Rotherham United defender Reece James. Picture: Jim Brailsfordplaceholder image
Rotherham United defender Reece James. Picture: Jim Brailsford
REECE James has been having a few troubled nights.
It's nothing to do with the prospect of this weekend facing Luton Town who were a Championship side last season and in the Premier League the year before that.
No, the defender is playing with a rib injury that has required injections and is making for some uncomfortable evenings.
“It's part and parcel of football,” he said after scoring the opening goal in last Saturday's 3-0 League One triumph and winning the Man-of-the-Match award.
“The medical team are looking after me really well. I can't thank the doc and physios enough. As long as I can get out there, I'll be out there. It's not plain sailing. I'll be in a bit of pain tonight, it's not easy trying to get some sleep.”
Victory over the Imps stretched the Millers' unbeaten third-tier run to six matches and next up are the Hatters who are in a rich vein of form themselves under boss of a month Jack Wilshere.
“It's a massive game,” James said. “They were probably everybody's promotion favourites when they came into this league. They've got a lot of good players, but I think we're going there with confidence.
“It's going to be a tough test. I think that they'll feel the same. They've picked up results and they're doing really well. They're on their own patch, with a new manager.”
A newly-assembled Rotherham side started to click in October and they've stepped up to another level this month. The display against the Imps was a show of dominance from start to finish.
“There have been good spells throughout the season – 15 minutes here and there – but this was just a really good performance from minute one to minute 90,” James said. “I think you could see it on all the lads' faces. We were fighting for each other, covering each other.
“The work we've been doing on the training ground has been tough and the messages are sinking in now. I think you can see that from the performances that we've just given. We caused Lincoln a lot of problems and limited them to just trying to hurt us through long balls.
“You can feel that something's starting to happen. It's credit to the manager with what he's been building – keeping everyone on track and keeping everyone believing in the process here: the culture, everything that's going on behind the scenes. There's good unity.
“It's something that he started in pre-season and has gone all the way through to now. We've had adversity with injuries and things like that, but he's trying to keep that belief going. We've got one fit centre-half at the moment, but it doesn't matter – the next people have got to step up.”
James turned 32 the day before the Lincoln contest and gave himself a belated birthday present by scoring the best goal of his career – a 25-yard special – to put the Millers on their way to an emphatic win.
Strangely, he was the last person at AESSEAL New York Stadium to realise that he'd hit the back of the net!
“As the ball came to me, I saw some space and stepped into it,” he said. “I had a look and thought: ‘I can take it a little bit further and have a shot.’ No-one seemed to come and press me.
“I didn't actually know it had gone in. I saw it hit the post and then I fell forward. It was only when I looked up and saw Shaun McWillliams and Dan Gore come sprinting to me with big smiles on their faces that I knew I'd scored.
“It was nice to get the goal from that type of distance, because I don't think I've done it from that range before. My dad, my dad's wife and my little brother were here. It was special for them and special for me.”
So, on to Luton …
“We've got to go there knowing that we can give them a good game and try to keep our streak going,” James said. “We've just got to make sure we keep that mentality and that belief that we're a good side.”
He was still in his kit when he was interviewed. On his right sleeve was a one-word tag that is part of the EFL's anti-racism message and also sums up the mood in the Millers camp.
‘Together’.
Continue Reading