Paul Warne reveals good luck message from ex-Rotherham United team-mate

ROTHERHAM UNITED manager Paul Warne believes that his Millers squad will assume legendary status if they stay up at Cardiff City on Saturday.
Paul Warne. Picture: PA.Paul Warne. Picture: PA.
Paul Warne. Picture: PA.

The Millers Championship fates have gone right down to the wire and they must win in the Principality to give themselves any chance of survival.

That, combined with Derby County failing to beat Sheffield Wednesday in another huge 'Survival Saturday' fixture would see Rotherham retain their second-tier status.

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It represents a tall order, but Warne is drawing inspiration from the past.

Warne was part of a Millers squad who went up to the second tier in 2000-01, with the twentieth anniversary of their famous promotion-clinching victory over Brentford arriving last week.

The bonds between those players who were part of Ronnie Moore's all-conquering line-up who achieved back-to-back promotions in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 has endured to this day and Warne received a good luck message from one of his former team-magtes earlier this week.

Warne said: “If we could stay up, as I have said to the lads, they could be remembered as greats who people would speak about in twenty years time.

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"I had Sedgy (Chris Sedgwick), who I played with twenty years ago at Rotherham, text me on the day of the game against Luton the other day and say: ‘Mate, we came here twenty years ago and won 1-0 and were rubbish and beat Brentford in the next game to get promoted to the Championship.'

"He played and scored (against Luton) because I was suspended and he texted to say I took his shirt straight back off him.

"It is nice that twenty years on, I am still friends with 80 per cent of that team.

"I’d like to think if these lads did something great, they could send a text in 20 years time saying:’ ‘remember when it was Cardiff away twenty years ago and we won.’

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"With the way the world is now with cameras and Manchester City players jumping around if they win, they are just lads who want to win football games.

"My lads just want to come into the dressing room after (on Saturday) feeling like kings. And they have an opportunity to go and do that."