Saunders left to rue Doncaster’s missed opportunities at Palace

Rovers passed up a host of chances to take the lead and ended up needing a late equaliser from Chris Brown to cancel out Jermaine Easter’s strike and snatch a 1-1 draw.

A point was not enough to stop them dropping back to the foot of the Championship and games are now running out for Saunders’s side, who are four points from safety with seven games remaining.

The Rovers boss said: “It’s a disappointing result. We could have been 5-0 up after 15 minutes. I lost count of the chances we had.

“But for all the football we played what counts is what happens in each box and we didn’t do enough. It’s about results and we are making it harder for ourselves. That game was there for the taking.”

Unfortunately for Rovers, Frederic Piquionne showed why West Ham were happy to let him leave on loan.

Fabien Robert had already shot too close to Eagles goalkeeper Julian Speroni when Piquionne had a free header from Simon Gillett’s cross, six yards out in front of goal, but put his effort woefully wide.

Moments later Robert fed Piquionne in the Palace area but this time he could only prod the ball onto the foot of Speroni’s right-hand post.

In the end Rovers needed Brown, the former Sunderland trainee who was making only his second appearance of an injury-hit season, to make an immediate impression.

“Chris did great when he came on and that’s what you want, your substitutes to have an impact,” added Saunders.

Hull City manager Nick Barmby conceded Portsmouth were the better side on Tuesday night as the Tigers slipped to a third successive defeat.

He said: “We were not good enough and they wanted it more than us. I apologise to the fans who made the long trip down. It was not us so I am disappointed.

“It is not over and we are still in with a chance (of the play-offs) so we will keep fighting. We will never give it up. Whoever is in the team I expect them to give a performance and win.”