Rovers came crashing down to earth with a bang in last night's Carling Cup tie at Notts County after getting the newly-promoted side's Championship campaign got off to a winning start at Derby.

The Magpies, who got better the longer the game went on, scored the only goal at the start of the second period of extra time to record a 1-0 win.

"You have got to give County some credit," said a clearly disappointed O'Driscoll.

"They changed the way they played and got everybody behind the ball and it was back to the old question of whether we could break them down.

"You can get frustrated trying to do it - especially if it is not quite your night and it doesn't quite come off.

"If you get a team that is playing at home and get more confident the longer the game goes on, and we get bit more desperate and we are trying to say be nice and patient, it is difficult.

"In a bizarre way we did actually quite well to keep the score at 0-0 as long as we did because we weren't playing well enough to forge our way in front.

"I could have ranted and raved in the dressing-room but the players wanted answers, but there were no answers.

"It is part and parcel of football and you've got the take it on the chin.

"Nobody is looking for excuses, we didn't play well enough to win. Everybody is culpable - the staff as well as the players. But we'll regroup and carry on. There is nothing else that we can do.

"We've not gone out and deliberately played poorly. I thought there was a lot of effort. I don't think we can criticise their attitude and determination.

"But we lacked a bit of know- how and a little bit of confidence and that can disappear as quickly as it comes.

"We prepared exactly the same as we did on Saturday at Derby, although we made changes.

"We need a strong squad in the Championship so tonight's game was an opportunity for people to come in and get some time under their belt."

Said County boss Ian McParland: "It was a fantastic win. We changed the team a bit and changed our shape a bit because they play a 4-3-3 and they play it very well.

"I just thought that if we played a 4-4-2, they would have passed us off the field.

"Sean O'Driscoll's teams always play good passing football but I thought that we matched them tonight.

"I was wanting to keep Hilton and Hamshaw for Saturday but I felt we had a sniff of winning and the other lads were tiring a little bit so we stuck them on and we got a win which is massive for the club.

"It is the first goal that Myles has scored for us.

"He always threatens and it is time that he stopped threatening and got himself among the goals."

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