Why Grant McCann's glass is half full as end of season comes into view for Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann insists his players can be proud of their efforts in the club's first year back in League One.
Rovers still have two games of the season left to play but have already secured their third tier status. Additionally, a top-half finish is still achievable for McCann's men, who have been in much-improved form this calendar year after experiencing a real wobble from September through to the New Year.
McCann was speaking after a chastening home defeat to Lincoln City - a result which saw the visitors clinch the League One title.
"It's a tough league and I know I've been critical at not being in a higher position in the league but I think our players can be really proud of what they've done this season, I really do," McCann reflected.
"Obviously the first port of call when you get up is to stay up and then see if you can get to the top half. From January onwards we've been really good in terms of our points tally.
"We've got to the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy which was a target of ours and we've had a decent run in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. So it's been a pretty good season on a whole. And I know I always want more and aim for the stars but sometimes you have to sit back and remember a lot of these boys are playing League One for the first time and they're only going to be better for this experience, with better personnel coming in to help them next year."
A notable trait of Lincoln's was the physical profile of their squad and the robust nature of their players, whether that be from set-pieces or in open play. McCann clearly admires the way the Imps have gone about their business this term and admits their approach has given him food for thought as he plots an improvement for Rovers next season.
"They reminded me a lot of us last season and I actually enjoyed watching them," he added. "There's lots for us to learn off. We're at a different level (than League Two) with better players and better physicality.
"What tonight showed me was Lincoln's players run and fight and every player they brought on got bigger and bigger. It was like land of the giants out there! But they can play as well.
"Every manager's different and their styles of play are different. It's not about me recruiting to how Lincoln play. What I'm saying is the physicality and running power of them stood out to me. We did that to teams last year and were physically better.
"But every level you go up, it gets better. And tonight highlighted that for me."