Rotherham United boss Paul Warne was on iFollow Millers pre-match press duty for the final time in 2020/21 ahead of his side's trip to Cardiff City on Saturday.
The Millers can still secure their Sky Bet Championship status in their final game of the current campaign and will need to beat Mick McCarthy's Bluebirds and hope that Derby County do not record victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
Warne on Luton…
“We did everything we could to try and win the game. We had our chances but so did they, it was the same as almost every Championship game has been this season. We were the width of the post again, Crooksy's effort span back out after hitting the post.
“If one of them goes in we’re coming away with a win against a very good Luton side who were desperate to cement their place in the top half.
“I came away with mixed emotions. Of course we wanted the three points, but I was still proud of the performance.”
Warne on creating chances…
“I’m always really positive about our performance. People don’t miss on purpose, you’re always trying to score goals.
“There haven’t been many games where I think we weren’t due a point or even three. We’ve lost 19 games by one goal, the margins in this league are so small.
“Hopefully on Saturday we will get a lucky bounce here or there and it will be enough for us to win a game of football.”
Warne on keeping a clean sheet against the Hatters…
“If you keep a clean sheet it means you’re always guaranteed a result.
"Obviously we wanted to win the game, but a point could be crucial for us if the results go our way on Saturday.”
Warne on George Hirst…
“Unfortunately, he pulled his hamstring coming on against Blackburn, it is a grade two, meaning his season is fundamentally finished.
“It is sad for George and of course sad for the group as well.”
Warne on the fitness of Angus MacDonald and Joe Mattock…
“Angus was fit enough to play a part form the bench on Tuesday. He and the physios told me he was fit enough to start and could have possibly got through on adrenaline but he came off with a pain in his calf and it just seemed illogical to risk him.
“It is not a risk as such on Saturday, so he is definitely an option we are considering.
“Joe Mattock may be fit enough, but we will have to wait and see.”
Warne on more time for players to recover between fixtures…
“It is a positive, we have to take as many positives as we can from the freshness, because we’re not fresh.
“We travelled down for the game on Tuesday, got back in the early hours and have now trained today. Cardiff have had a full week to prepare and have no pressure on them.
“We just have to dig in for one more big effort. With one game left I don’t think freshness comes into it, you just have to put your body on the line for one last blood and guts effort.
“It could be a game they remember forever, so I’m not worried about picking a ‘fresh’ team as such on Saturday, I’m just focusing on a team that I can trust to go into battle for us and the game changers could have a positive effect when the game gets stretched.”
Warne on a testing season…
“It has been a big effort and I hope the fans have been able to enjoy it for what it is. I don’t think they will have watched many games where they won’t have been happy with our performance levels.
“Obviously we’d have liked a few more wins, but it has been a very colossal season in very strange circumstances and the lads have always done everything they can to win games.”
Warne on whether he’d have relished in taking part in such a big game during his playing days…
“I was saying to the lads before the Luton game how much I’d have loved to have played in that one as well.
“It is a game where I think you leave the dressing room and roll your sleeves up and say 'it isn’t going to be on my watch that we lose this one.'
“We need to pick players who are going to go into it with that mindset, because Cardiff are obviously a team with unbelievable ability and have warriors themselves.”
Warne on whether he’ll be keeping an eye on events at Pride Park…
“I wont actively have an ear piece in or anything crazy like that. We have to win regardless, so we know that if we don’t win then our fate is sealed anyway.
“However, it would be an amazing feeling if with five minutes left someone told me that the game was going our way.
“We have to win and if we are winning I may want to know just out of curiosity, but we just need to concentrate on what we do.”
Warne on Cardiff City…
“Which ever team they put out will be a formidable opponent for us, so we just have to be at our very best and try and keep ourselves in this league, which would be amazing.
“Professional people don’t ever come into a game thinking they don’t want to win, it is not how we are built.
“We’re built to fight every day in training and for every game. You want to win at everything. Mick McCarthy will not want to lose his final game of the season and go into pre-season with a defeat and nor will the players.”