Tactical nous will ensure survival – O’Driscoll

SEAN O’Driscoll has called on his side to show more tactical discipline during the end-of-season run-in to ensure they avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight.

Preston substitute Paul Hayes grabbed an 80th-minute equaliser to cancel out Brian Stock’s opener and prevent Doncaster from adding much-needed breathing space between themselves and the drop zone.

O’Driscoll said that his side were too open during a game that included 42 shots on goal.

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“We’ve got to be more defensively sound. We were far too open,” said O’Driscoll, whose side are eight points clear of third-bottom Scunthorpe with five games to go. “We committed basic errors and got away with it.

“We created enough chances to win it and conceded enough to lose it.”

The two points dropped mean they will have to keep one eye looking over their shoulders at the teams beneath them.

“We’d like to have sprinted over the line 10 games ago,” added O’Driscoll, whose side visit Hull City on Saturday. “It looks like we’re going to inch our way along.

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“We walked off the pitch after losing to Cardiff having ticked all the boxes and not got anything.

“Here we ticked half the boxes and got a point. It’s a strange game, football.”

One positive Doncaster can take from the result is that they have brought an end to a run of three league defeats which resulted in their slide down the table.

Adel Taarabt’s first-minute goal gave QPR all three points at Barnsley and brought them another step closer to being crowned champions. Ten points now separate Neil Warnock’s side from their closest challengers Cardiff City.

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The game meant far more to the champions-in-waiting than Barnsley, who went close through Jacob Butterfield late on.

The Reds are 13 points clear of relegation and 14 from the play-offs with five games left.

Tykes manager Mark Robins said he was disappointed with his team’s inability to finish off chances.

“We got the ball into the box well but didn’t have enough movement to put the ball into the net,” he said.

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“We had most of the possession (on Tuesday) and that’s going to show in the stats.

“I was pleased with everything we did except sticking the ball in the back of the net.

“They’re the leaders and probably the champions and they made it difficult for us.”

Tony Mowbray praised Middlesbrough’s performance despite letting a two-goal lead slip at Ipswich.

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“Would I have taken a point before the game? Probably,” said Mowbray after goals from Connor Wickham and Grant Leadbitter cancelled out a 3-1 lead.

“We tired at the death but credit to Ipswich who refused to be beaten.”