Paul Warne post Reading...
MILLERS boss Paul Warne was quick to express his pride at his side’s display at the Madejski Stadium despite suffering a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Reading.
The Millers looked on course to register just their second away points of the season after Tom Adeyemi’s close range strike gave them an interval lead.
Despite ‘keeper Richard O’Donnell producing a string of fine saves to deny the Royals an equaliser, sub Lewis Grabban came back to haunt his former club with a fantastic volley from the edge of the box to level matters.
Amid further home pressure, Millers’ resistance was broken when another former Miller, John Swift tapped home into an unguarded net for the decisive winner following a fine flowing home move.
Despite the Millers slipping to another away loss, Warne was heartened by his side’s performance against Jaap Stam’s play-off chasing outfit.
“I was pretty proud to be honest,” Warne enthused.
“I’m disappointed with the result but I’m uber-proud with the performance. I think we set up the best we could and went toe-for-toe with a really good team, that’s my overall feeling.
“The lads did what we asked them to do and they cannot give me any more than they gave me.”
Following their hard-fought draw with Birmingham City on Good Friday, Warne recalled Adeyemi to the starting line-up and the move paid dividends as the Cardiff loanee struck his sixth goal of the season.
With the Millers more than holding their own against the Berkshire outfit in the first half, Warne admitted he was more than happy in going into the break- a goal to the good.
“We set up with a 4-1-4-1 and obviously everyone knows how good Reading are with the ball, especially at home, where they have been pretty formidable,” Warne added.
“I knew we would not have much of the ball but I thought we may have enough to create a chance or two.
“When I went in at half-time, I felt pretty comfortable. The lads did really well and I thought we looked pretty resolute.”
However, Stam’s men stepped up the pace after the interval and although O’Donnell was in defiant move, Grabban made an immediate impression from the bench by notching the equaliser before Swift left the Millers still searching for their just second point of the season with the winner- to the disappointment of the Millers supremo.
“It took a wonder goal for them to get back into the game and then unfortunately, they cut us open again, when we were sleeping a little bit,” Warne added.
“To come here against a side, who are going to be in the play-offs and who are bringing on players like Grabban, when we were a little tired and obviously that had a massive effect.
“Their equalising goal was pretty special. I thought it would take something like that to break us down today. They scored another one but then in the last eight or nine minutes, we were in the ascendency."