Doncaster's injury troubles mount up as O'Driscoll has lack of options

DONCASTER ROVERS manager Sean O'Driscoll has revealed the club's injury crisis extended to the bench on Tuesday night with three of his substitutes unfit to play.

O'Driscoll had no other option but to send on Martin Woods and James Hayter against Derby County despite both nursing injuries, while defender Adam Lockwood, sat on the bench with a suspected broken toe.

"Martin Woods has a groin injury and is getting through games on painkillers, and James Hayter has an ankle problem," he said.

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"These players wouldn't have trained this week if our next game had been on Saturday."

O'Driscoll also hailed Nigel Clough's Derby who became the first club to inflict defeat on Doncaster on their home patch.

"They're the best side I've seen at the Keepmoat this season," said the manager after a 3-2 defeat. "But we played into their hands in the first half and gave them too much space.

"To be fair the game could have been over-and-out in the first half.

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"At one down we had a chance so we just played on a knife edge in the second half.

"We took the bull by the horns and did what we could do."

Barnsley boss Mark Robins was left scratching his head after yet another away defeat.

The Reds, who managed a 3-1 home win over Nottingham Forest last weekend, were never at the races and are one of only three sides – along with Brian Laws's Clarets and Middlesbrough – without an away win.

"We did all right for 45 minutes," he said. "But as I've just told the players, for away games I may as well just come in here and read a statement.

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"As soon as we concede a goal we capitulate. We've got to be better than that and we are better than that, but we're just not showing that.

"I must have put together a team that only like to play at home and don't like travelling."

Middlesbrough's caretaker manager Steve Agnew admits that Gordon Strachan's exit from the club came as a surprise.

Agnew had less than 24 hours to prepare Boro for Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest after Strachan left the Riverside on Monday following a disappointing start to the season.

"There was no sign of any change," said Agnew.

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"When any manager loses a job it is a shock. We haven't had a great start but it's still a shock. But you have to deal with it.

"It's been busy preparing, organising and selecting. The players have been excellent and we prepared the best we could, it's been hectic. It was preparation I was reasonably pleased with."

Agnew remained coy on whether he would like to be considered for the role on a permanent basis, quoting chairman Steve Gibson's statement that he would "stay in charge of first-team affairs for the foreseeable future" before revealing the players have to take responsibility for Boro's predicament.

"They feel the performances have not been up to standard which is obvious with the points we have got," he said.

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Former Leeds United defender Sean Gregan has joined Fleetwood Town on a three-month loan.

The 36-year-old initially joined Oldham on loan in 2006 before completing a permanent move the following year.

Despite being club captain at Boundary Park, he was told by new Latics boss Paul Dickov that he could leave.

"I'm delighted to just get regular football after few chances at Oldham," Gregan said.

"I may look to make a permanent move away from Oldham in the new year," he added.