Rotherham United take positive approach to defeat to Morecambe in Carabo Cup

Warne made wholesale changes to his side for the match against the League One outfit and were beaten 1-0 by Arthur Gnahoua’s second-half strike.

But Warne was able to give Tom Eaves his first appearance in a Millers shirt following his summer calf injury, Brooke Norton-Cuffy made his debut after joining on loan from Arsenal and several other fringe players were given important minutes.

Fielding a scratch side made it a disjointed performance, but Warne focused on the positive element.

“There were some rusty lads out there, it was Tom Eaves' first game in four or five months, he needed that,” he said. “Jamie McCart got another game in the shirt, I thought he did well, Cohen (Bramall) got some more minutes.

“It's just there aren't the relationships there are in the first team because they haven't played together.

“I need them to play because if someone like Ben Wiles doesn't play at the weekend I need the next midfielder in to be more match ready.

“That is what we have benefitted from, but we have lost and no one likes to lose.”

The Millers found it difficult to break down the Shrimps, who packed the midfield and defence.

“We came to win the match. We controlled the majority of the match but not the most important part, the goal area.

“We dominated the first half, but it was different from a Championship game. Teams come at us, we go at them and it is end to end.

“They came and sat in and made it hard to break them down.

“Players get frustrated, forwards come into pockets to get the ball where they wouldn't normally come and we didn't move the ball quick enough. “That is the critical part, the praise part was that the lads gave everything.”