'˜Not good enough,' blasts Alcock, as Rovers' bubble is burst

More Potteries opponents arrived at the Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday night, in the shape of League One rivals Port Vale as opposed to top-flight neighbours Stoke, but the sentiments of home fans at the final whistle were somewhat contrasting.

Rovers defender Craig Alcock knows which post-match reception he prefered but admits that he and his team-mates must take the criticism on the chin after the listless loss to Vale.

The display was all the more galling given a collective no-show in Saturday’s eminently forgettable 0-0 draw at Fleetwood, with Rovers’ winter progress under Ferguson in danger of being blighted.

Apologising for the below-par display against Vale and offering no excuses, Alcock said: “It was disappointing, especially with the run we have been on and it’s even more disappointing not to follow Saturday with a positive result, especially in front of our home fans.

“All over the park, we were nowhere near good enough.

“We accept that and can only apologise and move on and make sure we put it right next Tuesday against Walsall.

“We have been pretty consistent in the previous nine or 10 games and it could have been a moment where everything just caught up with us.

“It happens to the best of them, look at Chelsea.”

Given Rovers’ upturn ahead of the trip to Fleetwood, thoughts had even turned towards a possible outside tilt at the top end after a restorative run of just one defeat in eight League One matches.

But a return of one point from a possible six has quickly extinguished any optimistic talk, with Alcock admitting that Rovers have been handed the proverbial reality check.

The Cornishman, who joined from Sheffield United on a full-time basis earlier this month, added: “At the minute, we are caught a little bit between no man’s land.

“But it can change very quickly in football. With three or four wins on the spin, the picture changes again and there’s 18 and 19 games left.

“But the lads are really disappointed. Even after Saturday, it felt like a defeat and it was a draw. It does get frustrating after being brought back down to earth in the last two games.”

Like Alcock, Darren Ferguson was in no mood to dress up Tuesday’s midweek performance, while refusing to seek the sanctuary offered by several key players being injured, either.

Andy Butler, Cameron Stewart, Harry Middleton and Nathan Tyson were all sidelined, with the quartet unlikely to be back for former boss Sean O’Dirscoll’s return to the Keepmoat with Walsall next Tuesday evening.

Ferguson also confirmed that fresh arrivals to cover for their absence are not on the cards, although a signing to provide goalkeeping cover could be pursued if Thorsten Stuckmann is sidelined for a spell.

The big German, an ever-present in the league, fell heavily just before the break and suffered a shoulder injury in midweek.

Stuckmann, replaced at the interval by Marko Marosi, who made his first league appearance since the final game of 2015-16, underwent an X-ray yesterday, with Rovers hoping that the prognosis is not a bad one.

Ferguson said: “I am not going to use injuries as an excuse. We have got a squad and added to it and the board have managed to help me get other players in when really the budget has gone. They have been very helpful.”

On Stuckmann, he added: “Obviously, if it is a long term or even short term (absence), it might force my hand to get a goalkeeper in. Although in saying that, I thought Marko did quite well when he came on.”