Rovers 0 Shrewsbury 1: Post-match reaction from Darren Ferguson

Doncaster Rovers paid a costly price for not scoring when they were on top against Shrewsbury Town, said Darren Ferguson after his side's 1-0 defeat.
Darren FergusonDarren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson

“It was a really disappointing result in what we knew was a huge game,” said Rovers’ boss.

“In the first half we were good. We just probably needed that goal and to go ahead.

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“The momentum shifted a little bit at the start of the second half and they started to win more second balls.

“We were dominant in the first half but the goal we conceded was awful.

“The start of the second half was not what I wanted because they came out with a clear intent to start doing the nitty gritty.

“We were doing that side of it well, we were aggressive and we were the dominant team. We needed to really score in the first half.

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“Having said that, if we’d performed like we did in the first half in the second half we probably would’ve won it.

“We’re finding it difficult to sustain a 90 minute performance at the moment.”

Ferguson stood by his team selection - which included benching top scorer Andy Williams.

He said: “Andy’s fully aware that he’s lacking a bit of confidence at the moment.

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“I picked a team that was young and full of energy and we showed that in the first half. I thought we were really good.

“Gooch, in particular, was a real handful for them.

“Riccardo [Calder] did well. Given the circumstances, with it being his debut, I thought his temperament was good. Plus he could’ve had a penalty in the first half.

“The players that I left out understood the situation and their attitude was excellent.

“I had a difficult choice between Evina and Taylor-Sinclair, going back to the back four.

“But I felt it was the right time to go back to the four and get Butts [Andy Butler] back into the team.”