No sign of slowing down from Rotherham United 30-something Reece James
REECE James quickly identified the biggest change in the Rotherham United camp following the arrival of Matt Hamshaw.
“It's the hard work,” he said.
The left-back was speaking towards the end of last season when the Millers were on a run of four wins and two draws during the eight League One games for which the new boss was at the helm
Hamshaw introduced a tougher regime while also giving the players more licence to express themselves.
“There's more of a style and more freedom,” James said. “In a couple of games there have been passages where we've played out from the back and through the lines as opposed to going more direct.
“It takes practice on the training pitch. That will only get better with time.”
Fast forward to now and the ‘hard work’ the defender talked of is paying off.
He has done well in pre-season despite being one of the 30-somethings in a squad the average age of which his manager is trying to bring down.
Only a matter of weeks after talking about the ageing process and saying “In your body you feel that little bit different and maybe lose that yard of pace”, he set the second-fastest time in the Roundwood Mile that all of Hamshaw's outfield men have to endure.
That made the soreness he joked about feeling when he went home later that day to play with his kids all the more worthwhile.
Rotherham ended the last campaign in 13th spot, which meant a lowest-ever finishing position for James in a division he knows well through stints at Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday and the Millers.
He was a first-choice pick under Steve Evans and then Hamshaw until the need for a hernia operation saw him miss the final fixture and left him one match short of a half-century of appearances in the first season of his two-year deal at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
His present boss is an admirer of his consistency and attitude and the full-back could be a key man next term.
“It's just about living right and making sure your body's ready to go when you turn out for each game,” he said. “The distances I cover in games are still rising. I still feel really good.
“I'm hoping I have a major role to play. I came here with three promotions from this league and wanting to add to that.
“I'll bring as much experience as I can to whatever role the manager wants me to play. I'll try to be the best that I possibly can in each and every game.”