Grant McCann happy to see Doncaster get monkey off back in Accrington win

Posted Sunday, August 11, 2024 by PA

Grant McCann admits Doncaster have already hit a milestone this season after an opening day 4-1 victory over Accrington.

Rovers secured their first home win on the opening day of a campaign for two decades courtesy of Luke Molyneux’s brace and goals from Jordan Gibson and Billy Sharp.

McCann, who wants Rovers fighting for promotion in League Two, had reminded his players of the statistic in the build-up.

He said: “I told the boys about it because I wasn’t aware of it before being told by a couple of people around the club and it surprised me a bit.

“The boys had given James Coppinger a bit of stick about it.

“You want to get off to a good start. I think back to last year and we just didn’t get the rub of the green, missed chances we should have taken. So to start with three points, it’s nice.”

Molyneux gave Rovers the lead late in the first half and McCann admitted the goal had softened his half-time team talk – which he regretted after Accrington equalised two minutes into the second period through Tyler Walton’s well-taken header.

But Molyneux scored again, with Gibson and Sharp also netting to give Rovers a comfortable win.

“I was probably a bit too nice at half-time,” McCann said.

“I wasn’t happy. Once we conceded I said to Cliff (Byrne, assistant) that I’d been a bit too calm.

“I know we scored quite late in the first half but I felt we were just a bit off with the things that we’re usually good at. But in the second half we came into it, grew into it after the goal and took the game away from them.”

Accrington manager John Doolan felt his side could take plenty of encouragement from doing ‘all the right things’ in the first half, before the sucker punch of conceding just before the break.

He said: “The game plan was working. We had a good game plan and probably surprised Doncaster with the way we played.

“The lads put a good shift in and everything was going right and then bang, we conceded on the stroke of half-time. Luke Molyneux pops up and does what he does, with a tap-in and then in the second half, a worldie.

“That goal was crucial, just before the break. We had done plenty of work on the opposition but Molyneux found himself in space, which we just can’t allow.

“We started the second half really well and Tyler Walton scored a great goal.

“The confidence started to grow for five or 10 minutes after that but then Molyneux comes in and puts one in the top corner which totally changes the game.

“We’ll stay together. We’ve got a good group with good togetherness.”