Grant McCann is not getting ahead of himself after guiding Doncaster to the Sky Bet League Two play-offs.
The South Yorkshire side were held to a 2-2 draw by Gillingham after goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala was sent off early in the second half.
The point was enough to secure fifth place and means Rovers will face Crewe in the two-legged semi-finals.
“I’m really proud of our football club. Everyone associated with it from the owners to everyone who works around the training ground, the stadium, the fans, and obviously the ones who put the hard yards in and that’s the players.
“It’s a great day for us, but it’s only the first step. I said that to the players in the dressing room.
“I’m really proud of them. We’ve been written off this season many, many times. People were saying we aren’t good enough and things like that.
“We never once shied away from the fact that we can. I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to put ourselves in there.
“I think we’ve been outstanding for the last 30 or 31 games. I wouldn’t say it’s an achievement yet, the achievement would be getting promoted.
“We’ve done well to get to this point. We’ll keep our feet firmly on the ground and prepare for the play-off game when it comes.”
Up against middle-of-the-table Gillingham, Rovers took the lead through Joe Ironside on the half-hour.
Luke Molyneux doubled the visitors’ advantage with a fine strike before Lo-Tutala was shown a red card for handling the ball out of the area.
Timothee Dieng’s powerful strike found its way past substitute keeper Louis Jones to halve the deficit, before Josh Andrews’ tap-in went in off Doncaster defender Tom Anderson just a few minutes later to level proceedings.
The game filtered out to a draw as Gillingham ended the season in 12th place, six points adrift of the play-offs.
Gills boss Stephen Clemence issued a call to action to his players as thoughts already turn to next season.
He said: “I’m pleased we’ve come away with something, but I wanted to win the game. There were some things that had to be said in the second half.
“It’s always difficult for players when one team still has play-off ambitions, and one doesn’t. It’s a big test.
“The boys showed great character. I’ve challenged them for next season. We will try to get some help for the boys to improve the squad.
“Going forward we need a winning mentality, not lose, not draw. There has to be a big mentality shift for some of them if they want to have good careers.
“We could have won it in the end. But to come from two goals behind is well done.”
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has urged his side to finish the season by booking Champions League football after their European dream ended in a Greek tragedy at Olympiacos.Villa were eyeing a first European final since 1982 but, with the ancient Acropolis in the backdrop of the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, their hopes are now in ruins after a 6-2 aggregate defeat.They travelled to Athens needing a ...
Bayer Leverkusen struck a stoppage-time equaliser to snatch a 2-2 draw against Roma at the BayArena which extended their unbeaten run to a record 49 games as Xabi Alonso’s side secured a place in the Europa League final.Roma had been trailing 2-0 from the first leg, but forced their way back into the tie against the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions when Leandro Paredes converted a penalty ...
Aston Villa’s European dream is over after losing to Olympiacos in the semi-final of the Europa Conference League.Villa were eyeing a first European final since 1982 but, with the ancient Acropolis in the backdrop of the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, their hopes are now in ruins after a 6-2 aggregate defeat.They travelled to Athens needing a Herculean effort to overturn a 4-2 deficit from the...
Let's start our 7M Daily Laugh today. Poor Kane The only guy who can end Leverkusen's unbeaten streak Xabi Alonso my Spanish Liverpool Bayern legend, come to Barca and save us!! lol Julian Alvarez practicing English and calling his girlfriend ‘handsome’ Introducing our new 'Harry Kane Trophy Pizza' Please stay tuned on 7M Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtooni...
Real Madrid could sign Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz to replace Toni Kroos in the summer of 2025, reports by Sport Bild.The 21-year-old has played a key role in Leverkusen's historic campaign -- which now includes a UEFA Europa League final -- which has resulted in interest from the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Los Blancos.Even so, Wirtz wants to stay ...
Tottenham defender Ben Davies is set to leave this summer.Davies, 31, joined Tottenham from Swansea City in the summer of 2014.The Wales international has since managed to score nine goals and 23 assists in 330 games for the Londoners.But this summer, the 31-year-old is expected to leave Spurs.Davies has a contract with Tottenham that runs until the summer of 2025....
Chelsea are prioritising a move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen when thetransfer market opens, says Calciomercato.Osimhen, 25, has a reported €130 million release clause in his contract and is keen to move on for a new challenge this summer. The Nigeria international has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, as they seek a replacement for Kylian Mbappe, as well as Manchester United.Chelsea...
Nketiah has been a regular part of Mikel Arteta's squad this season, making 37 appearances in all competitions, but the 24-year-old has never been a consistent starter and appears to have fallen to third in the pecking order behind Gabriel Jesus and summer signing Kai Havertz.Arsenal are expected to be in the market for a new striker this summer and have a whole host of targets on their shortlist,...
PSV Eindhoven will not exercise their option to sign Sergino Dest permanently after the United States defender tore his ACL in training last month, sources have told ESPN.Dest, 23, has been a mainstay in the PSV side this season as they won the Eredivisie, with coach Peter Bosz recently expressing a desire to keep him beyond the summer.However, with Dest now facing months out of action, he will in...
The Mozambique international left-back, 30, only has a year remaining on his Atletico Madrid contract.Atletico Madrid left-back Reinildo is on the radar of Man Utd and Aston VillaThat means he could be available for around £8million this summer.Reinildo moved to the LaLiga giants in 2022 from Lille after helping the French club to win Ligue 1.However, he suffered a cruciate ligament tear in F...
- 1 Jorginho's Wag hits out at 'haters'
- 2 Arsenal go for Bologna striker Josh Zirkzee
- 3 7M Daily Laugh - Arteta : Fight Me Bro!
- 4 Mishel Gerzig stuns in sexy lace bralet as she praises husband Thibaut Courtois
- 5 Jamie Vardy linked with a surprise move away
- 6 English football WAG's honest pros and cons of lifestyle
- 7 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 8 Jude Bellingham’s model girlfriend puts on busty display
- 9 Former Premier League Wag goes braless in daring backless dress
- 10 Luis Enrique urges Paris St Germain players to keep calm in bid to reach final