Midfielder refuses to shirk responsibility for defeat.
Paul Keegan said that he and his Rovers teammates were out battled in a tame derby loss to rivals Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park.The Irishman, as captain for the night, was powerless to help as goals from Paddy Madden and David Mirfin punished Rovers.
“I think Scunthorpe did well. They were first to everything around the pitch, they battled harder than us and got the win,” said Keegan.
“We weren’t good enough. I don’t think it’s acceptable for any of us to go out there and lose like that.
“We’ve got to be a lot better, a lot better as a team. The gaffer and Strachs (Assistant Manager Gavin Strachan) prepared us, they’ve done more than enough for us to know what we’re doing so the responsibility lies with us, the players.”
Scunthorpe completed the double over Rovers for the first time in 24 years to compound the South Yorkshire sides woes, but Keegan vowed to put things right.
“You have to say thanks to the fans for coming out tonight. We’d have liked to have done better tonight but we will do better. It’s a massive game on Saturday and we will do better then,” he said.
“Momentum is a hard thing to break – when you’re winning or losing – but we’re trying everything, we’re working together as a club to turn this around and we’re the players who go out on the pitch so we’re accountable and we’ll have to put that right on Saturday or it will be a very bad season.
“We need a change, something just to make it happen for us.
“We just need that bit of luck, something to spark us off. It will come, the players that are in there are working and it will come.”