REACTION: Warne eager to go to market

ROTHERHAM United will press on with trying to bring in much-needed new signings in the wake of their FA Cup exit to Oxford.

Five players left the club last week, with Izzy Brown, Greg Halford, Dael Fry and Jake Forster-Caskey moving on permanently and Dominic Ball completing a loan switch to Peterborough.

Saturday's dip to League One Oxford only underlined the need for capable replacements, a fact acknowledged by interim manager Paul Warne.

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"I can see we need players and everyone can see that," he said. "We have let a lot go and everything is being done behind the scenes to get people in. My opinion hasn't changed, I still think we need a bit more pace and power in the team.

"We need more options as well with the position we're in. Everything is being done and apart from physically driving around in my car and pick people up, there's not much else we can do."

Warne condemned Rotherham's first-half performance and even though he was lifted by the way they made a game of it in the second half, he was dismayed by old failings.

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"I have no regrets, I picked the best team I had available," he said. "I motivated them the same I always have but it doesn't take away the overall feeling of embarrassment.

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"The first half was inexcusable and as good as we were in the second half, it makes that first half feel even worse because you can see how well the lads can play when they're on song, but they are mentally fragile and you could see that when Oxford scored their second goal.

"I just need people who aren't in this group to come in who won't have those psychological skeletons and can keep the group going because there is a good team within it and unfortunately at the moment the results don't show that."

Warne hinted that young striker Jerry Yates had played his way into contention for a bigger role against Norwich City on Saturday after coming on for the out-of-sorts Dexter Blackstock in the second half and helping Rotherham raise their game.