Doncaster Rovers manager Sean O'Driscoll has admitted that he knew that the second half of the home clash against Walsall was going to be challenging.

"To be fair, I called it at half-time," O'Driscoll told Rovers World.

"I said to the lads in the break that it was either going to be a rout or a difficult 45 - and it proved to be a very difficult 45. That's probably the first time - since I have been here - that the players have let me down. We lost our discipline, lost our shape and we saw foul after foul after foul. Any foul that we conceded came straight into our box and caused us problems. I was extremely disappointed - then you get your most experienced player doing something silly in the penalty area, which costs you the game."

The game was an undeniable different two halves of football. The first period saw Rovers play some beautiful, fluid football - with the side unable to make any mark in the second.

"The game was won at half time. We got caught up after the tackle on Mark Wilson, which on any other day could have been a red card. We then got into the game before conceding another stupid foul. I think Mark Wilson tries to retaliate and then they play a ball into the box, with Mooney conning Matthew Mills into a foul. From that, we conceded a goal. We then did well to get back into it and at half time, like I said, the game was won. We needed to keep our discipline; keep doing what we were doing - and we didn't. It then went from bad to worse. We conceded a silly goal and a silly penalty, which allowed them to win it. In addition to that, we lost perhaps our most influential player in injury time and now we are going to miss Guy for two games for what I assume to be foul and abusive language. It's another thing of looking at it from both ends of the scale; an experienced player losing their discipline and a young player losing their discipline."

Many Rovers supporters may also lay responsibility for the outcome with referee Michael Jones. The game saw many dubious fouls given and the amount of cards produced was not characteristic of a League One encounter. However, the Doncaster Rovers manager says that none of the blame can be held with the official.

"Can the referee be blamed? Blamed for what? Losing our discipline?" O'Driscoll replied to the question put forward.

"I don't think that you can blame the referee for anything. I am more concerned about the players and how they react. We need to deal with referees and they give things honestly - they don't come here to cheat anybody. We need to deal with them and if they don't; they pay the consequences. Like I said, that is the first time that the players have let me down and that was the worst 45 since I have been here. We lost everything. They went from looking like a side that could have scored 4 or 5 to a side that didn't look as if they wanted to play."

Despite the result and the manager's views on the evening's performance, Sean O'Driscoll is optimistic that the performance can be passed as a one-off.

"Hopefully, tonight was a one-off. That's the first 45 that the players have played like that. It's not as if the players have been playing like that week in, week out. I think that a few of them have got to look at themselves and see Luton as a great place to go and get three points and push up the League. We have two difficult away games coming up and we could have done half the job, really. When the wheels come off at Doncaster - they really come off."

James Coppinger came on as a substitute at the beginning of the second half in place of Paul Heffernan.

"He just got a groin strain. He was touch and go as to whether we put him back out, but we thought that the game was won and if he had gone back out and pulled it completely - then he could have been out for a long time. We just felt that it was prudent to take him off. He will now miss the game against Luton Town, as will Lewis; so we're going to be short of bodies. I'm still confident at Luton that we could bounce back and perhaps even emulate Walsall. They were out of it and came into the second half and got stuck in."