Manager praises players' attitude ahead of weekend visit of Doncaster
Manager Dougie Freedman stressed the importance of maintaining composure as the team look to return to winning ways against Doncaster Rovers.
Despite the Whites having suffered two narrow defeats at the hands of Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town in the past week, the Scot remained upbeat ahead of Saturday’s clash, explaining that the application of his players cannot be faulted at present.
“We have had a couple of small setbacks but we are playing well at the minute,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “We were one kick away from getting a decent result at Middlesbrough and on Tuesday night we created a few chances, but if you don’t take them you potentially are going to open to a counter attack or a long distance strike.
“It is a long season and you cannot judge your players after one game because the past five or six games we have been very good both home and away.
“We have made sure we are competing in all of these games. We are all looking forward to the game on Saturday and we want to get back on track.”
The manager also revealed his delight following Mark Davies and Josh Vela’s cameo appearances in a behind-closed-doors game against Rochdale on Wednesday afternoon.
The pair enjoyed a 65 minute run-out against the Spotland outfit, with the Scot admitting that their impending return to action will provide the squad with a much-needed boost.
“I am very pleased for Mark Davies - in a couple of weeks’ time, he will be back with the first team squad and hopefully playing.
“I am also pleased with Josh Vela’s progress so we have two players coming back to add to the squad.”
Having spent time playing alongside Doncaster manager Paul Dickov during his time with Crystal Palace, Freedman paid tribute to the former Manchester City centre-forward and hailed his impact on the Keepmoat Stadium outfit following his installation in the hot seat back in May.
“Paul is a good guy – he is a hard worker and it will be a very interesting game because Doncaster have done well so far,” he said.
“If we approach the game in the right way though then it is a winnable. We have the qualities and we have the determination to win, and we’ll be going out to do just that.”