Spirit and endeavour pleases Evans
Rotherham United boss Steve Evans hailed the spirit and endeavour of his side after they triumphed over an in-form Bolton Wanderers at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Speaking to the press in the aftermath of a six-goal thriller in South Yorkshire, the Millers’ boss paid tribute to the efforts of his side after they recorded their first win of 2015.
“We had to be great because we’ve beaten a side that’s lost one in ten or eleven games and I knew the fight and resolve they’d have under Neil Lennon, so we go away from here knowing it’s been a hard night at the office,” he admitted.
“I asked the players to be full of endeavour and full of spirit and if our breaks come we’ll score some goals.
“I explained to the players before the game that Neil Lennon is a God to me, but I still wanted to beat him, so we’re absolutely delighted.”
The Millers chief was delighted with his side’s overall performance but reserved special praise for the goalscorers, in particular Paul Green and Matt Derbyshire:
“I’m really delighted for Paul Green because he’s missed as many chance as anyone in this league and it’s never been through desire or getting in great positions," added Evans.
“I’m pleased for Matt Derbyshire. I thought he was absolutely awesome and Conor Sammon gets the benefit of Matt’s hard work on the counter attack as well and taps one in.
“We put so much energy into that game that it could have been double that scoreline.”
Evans also admitted his team for this game had been in the back of his mind for some time, but also had to contend with some unforeseen circumstances ahead of the clash with the Trotters:
“I decided ten days ago to pick a team that would be full of energy and desire, but we did tweak it a little bit.
“Adam Hammill was ill over the weekend and young Danny Ward breaks down on the way to the stadium and you have these little issues and wonder if it’s going to be our night."