Warne happy to see plan come off as Rotherham win at Oxford

Posted Sunday, January 12, 2020 by PA

Rotherham boss Paul Warne was delighted his game plan worked after the Millers stormed to the top of League One for the first time this season with a 3-1 victory at Oxford.

Two goals from Kyle Vassell in the opening 33 minutes and a third from skipper Richard Wood in first-half stoppage-time gave the south Yorkshire outfit a three-goal lead at the break at the Kassam Stadium, where Oxford had not conceded in the league since last August.

The U’s pulled one back after 71 minutes through new loan signing Marcus Browne, but Rotherham ran out convincing winners with their fourth straight league victory.

Warne said: “I thought we were really good and we deservedly went in 3-0 up at half-time.

“We had a plan on how to play against them – block the inside spaces, we didn’t mind defending crosses and the lads performed it excellently first half.

“At half-time I said to them to just keep the standards up and don’t let them back into it. I thought if we could hold them for 20 minutes.

“We rode our luck at times a bit in the second half. I’m just pleased to come away with a win.

“We tried to exploit the space on the counter-attack and the front two were very reliable. My only grumble is that we should have scored again in the second half.

“I know Kyle Vassell was on a hat-trick but he should have rolled Chiedozie Ogbene in.

“Oxford did cause us problems in the second half as we knew they would because they had to go for it. They brought two good attacking players on. But we defended really well and broke well at times.

“It’s nice to be top but there are so many points to play for – with 19 games left that’s 57 points.

“I’ve now just got to get my players’ feet back on the ground after this and then we go again.”

Oxford boss Karl Robinson felt his team lost the centre of the park in the first half and that was what cost them.

Key man Cameron Brannagan, who was returning from injury, was well below his best.

Robinson said: “We lost the midfield battle and you’ve got to give them (Rotherham) credit for that.

“In the second half we were very good and moved the ball very well. And my players stuck to it and didn’t go out with a whimper.

“I kept with the same team that has been doing well and didn’t start with any of our signings this week.

“But weirdly it looked in the first half as if we were a team that hadn’t been playing together.

“All three goals we gave away were poor goals. Simon Eastwood saved one straight at him and the other three chances they got they scored from each of them.

“But we gave them good chances – we were just off it today.

“The nuts and bolts of it are that we weren’t good enough in our desire to win the football match in that opening 45 minutes.

“Going forward we weren’t a problem, it was in the middle of the pitch that it was lost – they picked us off and hit us on the break.”

One good thing to come from the match for Robinson was the performance of substitutes Browne and Nathan Holland.

“I thought those two were sensational when they came on,” Robinson said.