Manager offers his thoughts following the Whites' midweek win at the Keepmoat Stadium
Dougie Freedman believes that Wanderers’ bright start in Tuesday evening’s 2-1 victory over Doncaster Rovers was crucial in the outcome of the game but also paid tribute to his side’s dogged determination to see out the result.
Goals from Neil Danns and Joe Mason inside the opening 15 minutes of the clash has Wanderers in a commanding position at the Keepmoat Stadium, with David Cotterill’s free-kick pulling the hosts back into contention with 18 minutes gone.
Despite a rally from the home side during the second period, the Whites held onto their early advantage to secure their second win in three days against Yorkshire opposition – a victory which Freedman admitted was fully deserved given their display.
“It was an excellent three points from a very tough game,” the manager said following the final whistle. “The way we started the game, imposed ourselves on Doncaster and created numerous chances – that is what has won us the three points.
“Credit to Doncaster, they adjusted and scored a wonderful goal which meant that we had to change the way we were playing to be more resilient in the second half.
“Towards the end, we had two glorious chances to have won the game by a few more goals and killed it off, but it was a deserved win and it was all about the first 25 minutes for me.”
With Wanderers missing the opportunity to extend their lead in the final stages of the clash, Freedman explained that although it was unfortunate that his side couldn’t put the result to bed, he was still pleased with their performance against a stubborn Doncaster outfit.
“We should’ve scored more goals but I can’t be too critical of the players because they played very well.”
He continued: “Doncaster are battling away for the manager and they won’t lie down until the 95th minute but we managed to take our chances still while defending our own box at the same time.
“Every game is a big game – a big game is when you have your fans paying to turn up at the Reebok and the way we’re playing right now, we’re looking forward to the game against Barnsley on Saturday.”