Josh Emmanuel talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
On loan defender Josh Emmanuel insists that he and his Millers teammates are keeping their feet on the ground despite the buzz around the training ground that has come as a result of their impressive 12 game unbeaten run.
The 20-year-old, who joined the Millers on a season long loan from Ipswich Town in the summer, has been a key component in Paul Warne’s side in their run which has seen them climb into the Sky Bet League One Play-off places.
However, despite the last five outings all ending in victories for the Millers, Emmanuel insists the AESSEAL New York Stadium-club won’t become complacent ahead of a top of the table clash with Shrewsbury Town on Saturday.
“Everyone is buzzing but we're taking each game as it comes,” he explained.
“We're just focusing on doing what we need to do.
“We have to control the controllables and do what we need to do to win games.
“We know when we play our game that we can beat anyone, so we need to make sure we're focused and perform to our optimum on Saturday.”
The right back arrived in Rotherham with high-praise from Ipswich Town supporters but with just 22 league appearances to his name and he expressed his thanks to Millers boss Paul Warne and his staff for their part in his development since starting his stint in South Yorkshire.
“I have learnt a lot. I'm obviously grateful to the Gaffer and the other coaches, but I try not to look at my age because at the end of the day we're just men playing football, so it doesn't make a difference to me,” Emmanuel continued.
“I'm still slightly disappointed with my last performance to be honest but we move forward to the next game and we're taking each one as it comes and I'm still looking to improve.
“That's just the standards I set for myself and I'm sure that's like any other player, but I'm really looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully we'll get the job done.”
Meanwhile, the young defender added that he believes there is no reason that the Millers shouldn’t set their sights on the automatic places in the third tier table, but reiterated the importance of addressing each fixture as it comes around.
“We're looking to get into the Play-offs first and foremost but there's no reason we shouldn't be setting our sights on the automatics,” Emmanuel continued.
“Like I've said previously, we're not focusing on any of that though and we're just taking each game as it comes.”