Sheffield United defeated Rotherham United 2-1 on Saturday in their fourth friendly of the summer.
Rotherham United manager Steve Evans acknowledges his side looked’scared’ against Sheffield United on Saturday, but he insists the game was a valuable learning lesson. The Blades won 2-1 in the New York Stadium, continuing their stellar pre-season record.
Vini Souza gave Chris Wilder’s side the lead in the 10th minute, and after being pegged back after the break, youngster Louie Marsh scored in the 89th minute. The success builds on the Blades’ triumphs over York City, Chesterfield, and Harrogate Town this month, and they’ll be optimistic heading into the new Championship season.
Rotherham manager Evans commended the Blades for fielding a quality side to face the Millers, but he was also pleased with his team’s response after feeling the need to utter some ‘tough words’ at halftime.
“Firstly credit to Chris, who said before the game that they were as strong as they could be and they looked it in the first half where we looked a little bit weary, a bit scared and a new team who’d just been put together,” Evans told reporters following the match. “It’s a fantastic side Chris has assembled, and we’re grateful to Sheffield United for coming.
“We changed it up at halftime to be more solid, to get on the ball more, to have more possession of the ball, and I believe we succeeded. We used the same formation as in the second half of the season in midweek, and it worked well at times.
“I think it gave us a grip on the game, and in the second half it was perhaps a little harsh on us to concede right at the end, but if you make a big blunder, you’re going to give a goal.
“There were some harsh words from me at half-time that shouldn’t have to be the case in pre-season but there’s never a good time to say them.”
He went on to say, “This was the type of opponent we wanted to face because I believe we’ll learn a lot more from these games than we have from the previous four or five games. We’ve learned a lot today.
On Friday night, the Blades will play Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium to wrap up their pre-season schedule. That game comes exactly a week before their season opener against Preston North End at Deepdale, with the Blades seeking to bounce back from relegation by getting a win on the board for the first time in asking.
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