Lloyd Doyley speak to www.themillers.co.uk...
New Rotherham United defender Lloyd Doyley says he is looking forward to life in South Yorkshire after penning a deal with the Millers who become just the second club of his career.Doyley ended his 14 year professional affiliation with Watford last summer and signs a deal that will see him remain at AESSEAL New York Stadium until the end of the season.
The 33-year-old Jamaican international insists he is excited by the challenge that lies ahead of him with Neil Warnock’s side having been without a club since his Vicarage Road departure.
“It’s been a long time out for me and I’ve had a long-term injury with my neck but I’ve been fit for the last three months, so I’ve been looking for a club and I’m grateful that Rotherham have taken me on,” Doyley told www.themillers.co.uk.
“I’ve been on trial with a couple of other clubs and for one reason or another I didn’t sign but I’ve been keeping fit and Watford have allowed me to train with them because I’d been there for 20 years.
“Obviously, I’ve spent 14 professional years at Watford and moving away from there is very different and I’m entering the real world of football, but I’m open to that.”
The versatile defender, who can operate in a number of positions along the back four, impressed Millers’ boss Warnock in the reserve outing against Scunthorpe United in midweek and admits the management team at Rotherham United played a big part in his decision to join the club.
“I’ve come here and played in the reserve game and shown the boss that I am fit and now he’s said that he wanted to sign me,” Doyley added.
“I had a short spell at QPR a couple of months ago where I worked with the manager and he wanted to sign me but couldn’t for one reason or another.
“He’s seen that I was fit then and I’ve played against a lot of his and Kevin Blackwell’s teams over the last few years so they know what I can do.
“They were a big factor in me coming here and hopefully I can repay them by playing well.”
Doyley continued to admit that he was surprised his new teammates find themselves in the bottom three of the Sky Bet Championship and will be looking to pass on his experience over the course of the final 15 games.
“We’ve got a good bunch of boys here and I can’t believe we’re in the bottom three. The calibre of players here is very good and I’m here to get some games, but most importantly, keep us up because nobody wants to be relegated.
“I’m here to help the team and pass on my experience whether I’m playing or not.
“I’ve played against a lot of players over the last 10 years like Chris Burke and Jerome Thomas, but there are loads of the lads here that I have come up against in the past.
“Footballers all know each other so it’s good to be in this environment and I can see that we’ve got enough to stay up quite comfortably."