LEWIS Haldane may have finished on the losing side in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final, but he is hoping his man-of-the-match performance will win him a new contract with Bristol Rovers.

Haldane was Rovers outstanding player in a losing cause as The Gas went down 3-2 in extra-time in Sunday's final and is now waiting to see if that will be enough to persuade boss Paul Trollope to offer him a new deal when his present contract runs out at the end of the season.

Though he finished on the losing side, Haldane was pleased with his own personal performance in front of a live television audience and a crowd of 61,000.

Back at his Chippenham home, the former Trowbridge Town striker said: "I thought I did well. I got man-of-the-match in the Bristol paper so they obviously thought so too.

"In the changing room afterwards the manager said I was superb. Hopefully this performance will be enough to earn me a new contract at the end of the season."

Haldane ran himself into the ground on Sunday as Rovers lost a thrilling tie with Doncaster in the final as the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

With a heart as big as the stadium itself, the former Trowbridge Town striker left nothing behind on the Cardiff turf in his bid to win his first professional cup final.

So tireless was his performance that Haldane had to be substituted in the first half of extra-time after suffering from cramp.

He was forced to watch from the touchline as League One side Doncaster broke Bristol hearts with a 110th minute winner.

"I was gutted to see them lift the cup at the end," said Haldane afterwards. "After coming back from 2-0 down I really thought we were going to go on and win. We battered them for 85 minutes.

"It was a great game to play in and the atmosphere was electric, it was just a shame about the final score."

Rovers had not conceded a goal en route to the final, but the League Two side found themselves two goals down after only five minutes.

Jonathan Forte fired Doncaster ahead after just 43 seconds before Paul Heffernan volleyed home to leave Rovers reeling.

After the break, Richard Walker pulled a goal back from the penalty spot and then Sammy Igoe drew his side level with a half-volley.

But Lee grabbed the glory in the second half of extra-time when he rose highest to meet Sean Thornton's corner and powered a header into the net to secure Doncaster's first Football League trophy.

Haldane may have tasted defeat in the cup final, but he was the undisputed king of football at the Vale of Glamorgan hotel on Saturday night.

Rooming with former Melksham Town and Bath City star Andy Sandell, Haldane played the game of his life, on the Sony Playstation.

"I was Brazil, and it was no contest," boasted the 21-year-old. "You can't be League Two teams on the computer, otherwise I would have been Rovers.

"It's just a good way to relax before a big match. And this was the biggest match I've ever played in."

Haldane insists Rovers' season is far from over and he believes The Gas can still sneak into the League Two play-offs through the back door.

He said: "We just have to keep winning and hope the teams around us slip up.

"It was really disappointing to lose the cup final, but we can't think about that now. We have to get on with the rest of the season."