Evans hopes to keep new faces in reserve

The Rotherham manager, whose promotion-chasers seek to round off a positive week in style at home to Dagenham today, have agreed a deal in principle with a Championship club to sign two players on Monday, including a striker.

The rival manager has given Evans his word it will go through, unless any weekend injuries cloud the issue.

While Evans will be delighted to have them on board, if the players currently in the side continue to impress, he will be happy to keep them in reserve.

He said: “As daft as it sounds – and my chairman won’t want to hear these words – if the two players come in, I hope they do not play and are sitting next to me!

“That is not tongue-in-cheek. When Jordan Slew came in, he had a real impact but then we changed it around a little bit and we left him out and went with a different system and he was unable to get back in because of the performances of the team.”

Key personnel may have changed from the Daggers line-up who blitzed the Millers 5-0 in the autumn, with a major departure being Dwight Gayle, who terrorised the visitors that day and is now scoring the goals at Peterborough.

The Millers side is much changed as well and while Evans is mighty glad Gayle is not in Daggers’ colours any more, he insists the East Londoners still possess quality.

Evans said: “The best player on the pitch by fifty-five million miles in the game at Dagenham was Gayle, who is now at Peterborough. If Darragh MacAnthony and Barry Fry had not been so generous with their money, he might have been a Miller even...

“But I went up and watched Dagenham at Bradford recently and Bradford were fortunate to be in the game when they equalised five minutes to go after Dagenham missed a penalty and couple of easy chances.

“Dagenham have got young players who are fresh and hungry and one or two older ones who have previously played for me with great desire.”