Sammon sees positives

At 28, he's one of the senior statesmen of the Rotherham team and he also knows what it takes for teams to keep their heads above water in the second tier.

In on loan from Derby, Sammon has filled the boots of Alex Revell with aplomb so far, throwing himself into the cut and thrust just like his predecessor did and weighing in with a couple of goals.

But he also reckons there's enough character and ability around him to make sure the Millers remain fiercely competitive.

"We have got some really good players here," he says. "There's real energy with Richie Smallwood and Paul Green and real skill and threat with Ben Pringle and Conor Newton and the lads on the bench also offer a lot.

"I'm really optimistic, that's the way I am. I will always look for the positives in things and there are lots of them."

Sammon's goal against Ipswich last Saturday displayed a clinical edge he needs to show more of. The Irishman hasn't been a prolific scorer down the years but Steve Evans has always insisted there's goals in him.

"Conor does a lot of things in a game not everyone sees — the effort, the determination to work hard really is an asset," says the Millers chief.

"We said, two or three weeks ago before this little run, that if you arrive here as a Championship club and you play against two strikers like Conor Sammon and Matt Derbyshire then it's game on because they're quality players."

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