Despite being in the relative infancy of his career in South Yorkshire, it is clear to see that midfielder Ollie Rathbone is someone who ‘gets’ Rotherham United.
The 25-year-old has taken to life at AESSEAL New York Stadium with aplomb and was a key component in a run which saw Paul Warne’s side make it 21 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Ollie is someone who epitomises the rest of his teammates. Relentless.
Like everyone else, the midfielder’s first thought after the long-stretch without defeat came to an end against Accrington Stanley last month was to put another run together.
“We’re in a positive place, we should be really proud of the unbeaten run we went on but we knew it would always come to an end at some stage,” Rathbone told www.themillers.co.uk.
“The big thing after the Accrington game – which could have gone either way – was the reaction against Bolton.
“I think that showed what this team is all about, to show the character we did to bounce back straight away was really important and we married it up with a win on Tuesday night."
“Bolton are in a false position in the league, they caused us loads of problems on both occasions this season, so it was a really good win for us. The last time we lost in the league before Accrington was against Fleetwood and we put together a long unbeaten run, we’re looking to do that again.
The Millers are taking a brief pause from league action this Saturday when they take on Sky Bet Championship side Queens Park Rangers in the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
The tie at Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium sees two sides riding high in their respective divisions lock horns, with the R’s currently fifth in the second tier and the Millers top of the division below.
And Rathbone believes the fixtures has all the ingredients to be an exciting challenge for his team.
“It’s a good chance for us to test ourselves against a team in a higher division and see where we’re at, because we’re all aiming to be in the Championship next year.
“We’re looking forward to it and it’s nice to have a bit of distraction before the final push heading towards the backend of the season.
“They’ve had a good start to the season and have some excellent players, so it is a good chance for us to show what we can do against a side in a higher division.
“We want to go toe-to-toe with them a show that we’re a good team and hopefully that will be enough to get a result on Saturday.”