CHA-CHA-CHOKER
Strictly fan Warne driven round the twist as old pal Begovic denies Millers with stunning save
ROTHERHAM manager Paul Warne spent Saturday night in front of the telly, watching Strictly with his missus and cursing the dancing feet of a former team-mate.
Warne and Asmir Begovic were team-mates at Yeovil 12 years ago when the Bosnian spent a spell on loan there.
But Warne did not know whether to hug or throttle him on the final whistle after the Bournemouth goalkeeper’s wonder save denied him a win to mark his fourth anniversary as Millers’ boss.
The visitors had looked on course for a fourth straight victory when Junior Stanislas put them ahead from the penalty spot.
But Rotherham were good value for a share of the spoils, with Freddie Ladapo scoring either side of half-time before
Dominic Solanke rescued a point for the Cherries.
And they would have headed home with nothing had not Begovic denied
Angus McDonald w i th a breathtaking save in the 67th minute, diving full length low down to his right to claw away the mi d f i e l d e r ’s scissors kick.
“Was I impressed with it? No, I ’m bitter,” joked Warne. “Seriously though, it was an
DOM-INO EFFECT Ladapo beats Begovic to make it 2-1 before Solanke headed an equaliser (right) excellent save. I know Asmir really well and since he played with me, his career has gone in the right direction, so he’s got a lot to thank me for!
“He performed really well and the fact we are forcing arguably the league’s best keeper to make saves like that is testament to my lads.
“I’m really proud of them so I’m going to go home, watch Strictly with the wife and then
Sunday is a big NFL day in the Warne household.”
Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall claimed he did not enjoy this see-saw contest, labelling it “ugly”.
But Warne was unapologetic for Rotherham’s tactic of bombarding Begovic’s box with high balls.
“There’s no shame in the way we want to play,” he said. “I watched Liverpool beat Leicester when they scored two goals from crosses.
“The quality of our delivery into the box was a real weapon in our arsenal.”
Begovic had no complaints. “It was a real physical test and we had to stand up to them which we did for the most part,” he said.
“Rotherham caused us a lot of problems and it’s nice that I was able to contribute.
“We know our own quality and want to win every game but while we weren’t at our best, we may look back on this as a valuable point.”
ROTHERHAM: Blackman 6, Olosunde 7 (Clarke 64, 6), Harding 6, Ihiekwe 7, Macdonald 7, Lindsay 7, Mattock 7, Wiles 6, Crooks 6, M Smith 6, Ladapo 7 (Vassell 88) BOURNEMOUTH: Begovic 8, A Smith 6 (Surridge 60, 6), S Cook 7, Mepham 6, Kelly 6, Gosling 6 (Rico 60, 7), Billing 6, Lerma 6, Brooks 7, Solanke 7, Stanislas 7