Wins king in promotion shake-up but Doncaster Rovers will not panic - final word on Salford City draw

A penalty shoot-out defeat can do that to a club but this one was particularly painful given the mountain Rovers had to climb to even get to that point.

Down in 22nd in February, Doncaster lost just one of their last 18 games to finish fifth.

Crucially, McCann's men won 13 of those matches, including 10 in a row to power through the field.

If Rovers proved anything last season, it was that wins are king in the promotion race: claiming maximum points on 21 occasions to offset the 17 defeats, as many as 13th-placed Harrogate Town.

That they fell short in the play-offs despite winning the away leg 2-0 will still rankle but they have a blueprint for getting out of the league.

Perhaps that is why there is a feeling of frustration after consecutive 1-1 draws against Notts County and Salford City on home soil.

Doncaster have won half of their 16 games but it is now three draws and a defeat from their past four fixtures at the Eco-Power Stadium following Billy Sharp's late intervention on Saturday.

To avoid another play-off lottery, Rovers must ensure it is nothing more than a hiccup.

Doncaster are third despite their stuttering home form, albeit having played two games more than fourth-placed Walsall.

In a slog of a campaign – and having lived through last season when they were 19th at this stage – Rovers are travelling nicely.

Rather than focus on Doncaster's home form after dropping two more points against Salford, McCann pointed to the goals column.

In his view, they need to be tracking towards 90 goals in the season but have so far only managed 22.

Rovers have not scored more than once at home in the league since the opening day when they bagged four – and it is easy to see why after they laboured to a draw in a game they were expected to win.

A record of five wins, five draws and five defeats highlighted Salford's inconsistency, while a return of 14 goals hinted at shortcomings in the final third.

Yet it was the visitors who looked sharper in a tetchy encounter that never truly got going.

Doncaster showed more urgency in the closing stages but it came too late to claim maximum points.

In the end, they were indebted to crowd favourite Sharp for limiting the damage.

The veteran striker was introduced with 20 minutes remaining and did not need long to make his mark, tapping home Joe Sbarra's low cross with Salford all at sea.

City were on course for a statement win thanks to Kylian Kouassi's powerful 20-yard strike just after half-time but had to dig in to leave with a share of the spoils.

Sharp threatened to complete the turnaround when he latched on to a flick-on by Joe Ironside from a punt upfield, only to find the outside of the post with his left-footed effort.

The writing was on the wall for Rovers in a stop-start first period that left the fourth official fielding complaints from both benches.

The foul count had reached 20 by the time referee Martin Woods brought the half to a close, leaving little chance of a game breaking out.

Tensions threatened to boil over when Kelly Nmai clattered Jamie Sterry after failing to keep the ball in play.

The Salford winger escaped with a booking and avoided a second yellow following another tangle with Sterry.

Nmai settled into the role of pantomime villain, sparking ironic cheers when he had an effort blocked inside the Doncaster box.

City scored as many goals as bottom side Morecambe in the first 15 games but they created the better opportunities in the opening 45 minutes.

Kouassi missed the best chance of the half when he dragged a shot wide following a hopeful ball forward by Matty Lund.

Doncaster failed to build on a promising start in a half of blocked shots and crosses.

Inside the opening minute, Jordan Gibson whipped a ball in from the corner of the box and Luke Molyneux was inches away from stabbing home. That was as close as Rovers came to breaking the deadlock.

When Gibson got in behind in the final minute of the half, his heavy touch rolled through to Salford keeper Jamie Jones in a fitting last meaningful act.

The interval offered everybody a chance to reset, chiefly Gibson who responded to the spurned chance with an effort that threatened to break the game open, his shot hitting the inside of the post and rolling into the grateful arms of Jones.

Instead, it was Kouassi who broke the deadlock with a finish that was not in keeping with the rest of the game.

The Salford forward found himself with time in a central area and did not pass up the chance to shoot, rifling an effort beyond the helpless Sharman-Lowe.

City went in search of a second on the counter-attack before Sharp came to Doncaster's rescue with a poacher’s finish.

The overriding emotion at full-time was one of frustration but with 30 games still remaining, there will be no panic.

Doncaster Rovers: Sharman-Lowe, Sterry (Sharp 70), Olowu, McGrath, Fleming (Maxwell 71), Bailey, Kelly (Broadbent 84), Molyneux, Hurst (Yeboah 84), Gibson (Sbarra 70), Ironside. Unused substitutes: Lawlor, Anderson.

Salford City: Jones, Negru, Tilt, Garbutt, Mnoga (Shephard 67), Lund (Berkoe 84), Austerfield, N'Mai (Okoronkwo 83), Ashley, Kouassi, Woodburn (McAleny 67). Unused substitutes: Edwards, Stockton, Taylor.

Referee: Martin Woods (England).