Doncaster Rovers defender Neill Byrne has expressed confidence that the club's first league win is imminent following a 0-0 draw with Barnsley in their opening home fixture of the League One campaign.
Byrne produced a Man of the Match performance as Rovers dominated possession and created the better chances across the 90 minutes. Owen Bailey came closest to breaking the deadlock when he struck the bar from close range, while Alfie May had supporters on their feet as his attempted lob went just wide.
The draw gave Rovers their first point of the season from their opening two games — not the result the team had hoped for, but a point nonetheless on home turf.
Byrne's Confidence in Turnaround
"I'm very confident," Byrne said. "I think we're very excited to get back out on our own pitch and put three points on the board and excite the fans. There's going to be no easy games in this league."
The defender stressed the importance of converting chances and working as a collective unit. "There's certain points that we feel like we could be better in the final third, but that's a contribution from all of us from back to front, and being brave and making sure we're energetic and we're playing at a good pace," he added.
Byrne acknowledged that while the draw contained positives, the club must focus on improvement week to week. "Like I always say, if you can't win the game, you don't lose it. We take the point, we take some of the positives from the game and we look to work on the negatives."
Busy Schedule Ahead
Rovers face a packed fixture list over the coming weeks. Their next league outing is a trip to Stevenage, followed by a double header of home ties against Notts County and Plymouth Argyle.
First, however, comes Tuesday's Carabao Cup second round clash with Championship side Middlesbrough at home — a match Byrne described as "a big game" and an opportunity to put on a good display for supporters.
Tickets remain available for the Middlesbrough fixture.
