Grant McCann hails Doncaster’s patience in victory over 10-man Chesterfield

Doncaster manager Grant McCann said his team had to be patient in what he described as a “tough game” as they came from behind to beat Chesterfield 2-1 in the FA Cup second round.

Jack Senior’s last-minute goal saw Doncaster progress to the third round after Owen Bailey had cancelled out Lee Bonis’ opener in the first half.

Chesterfield played with 10 men for the final half-an-hour after substitute John Fleck was sent off following a high challenge just six minutes after coming on.

McCann said: “It was a tough game, it always is here. I think it was a bit nip and tuck, but ultimately the sending-off changed the course of the game because it actually made it tougher for us.

“I felt, as it does against 10 men, where they sit in and probably the last 15-20 minutes were more like a 5-3-1, which is difficult to break down.

“But we do a lot of this sort of stuff in training and it’s about being patient and keep moving the ball side to side.


“It was an excellent finish to win us the game.”

Chesterfield coach Gary Roberts felt the dismissal was the turning point in the tie.

“I thought 11 v 11, I thought we were the better team,” he said. “We felt quite comfortable in the game. We’ve conceded two goals with 10 men on the pitch.

“I think the game has changed on the decision. I haven’t seen it back so I can’t really comment too much on the tackle, but he seemed quite confident it was a red card and I think it just changed the game.

“I didn’t think it was a bad, I just thought it was a yellow card. Eleven v 11, I thought it was one of our best performances for a while.”