Purrington relishing Villa battle

IT’S games like tomorrow that convinced left-back Ben Purrington to swap the south west for South Yorkshire in January.
Purrington in action against BlackburnPurrington in action against Blackburn
Purrington in action against Blackburn

The carrot of playing against sides like Aston Villa was what made the youngster swap League Two promotion chasers Plymouth Argyle for a fresh start with Rotherham United.

Considering he's had to step into the most hard-pressed back four in the division, Purrington has done OK so far. The 20-year-old has a good all-round game, adept defensively and pushing forward, and the one black mark on his record so far is the bad back pass that cost his team a goal at Cardiff a fortnight ago.

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Handed a three-and-a-half year contract, he's one the club believes can help bring the good times back to the New York Stadium but in the meantime Purrington is thinking only about the scrap for league points and tomorrow's date with Aston Villa's multi-millionaires. League leaders Brighton are also waiting around the corner on Tuesday.

Purrington told the Advertiser: "Every game is massive in the Championship and when you look at the fixtures, there are so many big clubs. Having come from League Two, it's so different, the grounds as well as the teams. 

"Of course, this one against Aston Villa is the sort I came here for but even the matches like Brentford are good because you are still playing against some top quality players. It's a great experience.

"Personally, I made the mistake at Cardiff and it was a genuine one, it was poor, but you have to move on. It is one mistake and in the other games I feel like I have more than held my own."