Grant McCann lauded his Doncaster side for their outstanding second-half display in a resounding 5-1 demolition of Grimsby at Blundell Park.
Goals from Luke Molyneux and Joe Ironside put Doncaster in control before an own goal from Niall Maher and strikes from Matthew Craig and Kyle Hurst rubber-stamped victory.
Grimsby captain Danny Rose was on target from the penalty spot.
Defeat leaves David Artell’s team six points above the relegation zone, while their victorious neighbours – Doncaster – eased their own fears against the drop with a second win in three Sky Bet League Two games to move 13 points clear of the bottom two.
McCann said: “We started really well and scored two good goals.
“But then for whatever reason we stopped doing what got us into those positions.
“We didn’t win enough duels and second balls and the group knew that.
“At half-time I had to give them a gentle reminder because, for a spell, they got on top of us and couldn’t get in the game.
“We gave the ball back to them. We made it easy for them.
“We had to reset at half-time and I said to the players they’re a good team, get on the ball and play, be positive.
“When you’re playing in a derby game, away from home and with a full house, you have to start well. We made the boys aware of that.
“We did it well both halves and that’s what’s won us the game.”
Doncaster enjoyed a perfect start and found themselves 2-0 up with eight minutes on the clock when Molyneux curled into the top corner before Ironside pounced inside the Grimsby area after combining with Hakeeb Adelakun.
Grimsby were handed a lifeline in the 19th minute when Molyneux fouled Charles Vernam and Rose sent the resulting penalty kick straight down the middle.
Doncaster restored their two-goal cushion in the 51st minute as Maher turned into his own net from a Jamie Sterry cross, while Craig added gloss to the scoreline with a tidy left-footed finish in the 72nd minute.
And there was still time for Kyle to mark his cameo with a fifth.
Artell was left to rue his side’s poor start.
“They scored a very good first goal and that happens,” he said. “We then conceded a quick goal which knocked us.
“Then for the rest of that first half we were comfortably the better side. Even their staff said the same thing.
“We got a goal and should have been 3-2 in front.
“You got in 2-1 and we are still in the game. Really in it.
“And that’s the first half. We go out and concede again after six minutes and that knocked the stuffing out of us.
“It’s not the first time that’s happened.
“We have to understand that teams are trying to knock the stuffing out of us. It doesn’t have to be fatal.
“That’s football and that’s life. People will try and knock you down. The question is, do you get back up?
“Some of our lads found that difficult after the third goal.”
Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Bochum: Guirassy brace inspires comeback victory
Serhou Guirassy's double inspired Borussia Dortmund to an impressive comeback victory as they downed Bochum 4-2 at the Westfalenstadion on Friday.
Dortmund found themselves behind in the 16th minute when Matus Bero fired home a left-footed finish beyond Gregor Kobel at his near post.
The home supporters were then stunned into silence five minutes later as Dani de Wit capitalised on an error by Kobel to double Bochum's advantage.
Dortmund's attempts to get back into the game were repelled by a series of saves from visiting goalkeeper Patrick Drewes, only for Guirassy to hand the visitors a lifeline a minute before half-time with a well-taken header.
Nuri Sahin's side equalised in the 62nd minute through captain Emre Can's spot-kick following Felix Passlack's foul on Guirassy.
Guirassy would dust himself down to give his side the lead soon after, finishing into the far corner after being picked out by Karim Adeyemi.
The result was sealed by substitute Felix Nmecha, with the midfielder shifting the ball onto his left foot before squeezing a low effort underneath Drewes.
Data Debrief: Guirassy hot streak continues
Since his move from Stuttgart, Guirassy has been on fire for Dortmund, taking his tally to three goals in three Bundesliga games for his new side.
The Guinea international was a constant threat, registering more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (nine) than any other player on the pitch.
Adeyemi also impressed for the hosts, notching two assists and creating four chances for his team-mates, a total only bettered by Pascal Gross (five).
Al-Nassr 2-0 Al-Wehda: Ronaldo on target to maintain Pioli's winning start
Cristiano Ronaldo was on target from the penalty spot to help secure Al-Nassr a 2-0 victory over 10-man Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
Angelo had given the hosts the leave just before the break, and Al-Wehda's game went from bad to worse as Waleed Bakshween received some late marching orders.
Al-Nassr dominated the first half and, after Wesley had struck the woodwork, finally got their reward in the 40th minute as Angelo latched onto Sadio Mane's throughball to lob a fine finish over Abdullah Al Owaishir.
Al-Wehda showed some fight after going behind, with Youssef Amyn flashing a shot wide on the stroke of half-time before Juninho Bacuna forced Bento into a good save after the restart.
The result was put beyond doubt shortly after though – Mohamed Al Makahasi pulled down Sultan Al Ghannam in the box, and Ronaldo made no mistake with the resulting spot-kick.
Mane was denied a goal of his own in the 81st minute, with Ronaldo straying just offside in the build-up, before Bakshween received a needless second yellow card for dissent five minutes later.
Al-Nassr move up to second in the table, just one point behind leaders Al-Hilal, for now, with Al-Wehda down in 14th.
Data Debrief: Pioli makes dream start
Stefano Pioli won his first match in the Saudi Pro League 3-0 against Al-Ettifaq, and on Friday, became the first manager in the club's history to start his reign with back-to-back clean sheets in the competition.
The hard work was done in the first half though, as Al-Nassr had 14 of their 19 shots, accumulating 1.42 expected goals as they hit the target five times.
No Neymar return until 2025, says Al-Hilal boss Jesus
Neymar will not return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury until January 2025 at the earliest, Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus has warned.
Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain for Al-Hilal in a €90million deal in August 2023, becoming one of the faces of the Saudi Pro League's major recruitment drive.
However, he only played five matches for the club before rupturing his ACL while on international duty with Brazil last October.
The 32-year-old subsequently missed the remainder of the season as well as the Selecao's ill-fated Copa America campaign, and he remains some way away from a return.
Neymar was removed from Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League squad in September, with the 19-time champions only able to register a maximum of eight foreign players for the first half of the season.
Reports had suggested Neymar was close to a return after Al-Hilal posted footage of him training on social media, but Jesus says Brazil's all-time leading scorer must wait until the halfway point of the campaign before being considered.
"Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general," Jesus told reporters on Tuesday.
"I can't, however, specify a date as to when he will return, but we will look at the situation in January."
With no restrictions on foreign players featuring in the AFC Champions League, Neymar could, in theory, play in that competition if he returns to fitness before January.
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