Managerial switch leaves Lightbourne feeling edgy
Kentoine Jennings and Meshach Wade at their former club Hereford -- with a new manager to impress following the firing of Ray McHale last week.
McHale was let go last Thursday after a string of bad results with assistant manager Phil Chambers put in charge until the end of the season.
"They just called a meeting out of nowhere and fired him,'' Lightbourne explained last night. "He just renewed his contract in December when I came here and he had another year to go on his contract.'' Lightbourne has been substitute in the last few games and will be on the bench tonight against Wrexham. On Saturday he played the entire second half of a 3-1 loss to Cardiff as Scarborough played most of the match with 10 men following the early sending-off of their goalkeeper.
"Ray brought in three new players at a time when the club felt there was no need for them,'' said Lightbourne. "I'm just not getting a full run. I haven't played 90 minutes in a long time and in the last 20 minutes of a game I'm struggling because I haven't played a full 90 minutes.'' Lightbourne says he will soon go in to speak with the new manager to find out where he stands. "I'll give it time and ask him what he thinks of me as a player,'' he said.
"I knew where I stood with Ray but I don't know where I stand with the new manager. I have another year left but I don't want the same thing that happened to Meshach and Kentoine happen to me.'' Lightbourne has scored three goals for the club since he joined them in December and he admits the key will be to start scoring regularly whenever he gets a chance.
"My contract expires on July 5 so I have to get that renewed. I had a talk with Ray just two days before he got sacked and he said I did a lot better than he thought I would from the beginning. I'm trying to get his number so I can thank him for what he did for me.'' Meanwhile, Bermuda's other professional in England, Shawn Goater, will play his first match in six weeks when he turns out for the Rotherham reserves against Aston Villa at Villa Park tomorrow night.
Goater has been out since late February with a knee injury, which required minor surgery.
"It's coming along pretty good,'' Goater said of the knee last night. "I'm likely to play a half to see how it goes. I trained today and it's a bit stiff. I have to do a lot of weight circuits to build it up.
"It's just a matter of getting through that game. I would like to be involved two weeks after that game but he (manager) won't stick me in knowing I'm not 100 percent.'' Rotherham have boosted their attack by recently signing the well-travelled Imre Varadi who was most recently at Leeds United.
KYLE LIGHTBOURNE -- "...I don't want the same thing that happened to Meshach and Kentoine happen to me.''