MK Dons v Rotherham United: Millers ready to face new type of challenge

None more so than on Tuesday night against a niggly Wycombe Wanderers side who sought to slow the game and disrupt the Millers as much as possible.

“I did say to the players at half-time, don’t be coming in saying ‘sorry gaffer’ because someone’s nicked your arm and we’ve had a sending off,” said Warne.

“I thought we played the game as professionally as we could and it’s a compliment to the lads that Wycombe might have been happy with the point at the start of the game but we never set up to draw games. We want to try and score goals all the time.

“The fact the lads didn’t react in any way was encouraging.”

MK Dons, who sit a position and two points behind the fifth-placed Millers, will present a different challenge entirely.

“Wycombe were very, very difficult to play against.

“If you finish a point ahead of Wycombe, or a point below Wycombe, you’re definitely going to be in the top six.

“MK Dons will be a different game. They are different styles and there is no right or wrong.

“They are the top on possession stats in the league at the moment and are a real footballing side. (Manager) Liam Manning has got them playing really well. It will be a real tough ask and we have to prepare the team in a different way for a different match.

“If you’re going to go up and have a good season, you have to play different styles against different teams to get results in different places.”

Rotherham have gone nine games unbeaten in all competitions and face a tough week with the trip to Milton Keynes today followed by a date with Manchester City’s Under-21s in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday and then the visit of League One promotion favourites Sunderland on Saturday week.

“We’re in very good form,” admitted Warne. “This run of games at the moment is possibly our toughest on paper.

“We have this then Man City U21 then Sunderland so it’s a chaotic time but the lads are in good fettle, although we might need to strap a few of them up and go again.”

Warne will have a decision to make on who he plays in goal with regular first-choice Viktor Johannson available again after missing the Wycombe game in which deputy Josh Vickers proved to be a safe pair of hands.