Grant McCann criticises Doncaster’s lack of fighting spirit after Wimbledon loss
Posted Sunday, November 12, 2023 by PA
Doncaster manager Grant McCann hit out at a lack of fighting spirit within the dressing room as his side slumped to a 2-0 League Two defeat at nine-man AFC Wimbledon.
An Ali Al Hamadi double condemned the visitors to their ninth defeat of the season as he poked the ball home on the stroke of half-time before firing into the top corner in the 63rd minute.
Rovers came into the game in fine form, having won three of their last four in the league but McCann admitted their performance at Plough Lane was a far cry from their recent output – citing his players’ mentality as key to their downfall.
“At half-time, I just felt the changing room was really quiet,” he said.
“The only one that was speaking was Tom Anderson and that’s when I knew, ‘have they got a comeback in them here’?
“We have got good boys in there, good characters and we’re at risk of sounding overly aggressive here.
“When you’re losing away from home, you need a wee bit of knowhow about you – you need people to stand up and grab one or two if they’re not doing it.
“We didn’t see that today. It’s almost like it was accepted that we never had a shot today. I don’t even think we had a shot to test the keeper.
“For me, that’s not good enough at all. The team didn’t play to the level we can do today.”
Dons manager Johnnie Jackson was comparatively chuffed with his side’s display, putting an end to their five-game winless streak in the league.
With victory taking them within touching distance of the play-off places, Jackson has insisted that his side – while aiming high – would not get carried away.
“The target is to try and keep winning games and keep progressing as far as we can in every cup,” Jackson said. “We want to win every game.
“But it’s important that you don’t panic in the moments where it isn’t going so well.
“You’ve seen how tight the league is. If you lose a game, you drop a few places.
“We just need to keep trying to put in performances, get what we deserve from those and stay in and around it.”
Despite the convincing result, the Dons would end the game with nine men, after Hus Biler and Omar Bugiel were both handed second yellow cards towards the tailend of the contest.
With Wimbledon staring down the barrel of a hectic festive period, Jackson emphasised the need to utilise the entirety of his squad.
“We’re at a time, when you get into the winter months, when you need everyone,” Jackson added.
“It’s been a good week for us because everyone’s played a part – whatever role, whatever competition.
“They’re ready to step up and obviously it’s an opportunity now for two more lads because we’re going to have two suspended.”
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