DONCASTER boss Darren Ferguson says he is in ‘no doubt’ that Blackburn Rovers will be among the division’s top sides come the end of the season.

But Ferguson hailed his own team after they stunned Tony Mowbray’s men with a 3-1 win at Ewood Park.

John Marquis put Doncaster 1-0 up within a minute of the second half, a lead they doubled 20 minutes later through a James Coppinger spot-kick, which the midfielder won himself.

Alfie May had the simple task of making it 3-0 inside the final 10 minutes, before Dominic Samuel grabbed a consolation in the final minutes for the hosts with a close range header.

Ferguson felt it was a deserved victory for his side, one he was particularly pleased by given the quality he feels the opposition have at their disposal.

“When you look at the fixtures, you think your first away game is Blackburn and it’s their first home game too,” Ferguson said.

“And I’ve got no doubt in my mind that Blackburn will be right up there, no doubt at all because their quality will come through.

“But they came up against a team that they knew could cause them problems.

“Especially once the first goal went in and we started to hit them on the counter-attack.”

Doncaster, newly promoted from League Two, have adjusted to life back in the third tier well.

They drew 0-0 on the opening day with Gillingham, before making the trip to Ewood after an impressive 3-2 Carabao Cup success at Bradford City, who Rovers travel to in their next league game.

Ferguson, whose father Sir Alex watched on from the stands, was impressed with his side’s clinical edge, taking advantage of the chances which came their way having not done so in their opening day draw.

“I thought we deserved the victory, we really did,” he added.

“Our performance was a mature one and it was a solid one.

“Our distances and our discipline both on and off the ball were very, very good.

“We felt it was a game where we would have time on the ball, especially the centre halves.

“It was quite a tactical affair but once the first goal we were really clinical.

“I was delighted all the way through the game.”