Rotherham United manager Paul Warne was on press duty ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting with Gillingham at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
The Millers head into the game off the back of an Emirates FA Cup victory over Stockport County, with the manager discussing who he would like to face in Round Three of the competition.
The manager also discussed his team news ahead of the fixture, as well as the prospect of facing the Gills on home soil.
Warne on team news…
“Shane Ferguson is fine, he is 100% available for Tuesday night now.
“Woody is having a scan this morning. His pain is reduced, we just took him off as a precaution so he may still have a chance of making it. We’ll know more on that later.
“Everybody else is available and raring to go.”
Warne on Josh Chapman’s loan move to Frickley Athletic…
“It is a really good move for him. Since he’s moved here from Sheffield United he’s done really well and the lads really like him.
“He had a bit of an injury with his wrist and was out for a bit, came back fit and looked really good in training.
“We just need him to play games and it will really help his development.”
Warne on Stockport victory…
“I said on the record before the game that they are a good team and at worst, for me, a midtable League One team.
“They asked a lot of questions of us and had a right go. We’re really pleased to go through.
I think they probably deserved more out of the game than they got, but I do understand that football is all about results.”
Warne on having extra substitutions in the FA Cup…
“I really like it. It gives you extra options and more room to manoeuvre in terms of tactical switches, which is great.
“Most managers like it, it gives you flexibility and means that you don’t want have to take as many risks.
“I understand that bigger teams have bigger squads and more options, but I think for managers it gives you so many good options in-game as well.”
Warne on the FA Cup draw…
“I’d love a home draw against a big team, it would be great for our fans to come down and watch that kind of team play here and you never know your luck.
“Something local would be ace, just for the geography, but I know whoever we draw it will be a really tough game.”
Warne on back-to-back home games…
“It’s a good chance to put points on the board, but we go into every game wanting to win. I think we need to do better than we have been in the last couple of games.
“We need to pick points up at home, but we know it will not be easy. Both teams will come here and make it very difficult, so we know we’ll have to be at our best to get a result.
Warne on the tightness of the division…
“I think if you want to get one of the automatic promotion spots, you have to average two points a game.
“In my opinion the two teams that have to go up will have to have some season to get automatic promotion.
“The next few games are crucial, whoever is still well-place in two weeks has a great chance.
Warne on Gillingham…
“It is another home game against a team who have been on the wrong end of some bad fortune of late.
“I think they played really well against Portsmouth and were unfortunate to lose in the end. I look forward to the game and hopefully we can get more points on the board against another tough team.
“I’m well aware of their strengths and I know that Steve and Paul will get them out of trouble, I wouldn’t expect them to be down there.
“We have to be prepared for what they can do to us, but hopefully if we play to our best we’ll give ourselves every chance of getting a positive result.”