Doncaster Rovers lacking 'fight' as frustration intensifies for Danny Schofield with latest setback

Goals from Courtney Baker-Richardson and Connor O’Riordan secured a 2-0 win for Crewe Alexandra and left Rovers with a sixth defeat from their last nine outings.

The visitors took the lead after 31 minutes when Baker-Richardson latched onto a cross and drilled home from a tight angle.

The advantage was doubled six minutes later when Baker-Richardson headed a corner back across goal from the far post and O’Riordan nodded in from close range.

Doncaster lifted their tempo in the second half, with teenage striker Jack Goodman adding energy as he came off the bench for his first minutes in league football.

But their recent lack of form in front of goal continued with a Bobby Faulkner header and a Zain Westbrooke strike their only efforts of real note as they chased a comeback.

Schofield criticised his players’ physical competitiveness, which left them with a mountain to climb heading into the second half.

“It was a disappointing performance,” he said. “The first-half performance was nowhere near good enough. To come in at half-time 2-0 down was below the level we need to be in order to compete, never mind win games.

“In the second half I thought it was much improved but Crewe managed the game in terms of slowing the game down and putting the ball into certain areas which is understandable.

“We didn’t do enough in attack for the possession we had in the second half to get back into the game.

“We physically lost the game in terms of the individual physical capability of the players in duels – we didn’t sprint hard enough to balls, we didn’t get enough contacts or those explosive moments like passing and running in behind. Crewe were much better than us at that in the first half.

“The individual errors are disappointing but that physical aspect is the biggest concern for me.

“It’s down to the player to be as competitive as possible within his physical capabilities. We need to be able to win the duels, get body contact, sprint in behind and sprint back to recover.”

Doncaster Rovers: Mitchell, Olowu (Faulkner 19), Anderson, Nelson, Seaman, Ravenhill (Westbrooke 46), Close, Rowe (Barlow 84), Hurst, T Miller (Goodman 46), Molyneux. Unused substitutes: Agard, Degruchy, Bottomley.

Crewe Alexandra: Beadle, Mellor, O'Riordan, Offord, Adebisi (Robertson 56), Brook (Long 62), Tabiner (Nevitt 71), Thomas, Agyei, Ainley (Griffiths 71), Baker-Richardson. Unused substitutes: Richards, Colkett, Down.

Referee: Ross Joyce (Cleveland).