Joseph Oluwu finding his voice and his feet with Doncaster Rovers

For a relatively young professional early on in his career, the 2021-22 season has had its vicissitudes, but the defender – contracted at Rovers until the end of next season – is confident that he will be better for the experience and is going in the direction.

His resolute performance in Tuesday’s 1-0 home loss to Ipswich Town confirmed that and he also assumed a leadership role in a youthful back four in the second half in the absence of Ro-Shaun Williams.

He said: “Each one of us needs to be talking and communicating to those in front of us to get the right information to them because we can see the whole thing – that comes from the right-back, left-back and centre-halves.

“There’s a collective duty to help those in front of us and defend better and be more solid.

“We are getting bodies back in gradually and hopefully we can keep getting stronger and fitter and push on.

“We are a good group of boys and everyone gets along together and we have all got a job to do.

“I am trying to be vocal and have a presence and influence on the team I am gaining experience as the games go along. I am just a ‘sponge’, soaking as much information around me all up and trying to be a better player.”

Rovers’ latest home defeat – a sixth on the spot at the Keepmoat Stadium – means they have yet to win back-to-back league games this term, with the run stretching back to last March.

Olowu added: “You have got to give credit where it is due (to Ipswich). But we, as a team, should have been a bit better and in how we wanted to take the game from them and not let them dictate.

“We cannot take our foot off the gas and expect one good performance to roll into the others. That is not going to happen to us.”