Jordan Hugill's goals give Rotherham United decision to make - regardless of where they came

The Millers have won three games on the trot for the first time since February 2022, but as the last came via a much-changed side in the Football League Trophy selection will not be straight-forward at London Road. Further complicating it has been the return to training of Liam Kelly and Sean Raggett.

Jordan Hugill did his best to muddy the waters by scoring twice in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Newcastle United, taking his tally in this season’s Trophy to four. Group games in the much-derided competition are not on the same level as League One football but Evans will not hold it against the Teessider.

“Goals are goals,” he argued. “It's good to see Jordan getting them.

“He got two against Mansfield and they were really strong. He got two more on Tuesday and was unlucky not to get a hat-trick. The goalkeeper threw his arm at one and it hit him – he didn't have a clue where it was!

“The good thing from the other night was that the boys who got the goals were the two strikers. Esapa (Osong, on loan from Nottingham Forest) got his goal (his first for the Millers) and Jordan got two.

“We knew we needed to get certain players on the pitch and it was evident in the last 10, 15 minutes that a lot of players were tired and cramping up a little bit.

“When you're going Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday the training tempo goes down and the recovery period goes up. The ones suffering are the guys trying to get in, the boys who are playing are fine.

“Those (Trophy) games are vital to us and it's certainly opened our eyes up for Saturday.

“"Cohen Bramall looked a class above everyone on the pitch in lots of what he did.”

Evans has seen a positive knock-on in training at Roundwood.

“We went through the video on Thursday morning and Jordan saw himself score, Esapa saw his movement, running and creativity, taking the pass, and that creates a spark on the training ground,” he said. “Everyone loves to see themselves on the telly doing well, don't they?

“When we are doing well it creates a positive spin-off in training and an openness of mind. We never finish a game and think, 'We know our team for next week.'

“We have an open book here, we give people chances.”

Former Posh striker Jonson Clarke-Harris returned to training on Thursday after injuring his calf in Saturday's 2-1 win over Reading. Kelly and Raggett are back training, but Evans must consider the fact they have been injured longer.

“We'll determine when they've trained again on Friday whether they're ready to be involved against Peterborough without having a game at the training ground first and getting some cobwebs blown away,” he said. “They've been five weeks and three weeks out.

“What a beautiful morning it was to watch Kelly pass a ball around the training ground. It was even good just watching Sean head and kick it!”

Both have brought something to the group regardless this week.

Evans calls Kelly “infectious, he's not a shouter or a bawler, he's very insular on the pitch but off it his words can mean lots to players.

“You don't play as he's played for Coventry in all the big games he has not to be a big player.

“He brings that experience of someone who can pass, move and be creative, and as we saw at Charlton, score a goal.

“"Sean brings leadership qualities. He's a big strong boy, hard, robust. He heads and kicks it and leads by being willing to fight for his team, as he displayed playing for the champions (Portsmouth) last season.”

The game has extra significance for Peterborough-based ex-Posh manager Evans, as well as Clarke-Harris, but for the club it is about not losing the momentum of 10 days which feel like a possible turning point for a slow-starting season.

“We need a Charlton performance away from home and if we have a Charltonesque performance, I'll take what happens,” said Evans, whose side drew at The Valley in a game he felt they deserved to win.

“I'm big and broad-shouldered enough to take what happens if it's a poor performance but we have to stay together, there's a belief in the camp and the dressing room. Our senior players see it and feel it.

“Their leadership is more important when you're not winning games. it's important you have that experience to calm people down and the return will come if you're doing things properly.

“We've been playing some really good football and making unbelievable chances but not getting our reward by putting them in the net. That will happen over the period of a season, comfortably.

“Three points could take us up 10 places (widespread postponements make eight highly likely), which shows you how competitive it is, possibly with the exception of Birmingham who (nevertheless) found it tough to win last week.”