ANGRY skipper Garry Flitcroft today said some of his team-mates need to examine their consciences after they threw away a two-goal lead against Manchester City yesterday.

For the third successive game, Rovers saw vital Premiership points slip through their fingers in a disastrous finale against City's 10-men at Maine Road.

And Flitcroft joined manager Graeme Souness in pointing the finger at several individuals for what he described as a costly lack of concentration.

"The manager read the riot act afterwards because he was absolutely gutted. It felt like losing the game," blasted Flitcroft.

"We knocked off and some of the lads have got to look at themselves because our concentration went.

"We've got to do it for 90 minutes, not the 70 minutes when we were on top.

"The manager obviously knows who those lads are and it's up to us to put things right.

"We probably would have settled for a point before kick-off but you've got to win games like this if you have any thoughts of being in the top half of this league.

"In the last few games we've dropped some big points and we should be up there.

"At Middlesbrough, we should have definitely won the game. Against Chelsea it was down to three bad defensive mistakes.

"Then yesterday we were 2-0 up and gave it away again.

"The lads have got to look at this again collectively and, hopefully, start putting some results together.

"Thursday's game is now a massive one for us. Our priority is the Premiership but we need to start winning games to give us some confidence."

Souness was even more scathing in his assessment of Rovers' performance, accusing several individuals of a lack of commitment when the heat was on in the closing stages.

"I'm extremely frustrated and disappointed," fumed the Rovers boss.

"The vast majority of my players give me one hundred and ten per cent every time they go out to play.

"But there were one or two who didn't do that yesterday and that's how we ended up only getting a point from the game.

"I think we played well, we contained City, our game-plan was correct and we found ourselves 2-0 up with 15 minutes left and them down to 10 men.

"At that point, it should have been a case of us keeping the ball and picking them off.

"Instead, they started getting efforts at our goal and I found that amazing.

"We just switched off."

Rovers appeared to be cruising to victory after goals from David Thompson and Andy Cole had put them on course for what would have been only their second league win of the season.

But City suddenly summoned up some extra resolve after Danny Tiatto saw red for a two-footed tackle on Thompson.

And late goals from Nicolas Anelka and Shaun Goater saw them secure an unlikely point as the game finished in a 2-2 draw.

But, despite his anger at the way his team capitulated, Flitcroft also condemned Tiatto for his moment of madness.

"I thought they both went in for the ball but Tiatto went slightly over the top," said the Rovers skipper.

"Tommo is not a soft lad, he stayed down and he was hurt because he had stud marks all over his thigh.

"So the ref had no choice but to send him off."

Rovers' Under 17s enjoyed an excellent 5-1 win over Wolves at the weekend to maintain their 100 per cent start to the season.

And the Under 19s also picked up a handy point against the same opposition after their game finished in a 1-1 draw.