Source: Team_Talk
O'Driscoll not thinking of promotion
Billy Sharp exorcised his penalty demons of midweek with a 14th-minute opener from the spot and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas put Rovers clear with a 20-yard thunderbolt midway through the second half.[LNB]Derby battled back, Rob Hulse netting his 11th of the season with a neat finish, but the Rams' late charge amounted to nothing.[LNB]The result, Derby's fourth loss in five games, sends Nigel Clough's team down to 18th, while Doncaster extended their unbeaten run to four games.[LNB]Irrespective of Rovers' form, which puts them 11th in a tight Coca Cola Championship table, O'Driscoll said: "I don't really care where we are as long as we get enough points and we are in this division next season.[LNB]"I don't look at the table so I am not concerned.[LNB]"I keep saying to the players, 'if you want to win this division would you do anything differently? If there is why aren't you doing already?'[LNB]"My motivation is to stay in this division."[LNB]Whether his side pursue promotion or avoid relegation, O'Driscoll fears the state of the pitch at the Keepmoat Stadium could be decisive in the run-in.[LNB]"I think we did really well to cope with the pitch because at this minute in time it's not doing us any favours," he said. "I watched the England under-21s play here and they couldn't handle it so our lot did pretty well.[LNB]"We made hard work of it, but a lot of that is down to the surface. It will not help us play the way we want to play."[LNB]Derby boss Nigel Clough called on his players to "take more responsibility" after their poor away record continued.[LNB]The Rams have not won in their past five games on the road and have scored just 10 times away from Pride Park all season.[LNB]"We have looked nervous away from home," he said. "Not enough people grasping the nettle.[LNB]"(They are) always looking to someone else to do something. I want them to take responsibility for themselves and then to help their mates on the pitch.[LNB]"When it is not going well everyone retreats into themselves a little."[LNB]Clough was unhappy with the first-half penalty, awarded after Jake Buxton appeared to haul down Sharp, but he had no complaints about Emmanuel-Thomas' brilliant 69th-minute strike from 20 yards.[LNB]"We didn't play particularly well," he said. "We have been beaten by a dubious penalty and a wonder goal so we could have got something out of the game.[LNB]"The referee said he (Buxton) had a hand full of shirt. I would like to look back over his games this season to see if he has given a free-kick or penalty every time."[LNB]O'Driscoll was delighted with Emmanuel-Thomas, on loan from Arsenal, after his third goal in four games.[LNB]"I am very pleased with him," he said.[LNB]"He had an opportunity in the first half and he tried to chip it to Billy. We said at half-time if you get half a chance, pull the trigger.[LNB]"He has got a hammer of a left foot so we have been saying to him to have a shot when he gets half a chance.[LNB]"Very pleased."[LNB][LNB]
