Paul Warne post Fulham...
Interim manager Paul Warne was again upbeat with his side’s performance despite a 2-1 defeat away to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The Millers took the lead through Joe Newell on 19 minutes and were good value for their lead before Fulham equalised through Stefan Johansen.
The home side took the lead through Floyd Ayite before Lewis Price saved a penalty to keep the Millers in the game.
Despite a late Lee Frecklington chance a gutsy Rotherham side couldn’t grab the equaliser, but Warne was again positive with the hard-working display.
“We worked hard with the lads,” he said after the game.
“We had a lot of meetings about how they would play, we knew that they were a very good team, we were well aware that they beat Reading 5-0 here when they were third in the league, so we knew it would be hard.
“We prepared well, the lads believed that they would get something out of the game. I thought for the first 20 minutes we were really dangerous on the counter attack.
“We set up to frustrate them and we knew that they would have lot more of the ball than us. But I thought that when we got it and we gave it to Izzy (Brown) and Wardy we were a threat. I thought that we should have gone in front earlier in the game than we did, but I also knew that they would keep coming at us. I have asked the lads to give everything and I have just shook all their hands in there and they are disappointed men. I have to pick them up again for Saturday.”
The Millers carried momentum into the game in the capital following the weekend victory over QPR, and Warne maintained the positive vibe will be drilled into his troops again ahead of the South Yorkshire derby with Sheffield Wednesday.
“I think the lads are in a positive frame of mind, they are going onto the pitch thinking that they can win,” he added.
“They are hugely disappointed that they have lost, would they have felt like that two weeks ago, I don’t know. I am trying to get them as positive as I can, and I still think we could have nicked one at the end when Frecks had that chance after Woody’s header. If I can set out a team that is hard to play against and we can pick up points up here and there then I will be pleased. I take pride in the performance, aside from Ipswich it was one of our best away from home.
“I said to the lads prior to the game that the previous result doesn’t affect the next result. If you win the game Saturday it doesn’t mean you’ll win Tuesday, but you do get a little bit of momentum. Because Fulham conceded four at Wolves I thought that they might be a little frail at the back and lack confidence, whereas my lads didn’t have that, they came into the game feeling good. It is never an easy place to come anyway but I feel they came into the game feeling confident. I said to the lads, be patient and believe in the shape we played and they did.”