Cardiff City v Doncaster Rovers: Ben Close on how Rovers must bounce back

Tuesday was a bad time for a three-match winning run to come to an end given Rovers are at league leaders Cardiff City this weekend. And manager Grant McCann was especially scathing about the manner of the performance in the 2-0 defeat.

"There was a lot of disappointment in the changing room but we've got to put it right and get ready for the weekend," said Close, who came on as a substitute for George Broadbent against Stockport and will hope to replace him again in Cardiff with the midfielder suspended for his fifth booking this season.

"I think when you look at the performances over the last five, six games, we need to focus on that as well – remember what we've done well and try and take that into the weekend.

"We have to feel it and realise it wasn't good enough and not just look at the good performances recently and just think we'll be all right. We've got to make sure we put it right on Saturday.

"You can't be disappointed for too long, but you have to feel that disappointment and almost let that drive you for the next game.

"Lads are desperate to put it right and we don't want to feel like that on Saturday and Sunday.

"We'll remember what we've done well recently and take that into the game in the back of our minds to drive us to perform better than we did on Tuesday."

Close is confident his team-mates will react well.

"I think we've got a set of lads that respond well and we'll all be doing the best we can for the next few days to perform on Saturday," he said.

"The group is an excellent group, really good lads. There's no one that doesn't want the best for each other – big personalities, big characters. We've proved that in the last couple of years.

"The trust and belief in each other is absolutely there. The relationships are there on and off the pitch.

"Teams have bad nights and we've got to make sure that's a bad night, not (the start of) a bad run."

McCann has no fresh injuries to compound Broadbent’s ban.