THEY always say that ‘patience is a virtue’, well, Millers midfielder Matty Palmer has recently taken his Rotherham chance with both hands by demonstrating his midfield qualities in recent weeks.
After putting pen-to-paper with the AESSEAL New York Stadium outfit during the January transfer window, Palmer was thrusted immediately into the Millers spotlight by being handed his debut against AFC Wimbledon owing to an injury to Brighton loanee Richie Towell.
Despite an encouraging debut with his new side, Millers chief Paul Warne reverted back to his tried and trusted partnership of Towell and Will Vaulks for the trip to Scunthorpe. With the Millers embarking on a fantastic unbeaten run, either side of the year, Palmer was forced to kick his heels on the sidelines by having to contend with little cameos from the bench in the early stages of his Millers career.
With Vaulks asked to deputise in the Millers backline, either at centre-half or right-back, Warne opted to hand Palmer a recall for the trip to Northampton Town where he was duly rewarded by the former Burton Albion midfielder, who produced an impressive individual display during the handsome victory at Sixfields.
Despite the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Rotherham’s performances subsequently, Palmer has grabbed the opportunity to cement his place in the heart of the Millers midfield alongside Towell.
As the Millers reverted to a five man midfield recently, with Vaulks back in the engine room, Palmer insists that a good understanding has formed in the fledgling stages of their midfield alliance.
“I’m pleased I’m playing and playing well,” Palmer enthused.
“I think we pass the ball well together and have a good understanding. That’s only got to improve with the more games we play together. Hopefully we can continue to forge that partnership and keep it going. It pushes everyone on. You know there is someone who is unlucky not to play so when you get your chance, you’ve got to take it. I was patient in waiting for my chance when I came in, so we’ve been doing well so hopefully we can continue that.”
Since his re-introduction into the Millers starting line-up, Palmer has given due evidence of the qualities of his disposal. With a preference to cut inside on his favoured left-foot, Palmer gives the Millers midfield a balance to their play – with options to switch to either flank at any given time.
Palmer also commands an uncanny knack of controlling the tempo of affairs – with a composure in his play and an array of passing, both short and long, which can often instigate Millers attacks.
With the Millers securing their play-off place with victory over Bristol Rovers at the weekend, Palmer insists maintaining a winning momentum will be key as they approach the crucial stage of the campaign.
“Obviously you want to go into the play-offs in the best form you can and you want to go into them playing well with good performances from everyone, so hopefully we can get there and this is the start of a little run into it.”