McCann hurt by cup exit as criticism intensifies

Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann says he was left "hurt" following his side's 3-0 defeat at National League side Kidderminster in the first round of the FA Cup. Rovers suffered a fifth defeat in seven matches as they were unceremoniously dumped out of the cup by a Harriers side who are currently 41 places below them in the football pyramid. During Saturday's match, there were chants from some supporters in the away end which called for the end of McCann's three-and-a-half year reign. The Northern Irishman returned to manage Doncaster for a second spell in May 2023 and led them to the League Two title two years later. "The supporters come and pay their hard-earned money to watch us play," McCann told BBC Radio Sheffield. "There were 700 of them which came three hours down the road. "It's hurt. It really hurts. They're telling me I'm getting sacked in the morning. They're telling the players they're not fit to wear the shirt. "I bought every single one of those players to the club, so that's another indictment to me. "The boys are really stinging and they're massively hurting." McCann's men currently sit outside the League One relegation zone by just a point as they host Leyton Orient in a crucial match on Saturday. Doncaster's sole league points in the past four weeks came in the 2-0 win over local rivals Sheffield Wednesday which led to the dismissal of Owls boss Henrik Pedersen. Nine days ago, Doncaster were thumped 6-1 by MK Dons, and with pressure mounting on his own position, McCann believes the club can only improve by sticking together. "You can only affect what's in front of you. The way of the world at this moment of time, particularly with social media, people want to knock you all the time," McCann added. "All we can do is we make sure we are united as a group and there's a real siege mentality in there." All the latest Doncaster Rovers news