Joe Rothwell says Rovers need to become stronger mentally to stop conceding goals in quick succession.

Rovers shipped three in the space of nine second half minutes to slip to a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United on Saturday.

They failed to capitalise on the Blades going down to 10 men, but after Richie Smallwood was sent off, the Blades turned the game on its head with three quickfire goals.

Rothwell, who made his first start in two months, was at a loss as to explain why it continues to happen, with Rovers having conceded twice in injury time to lose at Leeds United on Boxing Day.

On how they put it right, he added: “You could scenarios in training, but I don’t think that would help because games are completely different to training.

“It’s a mentality of us going in to games, we have to be stronger and not concede those goals.

“We seem to concede a goal and something is changing within the mindset of the players and we concede again.

“It seems to be that way when we concede a goal at the minute we concede again.

“It’s something we need to look at and address because it’s happening quite regularly now.

“I’m not sure what it is, but it’s something we’ll need to look at.”

The hosts went down to 10 men when Chris Basham, booked early on for a foul on Harrison Reed, was shown his second yellow for handball in the 51st minute.

Rovers tried to ramp up the pressure, with Derrick Williams drawing a smart save from hosts goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

But no sooner had Rovers made two substitutions, Smallwood followed Basham off the pitch and the Blades took charge.

Within two minutes Sharp made it 1-0, and they eventually ran in three unanswered goals in the space of nine minutes.

The 23-year-old said Smallwood’s sending off turned the games on its head, adding: “We’re all bitterly disappointed, particularly with them going down to 10 men.

“We were well in the game with 11 and then when they went down to 10 we had all of the ball and really tried to kick on.

“Richie’s sending off for some reason completely changed how we were playing, we dropped off and allowed them to get back in to the game and they punished us.

Rovers faced 10 men in their draw at Middlesbrough earlier this month, and once again failed to capitalise on the opportunity.

They managed just one shot on target in the second period as they slumped to a third successive defeat.

“They can be (hard to break down). But when you get teams down to 10 men it’s an opportunity for you to go and get three points,” the summer signing added.

“We’ve not been able to capitalise at Middlesbrough or against Sheffield United.”

Rovers are yet to win a game this season having conceded the goal and of late have looked beaten once conceding the first goal.

“I think that’s the most disappointing thing. It happened at Leeds, 2-1 up going in to injury time and the game should be done.

“They scored two goals and they win the game.

“Coming in to this game once we got them down to 10 men we thought we had an opportunity to go on and win the game.

“We should have done that.

“I don’t know what it was but Richie’s sending off seemed to change everything.

“They punished us.”