Rotherham United Manager Matt Taylor was on iFollow Millers press duty ahead of his side’s Yorkshire derby with Huddersfield Town in the Sky Bet Championship this Saturday.
The Millers take on the Terriers live on Sky Sports, with the game nearing a capacity crowd at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
You can read highlights from the interview below, with video content to appear here on iFollow Millers.
Taylor on getting a full week’s worth of training…
“It has been a good chance to get some valuable training time and some valuable match minutes into some of the players who needed it for the reserve game.
“It has been great cast our eye over their performances and contributions, especially in terms of the game on Tuesday.
“Plus we’ve been allowed a few more moments to try and get more of our principles in place ahead of the weekend.
“It’ll be a blood and thunder Yorkshire derby, which is what we want for our home games.”
Taylor on Tuesday’s Central League Cup fixture…
“First and foremost, it was about allowing those players who needed it minutes on the pitch. I think the majority of the group that played hadn’t played consistently since the early rounds of the cup at the start of the season.
“Naturally as a football player you lose a bit of your fitness and sharpness, so they have to find a way to become selectable.
“Tuesday was a fantastic chance to do just that, we knew Huddersfield would bring a competitive team and it was a good test for the players.
“They’ll be better for the workout and we were impressed with their performances.”
Taylor on Peter Kioso playing 45 minutes…
“I think I’ve probably tried to sign half of this group throughout my career, but they’ve always gone to a higher level! Pete is one of them and I know he’s a good player who was bought to the club for a reason.
“The injury came at a bad time for him and ruled him for six weeks, so it was important to give him a run out.
“He looked good for 45 minutes and was moving well, despite getting a whack on his ankle early on!
“We were really pleased with his output but it is important that we keep monitor him and don’t rush him back too soon.”
Taylor on Jamie Lindsay injury…
“It was a really nasty injury. It was through no fault of anyone, it was just a collision where he ended up splitting his lip.
“He had stitches and glue straight away to patch it up and he’s seen a specialist today to get a bit more of the area stitched back to where it needs to be.
“He’s sore and he’s struggling to eat, naturally because his face is so sore. We can only train him in a certain way which avoids physical contact.
“We’ll keep an eye on him for the weekend and continue to monitor his progress. It’s a shame because we wanted to see him get more match minutes but the most important thing is that he’s come through it, because it was a nasty injury.”
Taylor on managing minutes for players at both ends of the spectrum…
“Richard Wood is available for selection. Three games in a week, particularly on the back of the week he’d had, was always going to be a challenge and it was the right thing to do to rest him.
“You always want your captain in the team, but you have to think about it pragmatically, because you want to get the best out of everyone.
“It’s about trying to find the right balance and that also involves the younger players who are learning about their bodies.
“Hopefully we’ll come through this week unscathed because we’re going to need everybody for what will be a congested six weeks.”
Taylor on Richard Wood helping out with warm-ups at the weekend and whether it’ll be something he’ll look at going forward…
“I think it is only natural, you’ve got to speak to the ones who have been there, done it and know how the football club plays.
“Woody understands it and he’ll have learned a lot building a team towards that fixture as well. He will certainly go into management or coaching at some stage and we want to keep engaging him as much as we can.
“Having him around the bench with the group of players was perfect, it’s a shame he couldn’t be on the pitch, but he’ll be available this weekend moving forward.”
Taylor on whether progress has been made in terms of bringing in more coaching staff to Roundwood…
“We’re making progress. I’ve been here the best part of 10 days now, as always you have to be respectful because the people are in employment with a another football club.
“They know I want to bring them here and that communication will have to be as respectful as they always have been.
“We’re aware we need some extra bodies out there on the training pitch and it will be the players who see the benefits of that.”
Taylor on Billy Mercer…
“He’s been great, I’ve only known him for 10 days and he’s been incredible volunteering himself to come in and help.
“He’s been outstanding since I first walked through the door and I know he will have been the week previously.
“The keepers like working with him first and foremost, he’s a very good goalkeeping coach. He’s worked at the top-level for a number of years and has a whole host of contacts as well.
“He’s gone above and beyond and I can’t thank him enough.”
Taylor on the prospect of a Yorkshire derby live on Sky…
“On Saturday the atmosphere will take care of itself, there’s a lot to look forward to and these are the games we want to be involved in and the ones you want to produce your best football in.
“We’ll certainly be looking forward to doing that this weekend and I hope our fans can replicate that as well.
“The players will feel the noise and the atmosphere and hopefully they’ll be able to reward it with a performance.”