem. As has George Miller all season.

It should be said Doncaster defended well for large periods at the Broadfield Stadium. It was backs-against-the-wall stuff on a scrappy night.

There have been improvements at the back in recent weeks despite some individual errors.

But they remain lightweight and uninspiring in attack. Chance creation is a major issue.

Their two opportunities compared to Crawley’s 15 mean it’s perhaps a point gained. But Doncaster are going nowhere fast based on what we’ve seen for much of this season.

It could be a slog to the finish line.