Paul Warne talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Rotherham United boss Paul Warne says his young side must learn from Saturday’s defeat to Gillingham, as he looks to prepare his troops for this weekend’s FA Cup tie at Crewe.
The Millers boss was disappointed with his side’s showing at the weekend, but is looking to use the experience as a motivational tool to avoid such a scenario in the future, vowing that his side will learn much from the experience.
After a de-brief yesterday morning, the focus has now switched to this Saturday’s trip to David Artell’s Crewe, as Warne looks for the standards which has seen the Millers hold their own in the top echelons of League One this season.
“The first goal was crucial on Saturday and they got it,” Warne told www.themillers.co.uk
“I have to give Gillingham credit because once they got in front it gave them a lift, and they made it really difficult for us.
“We have to learn from it, and we have to realise because of the great success we have had at home this season, that teams are going to put men behind the ball and close ranks on us.
“I am obviously disappointed but we are not downbeat because generally the lads have been very good this season. We had them in yesterday morning, we had a chat and reviewed the clips, and now the focus turns to Crewe in the FA Cup this weekend.”
Warne will have selection dilemmas to consider this week, and he already knows he will be without defender Joe Mattock who is serving a suspension.
Whilst Darren Potter and Jon Taylor have returned in recent weeks, Warne has been without skipper Lee Frecklington and defender Ben Purrington as they look to progress from their recent injury issues.
Warne acknowledged that his squad is getting stronger again overall, whilst the early stages of the week have impressed the Millers boss as he looks for a positive response from his players.
“This is a young team, and they are still learning,” he added.
“The general feeling from training yesterday is that they were hurt by what happened at the weekend, but there is a real desire not to let it happen again. They have trained with an added intensity, and Saturday can’t come soon enough as we look to get back to the standards that we know we should be hitting.”