Doncaster Rovers: ‘Hurt’ Gary McSheffrey wanting reaction after derby defeat

However, manager Gary McSheffrey rather sees it as an ideal opportunity for League 1’s bottom club to emerge from their ongoing malaise.

Eleven points adrift of safety, relegation is looking increasingly likely but McSheffrey is confident he can turn things around for Doncaster who have lost seven of their last eight games.

In fairness, third-placed Sunderland are smarting, too, after Saturday’s humiliating 6-0 defeat at Bolton, a shock result that saw manager Lee Johnson sacked.

On his own side’s abject display, McSheffrey admitted: “It hurt. We don’t want any more results of that type.

“We didn’t win our individual battles all over the pitch but we’re not the first team Rotherham have done that to. We’ll try and bounce back as well as we can.”

Whether that reaction can come at the Stadium of Light, in front of more than 30,000 fans, remains to be seen.

But McSheffrey insisted: “I think I’d rather be going to Sunderland away to get a reaction than a team probably in and around us.

“It will be a packed out stadium, a good atmosphere and that’s what every footballer wants to be a footballer for: to play in these types of games.

“I think it could be a good one for us. I have to think positive and on how we can go forwards.”

Sunderland have won just once in five games since vanquishing Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 on December 30 but McSheffrey was still “shocked” by Johnson’s exit.

“Obviously I don’t know the details behind it but he’s built a good team, they had a good style and I thought they were doing well so I was shocked,” he said, with Roy Keane linked to the job.