Swindon Town player ratings after 2-1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers

Mark Travers: 6

I don’t recall Travers being forced to make a difficult save on a sparse night for chances for both sides. He was left pretty helpless for both goals too.

Paul Caddis: 5

Caddis says he takes full blame for both goals, though I’m not sure that’s necessarily true. He was at fault for the first as he played Fejiri Okenabirhie onside, but the second was hardly down to him. The Scot rarely looked to take care of the ball, he always seemed in a rush to get rid of it. Not his best day.

Dion Conroy: 7

The Town skipper battled hard throughout and was often first to the ball. His performance was a rare highlight on a day where very few came through with much praise to their name. Booked.

Zeki Fryers: 6

Fryers lasted half an hour before damaging his hamstring in an innocuous challenge during the first half. He looked steady if not spectacular in the opening third, however. Subbed.

Dom Thompson: 6

Thompson failed to live up to the extremely high standards he set against Ipswich. Then again, that was always going to be tricky. He often over-complicated matters, though he did put a handful of good crosses into the box. Booked.

Jordan Lyden: 6

Lyden made a couple of notable tackles in the first half and seemed to be getting frustrated with others not showing as much aggression. As Town chased the game, he became less of a factor.

Matt Smith: 6

Smith’s performances are going backwards of late – this was another case of some loose passing and a lack of desire to get into the box. Although Sheridan didn’t namecheck him after, the substitution was an indication of the manager’s displeasure at Smith’s performance. Subbed.

Scott Twine: 7

Twine was one of few Town players who always looked to do a positive thing when he got the ball. He tried a few efforts from distance, but was unable to repeat his goal from last week. A for effort though, as his late strike was rewarded with an assist for Hallam Hope’s goal.

Matt Palmer: 6

Palmer looked solid but struggled to make his presence felt in a game that saw a battle between both midfields. He should have won a penalty for his team at the start of the second half, but nothing was given.

Diallang Jaiyesimi: 6

Jaiyesimi put in a couple of dangerous deliveries, but a lack of bodies in the box meant the winger was unable to provide an assist. After a couple of good performances, Doncaster dealt with DJ’s threat really well.

Brett Pitman: 6

Some people might say Pitman was ineffectual – I think there was also an argument to say he wasn’t given anything to have an effect on. He made some good runs in the box but was let down by a lack of support around him. Subbed.

SUBSTITUTES

Taylor Curran: 5

Sheridan leaped to the young centre-back’s defence after Curran was thrown on after half an hour in front of Akin Odimayo and made a handful of errors. Partly at fault for Doncaster’s second goal after getting beaten in the air, Curran followed that up in the second half with an awful tackle which earned him a yellow card. Booked.

Jonny Smith: 6

Smith played like an old-school winger at times – he simply tried to get to the by-line and put a good ball into a dangerous area. Town were not particularly potent in forward areas though, as Doncaster defended everything that came their way.

Hallam Hope: 7

Town just seem to look more dangerous when Hope is up front. He put himself about, made runs in behind, and capped off a decent cameo with a finish any goal-poacher worth his salt would be proud of.