Doncaster Rovers: Ferguson stresses importance of getting back on the horse against Grimsby Town

“Once you’ve had a defeat you’ve got to make sure you get a good result in the following game,” said Ferguson, whose Doncaster Rovers side saw their four-game winning run end in defeat at Plymouth Argyle last weekend.

“Whenever you suffer a defeat the important thing about the next game is to win it.

“It’s not so much about the performance, it’s just to win against Grimsby on Saturday.

“Then you hope you go on a little run again. That’s really what we’ve been focusing on.”

He added: “It’s a big game because we need to get back to winning ways.

“We start early (12.30pm) so psychologically we can get those three points to take us back to the top.

“It’s the last game at home before Christmas and the New Year so it’s a big game for everybody at the club.”

Grimsby arrive at the Keepmoat Stadium with just one win from their last nine games in all competitions, which came at Plymouth.

“I saw them against Plymouth and they were full of energy that day and deserved the win,” said Ferguson.

“They’ve got a really key player in Omar Bogle because he’s a striker that’s in form and scoring goals.

“When you’ve got that, you’ve always got a chance, so we’ve obviously got to be aware of that.

“They’ve got other good players at this level and they’re a threat from set pieces, long throws and second balls.

“We’ll have to cope with that side of things.”