RUFC - Raynor happy with win

Vital Rotherham on:

Vital Rotherham on:



Rotherham United assistant Manager, Paul Raynor oversaw his first Reserve win yesterday as the Millers beat Gateshead, three-nil, at Parkgate.

Speaking after the last Reserve game of the season, Raynor said, 'All the players can be delighted with the performance but Reserve games are more about match time than the result and there were a few players who made a positive impression on the manager today.

'I asked the boys before the game to go out there and put positives in the Managers mind and I'm sure he'll go away tonight with food for thought for the starting line-up on Saturday. It was a good days work and we looked very comfortable at the back and they (Gateshead) only had one or two half chances and Andy Warrington deserved the clean sheet because he's nice and tidy in his work although he didn't have a lot to do.

Speaking about youngsters, Liam Royles and Dominic Hart, Raynor told MillersPlayer that he thought they had come through the game very well. 'They aren't very big in stature but they put some big performances in today,' Raynes said. 'Today's the first time I've got to watch Dominic and he put in a good shift at centre-back against an experienced striker who can be a handful for anybody and so he deserves some credit. Young Liam is a steady performer and he put in a solid performance today.

'I thought, at the heart of it, Mark Bradleywas excellent. He put in a big, solid performance and some of his distribution from the back was excellent and he created some opportunities with long balls so his all-round game was excellent. And so was Scott Griffiths but I could name all eleven players because it was a strong performance which I'd expect from the quality of the side we had out there today.

'The only disappointment was probably Paul Warne. You know he keeps telling us how fit he is but after seventy minutes we had to take him off because he struggled a little bit fitness wise - no, joking aside, Warney put a shift in and does what Warney does and it's great we've got that experience on the field as well.'

Asked about the Reserves, Raynor said, 'It's good for everyone including the young players progressing and trying to earn themselves contracts for next season. We're all part of the big picture whether it be Reserves, Youth team, Centre of Excellence, we'll be there watching because, ultimately, we want what's best for Rotherham United and we're all pulling in the same direction.

'After ten years I can pretty much guess what Steve (Evans) wants and we will play in the Reserves exactly how we play in the first team. We'll play at a high tempo and we'll work very hard at bringing quality player who can do that and then we'll be a real handful. There were some nice signs on Saturday and some more nice signs today and let's hope we are standing here on Saturday talking about the nice signs with three points in the bag.'

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