Tough guy Clarke is a difficult man to please

BAGS OF EXPERIENCE . . . Rovers' Chris Lines

TWO goals in the final three minutes rescued a point for comeback kings Bristol Rovers at MK Dons this week - but it wasn't enough to satisfy their hard taskmaster manager Darrell Clarke.

Matty Taylor added to his earlier strike to peg back the hosts at Stadium MK in a 3-3 thriller.

The result saw Rovers drop to 10th in the division.

Only a point away from fifth, it also showed the resolute nature of the squad assembled by Clarke, the 38-year-old who turned down the chance to go to Leeds United in the summer in order to stay on at the Memorial Stadium.

The Pirates, promoted from Sky Bet League Two last season after finishing third, have now made it eight out of nine games that they've come from behind in to take points.

"It was not good enough," Clarke said to the Bristol Post after Tuesday's result at MK Dons. "Not good enough all round, not good enough in my own performance, not good enough from my players.

"Unacceptable - we robbed a point.

NEGATIVES

"Let's get all of the negatives out of the way first. That's how I feel, that's how my players feel, which is good.

"For me, the game should have been out of sight in the first half. MK Dons battered us."

"(We were) not good enough defensively as a team. However, we showed character to come back.

"The players are under no illusions. That wasn't us."

Rovers have not taken the lead in a game since the 1-1 draw with Southend in the opening month of the season, but have only lost once in the last 10 in all competitions.

"The fact we keep winning is a credit to all the boys, because it takes a certain type of player to play in a different formations and positions every week and I think everyone has brought into it," said experienced midfielder Chris Lines (30), formerly of Sheffield Wednesday, but who has been back at his first club since the summer of 2015.

"The manager won't be happy with us going behind each time but if you do, and still then win, then he will snap our hands off.

"We're working on getting clean sheets but we're winning games, so it's a difficult catch twenty two situation.

"It's nice to have a bunch of lads that can win games. It doesn't seem to matter who is playing. We're all chipping in with contributions to getting the three points no matter what formation we play."