Lack of belief key to Doncaster Rovers' downfall believes Richie Wellens

A costly error from Pontus Dahlberg early in the clash with Accrington Stanley saw Rovers fighting from behind for most of the contest.

And, as has been the case in their matches so far this term, they failed to provide sufficient attacking threat to suggest they could get back on terms with the hosts.

While notable absentees through injury have hampered their attacking play so far, Wellens says there is not enough confidence among those available at the moment to make things happen in front of goal.

“It’s belief,” Wellens said. “We have to believe we’re going to score goals.

“We’re getting in areas but it’s just belief - and it’s repetition.

“We have to keep practicing and believing.

“We’ve dominated against Sheffield Wednesday. We came here and it was an uglier game but we still got balls into the area.

“Little things are going against us and we’ve just got to keep working.

“We’re a little bit in that moment.

“Ben Close pulls a ball back and Tiago Cukur’s already in there so it goes behind him. Things aren’t going for us at the minute - hence the goal we gave them.

“We just have to keep working. I saw a lot of effort and commitment from the players.”

Dahlberg dropped Joe Pritchard’s 25 yard drive into his own goal to give Accrington the early lead.

While disappointed by the start his side made, Wellens believes his side were well in the game, particularly after switching to a 3-5-2 system in the second half.

“I think it’s probably a bit harsh on us, losing the game,” he said.

“They started really well and we’ve given them a massive opportunity to do that with a mistake on our part.

“We didn’t react well in the next 15 minutes but probably after half an hour we started to get a bit of control. We had a couple of crosses that flashed across the box.

“But we can’t start the game like that.