Newcastle United Under-21s secured their place in the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night with a 1-0 win at Rotherham United, intensifying scrutiny on Millers head coach Alex Bruce.
Bruce, the son of former Newcastle manager Steve Bruce, conceded his side needed to show more after the defeat at the New York Stadium. A crowd of 805 watched Robbie Stockdale's young side claim victory thanks to a goal from Kyran Thompson.
Win Secures Knockout Spot
The result means Newcastle progress from Group C alongside Bradford City, extending their winning run to five matches. Rotherham were left to reflect on the loss, with supporters directing criticism at Bruce, chief operating officer Paul Douglas and chairman Tony Stewart.
Steve McClaren, another former Newcastle boss, serves as director of football at Rotherham. Bruce replaced Lee Clark in the role in June.
Bruce Vows to Fight On
Rotherham sit third from bottom in the League Two table, but Bruce said he would continue despite growing criticism.
"It's not about me," he said. "If there's a fight to be had, I'll have it, but I know the buck stops with me."
"In large parts of it, there wasn't really that much in the game. They counter-attacked us in the first half and scored. We didn't do enough to win the game. I think we huffed and puffed."
"As I've just said to the players in the dressing room, to win football matches, you have to show a little bit more than that. If we are going to get out of the trouble that we're in, we need to start showing a bit more than we did."
