Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Walter Zenga was left in no doubt just what English football was all about after an “amazing experience” in his first game in charge.
It looked like a nightmare start for the Italian – a midweek replacement for the sacked Kenny Jackett – when Wolves found themselves 2-0 down to Rotherham United after 20 minutes.
But they rallied, despite playing over half an hour with 10 men following Dominic Iorfa’s red card, and came back to draw 2-2 at the sun-kissed Aesseal New York Stadium.
Zenga said: “It’s very nice, sometimes you win, sometimes you learn, today I learn. The stadium was full, it was a nice game. It’s amazing. If we’d have lost it might have been different.
“We were 2-0 down and the players did great things and didn’t give up. Even in the second half when we had 10, we refused to lose.
“That is the most important thing. I think we deserved to draw.
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“There were many emotional moments, especially the welcome the fans gave me.
“I said simple things to them, we were too deep, we let them play too easily. I changed the system at 2-0 because I had to so something. But I told them to believe and do it.
“We take a point, it is very important for us, for our experience and our future.”
It appeared it would be a different outcome when Rotherham – also playing under a new manager in Alan Stubbs – surged into a two-goal lead through Danny Ward and Will Vaulks.
But George Saville reduced the arrears just before the break and then 12 minutes after Iorfa saw red for a professional foul Jon Dadi Bodvarsson slammed home from an acute angle.
Understandably, Stubbs moaned about dropping two points.
“There were a lot of positives to take, right now it feels like it is two points dropped rather than a point gained,” he said.
“The two goals were sloppy and ones we should have prevented.
“I thought we looked a real threat, when we went 2-0 up I thought we sorted to make one or two wrong decisions, which didn’t reflect those of the first 25 which got us a lot of joy.
“It was mixed, I was pleased with certain elements and a part of me was frustrated as we didn’t get a reward for the position we put ourselves in.
“I am pleased with certain aspects, but I am disappointed because we should have taken three points today.”
Results:
Birmingham City 0-0 Cardiff City
Blackburn Rovers 1-4 Norwich City
Bristol City 2-1 Wigan Athletic
Derby County 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Huddersfield Town 2-1 Brentford
Ipswich Town 4-2 Barnsley
Nottingham Forest 4-3 Burton Albion
Reading 1-0 Preston North End
Rotherham United 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
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