He may not be a football genius but Paul Warne has led Rotherham United to the top

On target: Kyle Vassell heads home Rotherham's opener. Picture: Dean Atkins

Rotherham United may well sit proudly atop League One, but there is little danger of them being allowed to get carried away with their current position.

Saturday’s 3-0 home success over Bristol Rovers was a comfortable one in the end and means that the Millers can enjoy a second weekend looking down on the rest of the teams in the division.

Yet, according to manager Paul Warne, there is plenty more that his players can do better.

They were far too pedestrian during the opening half and could easily have found themselves behind against a visiting side who are now without a win in eight matches.

Rotherham United's Kyle Vassell controls under pressure (Picture: Dean Atkins)

The Millers were much better after the break and won with something to spare once they finally got out of second gear, though better opponents would likely have punished them.

If they want to remain in pole position, the Millers cannot afford to continue only turning up for 45 minutes.

“First half, we didn’t move the ball quick enough, we just looked a bit laboured, which disappointed me,” said Warne.

“Second half, we looked a bit more like us, our performance justified a win, but there’s a bit of a warning for the dressing room that we can’t keep doing that at home.

“I was happy to get in at half-time at 0-0. Even at 2-0, on another day one of their chances might go in. They did create chances, it wasn’t like Bristol Rovers laid down. I thought they had a right go.

“I put a lot down to luck. I think if they scored when it was 0-0 the day could have taken a different route and I still didn’t think that we were as good second half as I would like because they were still given chances.

“There were a couple of times where I was waiting for our net to ripple, so I wouldn’t go too crazy about the fact that we won.

“Overall, I thought we deserved to win, but at 2-0 if they’d got one, it could’ve been a much worse day.”

The stark contrast in terms of the level of intensity which United played with in the second period compared to the first presumably owes much to what Warne said to his charges during the interval.

While he admits that his half-time team-talks have not always been as productive, the Millers chief admitted that he was pleased with the response he managed to inspire on this occasion.

“I always ask them what they think, then I tell them what I think, and then we come to an agreement that I’m right,” added Warne in Brian Clough-esque fashion.