by Adam Grice

Doncaster Rovers FC came away from Kenilworth Road with a point as they played Luton Town. The 1 - 1 draw left Rovers in sixteenth place in League One. James Hayter scored first for the Rovers after 26 minutes, but Paul Furlong equalised for Luton just before the hour mark with a diving header. Despite the draw, the Rovers manager felt happy with his team's performance.

"I thought that we were bright and played some good football, especially in the first half. We stood up to the aerial bombardment in the second half, a few walking wounded, there were a few tackles flying around. I don't know how many people got booked but we try to play football and I suppose that's the price that you have to pay sometimes."

The Rovers manager felt that the team had many chances to win the match including a few penalty claims that we waived away by the referee.

"Yes, there were a couple of penalty decisions that we will have to look at on the video. Matthew Spring hand-balled it on the line to clear it and then Stephen Roberts got smashed in the box, then James Hayter getting pulled down. I don't know if it was a difficult game well refereed or a poor game badly refereed."

O'Driscoll stated after the defeat against Walsall the previous Tuesday that the poor performance was a one-off. However the Rovers manager felt that there was little difference between what his team did at the Keepmoat, to what they did at Kenilworth Road.

"We didn't do anything different to be honest. We had one or two injuries in the second half and that disjointed us a little bit. But you know that they are going to get at us in the first half and try and dominate possession - play some good football. But, if they get that amount of balls into the box you have just got to hope that one does not fall to their top striker."

James Hayter undeniably deserved his goal, but Sean O'Driscoll highlights that a striker's movement off the ball, is just as important as his ability with it - and notes that he has been pleased with his record-signing's work rate.

"I think all strikers need goals, with Paul Heffernan it's the same, but it's his performance off of the ball that he gives you week in week out. He works his socks off and he is always a threat and if you can add twenty goals to that then you can play at a high level."

One of a couple of changes to the Rovers squad saw Steve Roberts start the game in a back 5. However, the defender took a nasty knock to his ankle in the second half and this resulted in him been substituted.

"He got a kick, right at the top of his foot. He's had problems with that ankle before, but he stiffened up and was playing a key part in the middle of the three. Then, he started to lose a yard and they were getting balls in between us. He had to come off."

The extra day this week before the Huddersfield game gives the injured players an extra day to recover from their knocks. Despite that, the Doncaster Rovers gaffer believes that only one man in the treatment room will return for the clash against the West Yorkshire side.

"We have one or two with ice packs on at this minute, so the extra day gives us more of an even chance. I think that Martin Woods is the only one who will get a good weeks training coming back from his hamstring injury. Mark McCammon will be touch and go."