Doncaster controlled the majority of the play and mustered twenty shots on goal, but only four of them found the back of the net.
Salford only mustered four shots on goal as well, but three of those were finished by their prolific striker Matt Smith, who now has 13 goals for the year.
“It’s an old cliché, but we weren’t good enough in both boxes, and the football match is won or lost in both,” McCann remarked.
“We know Smith’s strengths—he’s perhaps one of the top center-forwards in the division and has experience playing at a higher level—and he scores the first two goals. Tonight, we could compete with it.
“He probably could have had four.”
With just one minute remaining, Smith found himself free inside the box and nodded Salford forward.
Twenty-five minutes later, he duplicated his team’s lead in a same manner.
Rovers had their opportunities, as Salford keeper Alex Cairns made a fantastic save in the first half to deny Harrison Biggins, and Joe Ironside had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half.
Additionally, in the second half, Luke Molyneux and Zain Westbrooke both struck the crossbar for Doncaster.
“They have done a job on us tonight,” McCann remarked. We haven’t scored, and it really aggravates me.
“I always give credit where credit is due, and the boys’ performance tonight impressed me. They persisted.”
Ironside’s goal ought to have stood, McCann claimed, adding: “If that goes in, it’s a different scenario.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the rub of the green tonight.”
Ironside’s goal to cut the lead in half had put Doncaster ahead, only to have the linesman’s flag flown when he stood up to celebrate.
Shortly after, Smith completed his hat-trick to end the match; McCann called the shot’s back-of-the-net landing a “sucker punch” for his team.
“Fair play to the boy, he was difficult to handle,” he remarked. We fought with him.
“I just didn’t sense our aggression, our hunger, that real grit to put the ball in the back of the net.”
