Looking up, not down, because a team will never, ever be relegated on my watch ... Rotherham United boss Steve Evans writes for the Advertiser

The day I get a team relegated in League One is the time for me never to manage a club at any level again.

I'm telling you now, it's never going to happen. You can include the Championship in that as well.

We're seeking to finish as high in the rankings as possible to set us up for a more successful campaign next term.

I’m not stupid, I understood the concern of supporters a couple of weeks ago when they saw us go through February without a win.

I don't forget poor performances but I also have to remind myself of the quality of our victories against the likes of Reading, Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic.

Bolton beat runaway leaders Birmingham City last week while Charlton are in the top six. We tore both of them apart at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

We're only part of the way through the challenge of turning this club around after the horrors of the previous season before I came back here with Paul Raynor for a second spell in charge.

There is a lot here we can build on. But there is also a lot that we still need to turn around.

As our chairman knows, we inherited a very difficult situation, in terms of within the dressing room, when we came in.

Injuries have added to the challenge and the season has just not been good enough. Sometimes it's been like trying to push water uphill. However there will be no excuses after the summer.

Our mission is to win every match between now and the end of the season. You know and I know that an aim like that is a bit in the clouds, but we have to be competitive and get an identity in the way we're playing.

What I want is a team with energy, a team that doesn't want to take a backward step.

Everyone knows about my relationship with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. He and I have often discussed what goes into making a successful side and it boils down to this: you have to run to win.

Celtic players run or they're out of the club. We should be no different.

Rotherham United are in a bit of a jungle in these parts with giants like Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, plus Barnsley, Doncaster Rovers and Chesterfield.

It's a hotbed of football and you need qualities that make you stand out: all-out effort, total conditioning, a never-say-die attitude.

We have to run, we have to give our supporters pride.

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REMEMBER a boy called Patrick Vieira?

Our loanee, Pelly Mpanzu, reminds me of the great midfielder who used to wear Arsenal's colours.

The French World-Cup-winner used to play every game for the Gunners and even his fierce rival at Manchester United, Roy Keane, was a grudging admirer.

Like Vieira, Pelly's biggest assets are his fight, determination, spirit and physicality.

He's come from not playing a lot of football at Luton Town to suddenly playing 90 minutes every week for us and he's yet to have a bad game.

Before bringing him here, I made my checks on him and the people at Kenilworth Road told me that he was outstanding in training every single day even though he was a little bit out of the picture there.

Pelly's not just an athlete. He will also tell you that he can play a bit as well, and I wouldn't dispute that at all.

I think there is even more to come from him and I can't wait to see how well he performs in the last 11 matches of the season.

Another of our loan lads, Louie Sibley, is also finding his feet, although he has yet to consistently show his best form.

Louie's situation was very much the same as Pelly's in that he'd not had a lot of game-time when he arrived from Oxford United but had featured in training-ground matches.

He made that brilliant start for us when he scored two minutes into his debut at Burton Albion but his form since has been a little bit patchy.

The best version of Louie is a major asset. When he shows the talent that made him such an exciting prospect at Derby County, he is a very dangerous player.

He and Pelly work really hard in training. They are top professionals.

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FIFTEEN starts, ten wins and a draw …

That's some record Shaun McWilliams has racked up this season.

It's such a shame that injuries have restricted his number of appearances. He was outstanding in that spell in January that we had when it looked like we could make a charge towards the play-off places.

Happily, our midfielder is fit again now after hamstring trouble and it's brilliant to have him available. He's done an exceptional job covering at right-back in the last three matches.

He was a big signing for us in the summer when he left Northampton Town and we had to wait for his signature. He took his time making the decision because he had a plethora of top League One clubs to choose from.

We got him and the frustrating thing was that he then picked up a knock in pre-season. We couldn't get him fully fit and as sharp as we needed him to be.

He came through the injury and then came into the team in central midfield and was outstanding.

I vividly remember his performance in our win at Lincoln City on New Year's Day. He was that good, he was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch.

His form at right-back has come as no surprise to us. We knew he could play there because He did it probably 10 or 15 times for Northampton.

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I THREATENED to give old boy Ollie Rathbone a kiss when he came to New York with his new club, Wrexham, last October.

Maybe I should give him a headbutt for leaving us!

Last Saturday, when we came up against him and his team in North Wales, was a frustrating day for us.

We absolutely didn't deserve to lose that match and played well enough to win it. There were long spells when we dominated proceedings against one of the best sides in the division.

Despite my disappointment, it was still good to catch up with Ollie again because I enjoyed my time working with him. He's bubbly, he's warm, he's loving, he gives you his heart and his soul. I gave him a hug at the Racecourse Ground.

I said to Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson when they got the deal over the line last August: 'You have got yourself one hell of a player. He will add significantly to what you've got.'

Ollie, of course, is from a football family and has had a wealth of experience from above to draw on.

His dad, Mick, was a respected pro who went on to have a fine career as a physiotherapist at a number of clubs.

Ollie is level, humble and grounded. How well he has been brought up is a testament to his old man.

Anyway, we now have two home matches to come, against Exeter City on Saturday and Wycombe Wanderers the following Tuesday. Let’s get six points and enjoy the week.