Jamie Proctor talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
New signing Jamie Proctor says the possibility of linking up with former team mate David Ball again was one of the main reasons he chose to move to the Millers.
Proctor agreed a two-year deal after moving from Bolton for an undisclosed fee during the close season, and has impressed so far during what has been a rigorous pre-season campaign.
After revealing on the day he signed that the chance to work with Paul Warne, and also reacquaint himself with former boss and current Rotherham assistant Richie Barker was massive, the 25-year-old also highlighted fellow striker Ball as a ‘big pull’ to come to the Millers.
The pair enjoyed a fruitful partnership back in their days with Fleetwood, and Proctor admitted it was good to know that the ex-Manchester City marksman had also made the move to South Yorkshire.
“This is a fresh start for me but I know some of the lads here,” Jamie told www.themillers.co.uk.
“I played with Bally (David Ball) at Fleetwood for two years and we formed a consistent partnership. Again seeing that he had made the move was a big pull as a well, but there are other lads here who I know or who I’ve played against.
“There is good competition for places in attack, and I welcome that so this should really help my game.”
The Millers completed a week long training camp at Lindabrunn Sportschule in Austria where Proctor and his team mates were put through their paces with a mixture of hard running and team preparation.
Boss Paul Warne used all the time available him by having the squad out running at 7.30am and in the classroom at 7.30pm, with double sessions planned in between.
Proctor says the players all knew what to expect and admitted that all the hard work will be worth it come the start of the season.
“You have to fully understand that pre-season is tough,” he continued.
“You have to put the hard yards in now because this will get you through the whole season. I had been to Austria before on pre-season so I knew roughly what to expect, but it doesn’t matter where you are, pre-season is always tough.”
The former Preston, Swansea, Crawley and Bradford striker is one of several new faces, with Warne focusing on his attacking options which were severely depleted last season.
As well as Proctor and Ball, Warne has signed Ipswich striker Kieffer Moore on a season long loan, whilst Jonson Clarke-Harris also agreed a contract extension after missing the vast majority of last season through injury.
“It looks to be a good competitive squad,” Jamie acknowledged.
“We have players here who have played at a higher level too, and we have players who have good experience at this level. I think you need that, this is a division where an experienced head can make a difference because it is a tough league.”