Gary McSheffrey was proud of his U18s who showed resilience to beat Basford United in the first round of the FA Youth Cup.
Alex Fletcher opened the scoring in the first half, but Basford pulled one back early in the second half. This did not stifle Rovers who kept calm and were rewarded for their patience with an injury time winner from Jack Goodman.
McSheffrey said: “We could have crumbled at 1-1 with the atmosphere we had. But the lads dusted themselves down, gained some composure and we went on to win the game.
“There have been games this year where we’ve conceded and our heads have dropped. But against Basford we found a way to win.
“I am delighted with the reaction at 1-1. The boys showed resilience.
“The lads dug in and got the win. They can gain so much confidence from this. The atmosphere is great and hopefully we can go on a bit of a run.”
The reward for the victory means Rovers will host Rotherham United at the Keepmoat Stadium on a date yet to be confirmed.
McSheffrey added: “Rotherham are a tough team. We beat them 2-0 in the league a few weeks ago.
“They are a physical and well organised team. They are up there in the league table.
“The last cohort of youth team players didn’t get to play at the Keepmoat Stadium so it was disappointing for them. The carrot was there for them – Rotherham at home. So I challenged them to make sure they got the chance to play at the Keepmoat Stadium.”