Rotherham United: Josh Vickers happy to step in and be No 1 guy for Millers

Such is the life of a back-up goalkeeper, but there will be no hard feelings if Paul Warne turns to his traditional No 1 Viktor Johansson for the trip to Milton Keynes Dons.

Vickers, 25, certainly let nobody down on Tuesday night, keeping a clean sheet against a Wycombe Wanderers side that never really showed the ambition to make his life too uncomfortable.

What he was called upon to do, though, he did well.

“When you get your chance you’ve got to take it and I felt like I performed well,” said Vickers, who had been without a club since leaving Lincoln in the summer of 2020 when he joined Rotherham in November of that year as third-choice keeper.

“You have to be ready to be called upon.

“It’s been a case of me coming in and working hard and making sure the coaching staff knew that if there was a chance I was ready to take it.

“I knew the situation when I signed and I’m happy with it.”

Johannson was suffering with a knock and not deemed 100 per cent ready to start against Wycombe, hence the elevation for Vickers.

As the pair return to training this morning ahead of the visit to MK Dons, Vickers will be ready to fulfil either role.

“Viktor has done really well, we’ve got a good defensive record, so all I can do now is go again Thursday and be ready for the weekend,” said Vickers.

“I prepare the same as if I was playing week in, week out, because you have to.

“With what’s going on in the world with Covid, you never know what will happen, so you just prepare like you’re playing and train as hard as you can.

“No hard feelings [if they go back to Viktor], he’s done well for the first 10, 11 games, I’ve come in and done well for one game, plus a cup game, so we’ll see what happens Thursday and take it from there.”