Steve Lovell was left to rue three costly mistakes against Doncaster.

The Gills manager watched on as his side failed to clear the danger for the opener in the first half.

Hopes of a comeback were then left in tatters as a defensive mix-up led to a second and Lovell felt keeper Tomas Holy should have saved the third.

Report: Gillingham 1 Doncaster Rovers 3

Speaking about the first goal, Lovell said: “Callum Reilly had two attempts to clear it and Mark Byrne had an attempt, three times we could have got rid of the ball and it wouldn’t have been in the back of the net, but then it gets a deflection and goes in.

“At half-time we tried to reorganise a little bit. We didn’t have a go at them, there was no need, that doesn’t improve anything, it was a matter of trying to sort out what we had to do.

"Second half we started brighter then we gave them the second goal.”

Defender Connor Ogilvie and goalkeeper Holy both went for the ball but allowed Mallik Wilks to nick it and net a second.

“It was like a kick in the whatsits,” said the manager.

“I think he (Ogilvie) got a late shout. I think Connor got a foot on it and knocked it past him (Holy).

"He (the goalkeeper) either comes and swipes everyone out of it or he stays where he is, he was caught in no man’s land.”

Holy then let in a shot from Danny Andrew, fired in from distance.

“I think Tomas should have saved it,” said the manager.

“It’s gone down the middle of the goal. I don’t care, he is the goalkeeper, he is there, it has gone through his hands. He shouldn’t be letting goals in like that.

“He should be thinking to himself, ‘I shouldn’t have let that in’. He most probably does because Tomas is an honest chap, he won’t be happy with it but we could all see it.

“Three goals we have given them. Three goals and it is very hard at the best of times to come back from 3-0 but when you have given them goals it is very, very disappointing.

“They haven’t earned the three goals, we have given them away. It is our fault we have lost 3-0. Not through effort, lack of discipline, just mistakes, three mistakes have cost us the game.”

Lovell also felt his side’s passing game was poor, particularly first half.

He said: “Our passing first half was the worst I think I it has been since I have been here. Do I know why? No. How do you know that passing is going to be off like that? You don’t and it happens.

“Like everyone else, myself included, will have come and hoped we would put on the same kind of performance (as Boxing Day against Portsmouth) and for some reason in the first half it wasn’t there. The passing was all over the place.

“To be fair, second half, the two goals aside, it wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t a performance that we expected really.”