Tony Mowbray says his side have to deal with adversity better after shipping three goals in the space of nine second half minutes.

Rovers were beaten for the third successive game as they fell to a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United.

Billy Sharp scored twice, and David McGoldrick added the third, with all three goals coming shortly after Richie Smallwood had been sent off.

The Blades themselves played for 20 minutes with 10 men, before Smallwood was dismissed, as Chris Basham picked up two yellow cards.

After suffering a third consecutive defeat for the first time since April 2017, Mowbray said: “It was ridiculous defending and I’ve told them that in there, from some experienced players.

“Their concentration was lost, for 70 minutes we defended pretty well but then for 20 minutes it was just ridiculous and they know that.

“It’s another one that’s gone, we have to prepare for another team that’s in the top three or four in the league.

“You know we’ve been on a tough run of games in the last few weeks.

“We’ve had a really rough set of fixtures, we’re coming out the wrong end of some tight games, though I know 3-0 doesn’t seem like a close game.

“The supporters have to stick with the team and hopefully they can see they are competing and giving everything we’ve got.

“We’ve got to find a way to turn decent performances in to victories. Sometimes it’s really fine margins.

“It didn’t look like were going to lose any goals today, I think it’s the mentality issue of a bit of adversity.

“They work so hard at their organisation in training with repetition of we do.

“After a bit of adversity, they get away from what we do, and we have to try and address that.

“I don’t think it’s anything else, you watched the game, it wasn’t a 3-0 game.

“If anything, it was a game we should’ve won. We can’t keep shipping three goals every game.

“We’re much better than that. I know that, the players know that. If we keep working as hard as we are, it’ll turn, and we’ll start winning matches.

“For 70 minutes the team were fantastically competitive today, we had to stop a team who are very, very good at playing at home and they have this unique way of playing.”

Referee Anthony Taylor, officiating his first Championship match of the season, carded three players in the opening half an hour, with Basham first to be sent off six minutes in to the second half.

And Mowbray said: “He didn’t manage the game very well at all.

“He thought he was coming down to the Championship today and have a nice easy day.

“He mismanaged it and was making random decisions, guessing at decisions. I think for 70 minutes we were very good.

“There was only one team going to win the game.

“I just said to them there that it’s too common we lose a goal and then we lose one very quickly afterwards and it’s not the first time, but I hope it’s going to be the last time.

“Concentration after a bit of adversity has to be better. For a long time in the game I thought we were very good, but the result is the result and we have to accept it and move on.”

On Smallwood’s red card, he added: “I’ve seen it right in front of me, if anything Richie catches Elliott rather than their player.

“I think the referee just needed any excuse to make the game more even didn’t he.

“Ten against 11 there was only one winner, we were being patient and getting behind them with balls in the box.

“One moment you’ve got the whole stadium singing ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ and then the next moment he’s made a really ridiculous decision in their favour.

“I think he’s just mismanaged the game, I can’t stand here and blame the referee for the three goals that went in.”