CRAIG Short took the jibes from his team-mates squarely on the chin last night after missing the type of sitter that grannies reputedly stick away in their sleep.

Scottish international Christian Dailly couldn't resist having a pop at his defensive partner as the former Everton ace conducted his own postmortem examination and rued the one that got away.

"It's Mr 50p Head," scoffed the Scot as he made his way across the car park towards the team bus.

Short laughed it off but then I suppose he's got used to the stick by now considering it's over three years since his last senior goal.

That was at Nottingham Forest's City Ground for Everton in front of the Sky TV cameras.

Crewe's Gresty Road on a wet and windy evening in the middle of November must have seemed a million miles away from there last night.

But unfortunately so was Short's header after Jason McAteer's cross had appeared to put three points on a plate for Rovers with five minutes left.

Mr 50p Head didn't need reminding that a golden opportunity had gone to waste.

"I should have scored there, obviously," said Short.

"It was an easy chance for me and I thought I'd scored before I headed it, really.

"It was a great ball in from Jase.

"But I shouldn't have been there in the first place."

Caretaker boss Tony Parkes will also be ruing the fact it was Short on the end of it instead of one of his forwards.

But, if Rovers had sneaked a late winner there would have been a few more red faces around, because their performance didn't really merit it.

Parkes was spot on afterwards when he described his side's display as average, because that's exactly what they looked.

After the euphoria of Saturday's victory over Fulham, Rovers fans expected more.

But the spark was missing against Super Dario's men.

And had it not been for some last-ditch defending, Rovers recent resurgence under Parkes could have been seriously derailed.

One thing you are automatically guaranteed when Parkes puts out a side is effort.

But for all their huffing and puffing, Rovers rarely looked like blowing the house down.

They had their fair share of possession and, at times, they knocked the ball around with real conviction.

Yet Ashley Ward and Egil Ostenstad up front got precious little change out of a gutsy Crewe back line.

The one genuine moment of class came from the boot of substitute Per Frandsen.

Recalled to the 16 for the first time under Parkes, the former Bolton man sent a thud reverberating around the ground when he unleashed a 30-yard thunderbolt which nearly broke the crossbar soon after his second half introduction.

But that, and Short's sitter, were about the closest Rovers came to scoring on another night of frustration.

Having said that, the visitors did look sprightly early on and very nearly manufactured a carbon copy of the goal which sunk Fulham on Saturday.

Lee Carsley found Damien Duff on the left and his raking low cross was just too far in front of the sliding Ostenstad, when any connection would have counted.

The Norwegian then turned provider playing in fellow front man Ward with a clever knock down but the former Crewe man's cross-shot was well saved by keeper Jason Kearton.

Carsley shaved the outside of a post with a scorching strike from the edge of the box.

But in between all that, only the fingertips of Alan Kelly prevented Colin Little's deflected effort creeping inside the post.

And as the half wore on, it was the Railwaymen who began to stamp their authority on the contest, playing the kind of slick football upon which Gradi has built his reputation.

Paul Tait should have done better than scuff his shot wide when the ball fell at his feet 12-yards out.

Then James Collins's goal-bound effort was deflected by Short for a corner.

Parkes decided a change was needed at half time so he brought on Frandsen in place of David Dunn.

And the move nearly paid instant dividends three minutes later when the Dane found McAteer out on the right and his cross was met by Carsley, but the backpedalling Kearton tipped his header over.

Frandsen then rattled the bar with his sizzling 30-yarder but Rovers faded after that, allowing Alex back into it.

Tait toe-poked a corner just wide and Collins fired over the angle of post and bar as Alan Kelly's goal led a charmed life.

But with 12 minutes left, Short then had the chance to end his goal drought but his free header from seven yards drifted well wide of the target after McAteer had whipped over an inviting centre.

Short held his head in shame but that miss could have proved even more costly had Steve Harkness not booted clear a goalbound effort from Collins in the dying seconds.

If that had gone in, then neither Short nor Dailly would have found the funny side.

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