RUFC - Pope on his first team return

Rotherham United striker, Tom Pope was happy after coming from the subs bench on Saturday and scoring which helped the Millers to a four-one win over Barnet.

Speaking after the game to MillersPlayer, the former Crewe forward said, 'It was nice to come on in a game like that and then get on the end of Lawsy`s (Nicky Law) one yard cross!`

Tom has been out of the side with a broken foot since April, missing the play-offs and Wembley and he admitted that it had been hard. 'It`s hard to get your fitness back,` the twenty-five year old said. 'I`ve played a couple of reserve games but it`s never quite the same because there`s no pressure like a first team game.`

Asked if he had been worried that Manager Ronnie Moore had been talking of getting another striker in, Tom said, 'If you`re going to worry about who`s going to be brought in then you shouldn`t be a footballer because, when there is competition for places, that`s what you thrive on. There was talk that he was going to bring his son in who is an experienced player and I can only learn from people like that so I don`t see it as a worry because whoever is here you still have to fight for your place and try and keep your shirt because, if you don`t, then somebody will be there to take it off you. At the moment there`s competition all over the pitch and the gaffer said to me that those who are starting have the shirts but if they don`t do the job, after watching the reserve game the other night, then you`ll have the shirt and you`ll have to keep it.`

Asked about his goal, Tom said, 'When it first passed me it seem to bobble up a touch but I was only a yard out so I was making sure I got a clean contact on it. The last thing I wanted to do was smash it and sky it or something!

'It`s always good to get back into the groove of things and luckily for me I`ve come on and got straight on the score sheet. Last season, I had a good pre-season and was doing fairly well and it took me seven or eight games to get on the score sheet.

'Hopefully this will be the year where I can contribute quite well to the club and help us get promoted. We just hope that, come May, we will be top of the pile rather than going the Wembley route.`

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