|
Back at Millmoor, scene of our last away game
There were all set to be big changes at Millmoor during the summer with a big takeover and with manager Ronnie Moore set for a move to Burnley, or was it Leeds, or was it Hull.
The takeover never did happen, it did have a touch of Peter Shackleton to it, and more recently the club was put up for sale and advertised as such in a national paper. Ronnie Moore remains although he was interviewed for the jobs at Turf Moor and Elland Road without success.
He was clearly delighted to stay with Rotherham when the money was set to roll in but when that didn’t happen he moaned that he would have to go shopping for new players on his B list rather than the A list which had be widely broadcast.
His A list targets did mainly go elsewhere – certainly Danny Cadamarteri signed for Leeds and Jody Morris for Millwall – but Moore was able to make some new signings.
The first two of them were making permanent loan signings from the end of the 2003/04 season. They were Robbie Stockdale from Middlesbrough and West Brom’s Phil Gilchrist.
Since then Moore has been able to make three more additions to his squad. During July he signed Watford midfielder Paolo Vernazza and Paul McLaren from Sheffield Wednesday and on the eve of the season was able to bring in former Burnley loan man Paul Shaw from Sheffield United for three months.
As Burnley were drawing on Saturday so were Rotherham who came from a goal behind to equalise through Shaw against the newly promoted QPR at Loftus Road.
One player they were without on Saturday, and will be without for sometime, is Martin Butler. The former Walsall, Cambridge and Reading striker was initially ruled out with a serious knee injury that has required surgery but to add to that he is now suffering from both glandular fever and hepatitis A.
Other than that it is a clean bill of health and the Millers are expected to show few, if any, changes from their opening day line up at QPR which was:
Mike Pollitt, Robbie Stockdale, Chris Swailes, Phil Gilchrist, Scott Minto, Chris Sedgwick (Rob Scott 84), John Mullin (Paolo Vernazza 84), Darren Garner, Paul Shaw, Michael Proctor (Paul Warne 84), Richie Barker. Subs not used: Gary Montgomery, Paul Hurst.
As for the Clarets, with so few players to choose from, there cannot be many changes to the team that opened up against Sheffield United.
We do have one player doubtful and that looks likely to be either keeper Danny Coyne or midfielder Tony Grant. If either was to miss out then they would be replaced by Brian Jensen and Lee Roche respectively with coach Mark Yates taking the seat on the bench.
If they come through, as hoped, then it will be the same team that drew on Saturday which was:
Danny Coyne, Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, John McGreal, Mo Camara, Richard Chaplow, Tony Grant, Micah Hyde, Graham Branch, Ian Moore, Robbie Blake. Subs: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Matt O’Neill, Joel Pilkington, Ryan Townsend.
That defeat at the end of last season was an embarrassing one although it was the day that both Rotherham and Burnley ensured they would be playing in this division again this season.
Stan labelled some of the players a disgrace and even Ronnie Moore laughed at our keeper at the end and thanked him for the goals.
Although he didn’t name the players in the press conference the scenes outside the ground afterwards made it clear the fingers were being pointed at his three summer 2003 signings Jensen, Roche and Camara with the two outfield players having been withdrawn at half time.
It was a sad, sad performance and whatever anyone’s view of Stan was certainly not fitting for his last away match in charge. We surrendered far too easily after gifting them two goals in what at the time was still a vital game for us.
The teams were,
Rotherham: Mike Pollitt, Shaun Barker, Chris Swailes, Robbie Stockdale, Scott Minto, Chris Sedgwick (Paul Warne 82), John Mullin, Jody Morris, Phil Gilchrist, Michael Proctor, Martin Butler (Richie Barker 29). Subs not used: Gary Montgomery, Paul Hurst, Andy Monkhouse.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche (Luke Chadwick 45), David May, Mark McGregor, Mo Camara (Dele Adebola 45), Paul Weller, Richard Chaplow (Matt O’Neill 74), Lenny Johnrose, Glen Little, Robbie Blake, Graham Branch. Subs not used: Nathan Abbey, Joel Pilkington.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1984/85 | 3 | a | 2-3 | 5,544 | Flynn |
| . | . | h | 7-0 | 3,907 | Hird(3 1pen) Biggins(2) Devine |
1988/89 | 4 | h | 1-0 | 9,290 | Oghani |
| . | . | a | 1-3 | 5,726 | Farrell |
1991/92 | 4 | a | 1-2 | 6,042 | Conroy |
| . | FAC | h | 2-0 | 9,775 | Conroy Lancashire |
| . | 4 | h | 1-2 | 13,812 | Francis |
1992/93 | 2 | h | 1-1 | 9,684 | Deary |
| . | . | a | 1-0 | 4,989 | Heath(pen) |
1993/94 | 2 | a | 2-3 | 5,553 | Laws(og) Francis |
| . | . | h | 0-0 | 10,806 | . |
1995/96 | 2 | h | 2-1 | 10,478 | Eyres(pen) Philliskirk |
. | . | a | 0-1 | 5,553 | . |
1996/97 | 2 | a | 0-1 | 4,562 | . |
| . | . | h | 3-3 | 7,875 | Cooke(2) Barnes |
1997/98 | FAC | a | 3-3 | 5,709 | Cooke Neil Moore Weller |
| . | . | a | 0-3 | 3,118 | . |
1999/2000 | FAC | h | 2-0 | 8,110 | Cook Mullin |
2001/02 | 1 | h | 3-0 | 14,820 | Ian Moore Weller Payton(pen) |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 9,021 | Taylor(pen) |
2002/03 | 1 | a | 0-0 | 7,575 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-6 | 14,121 | Davis(2) |
2003/04 | 1 | h | 1-1 | 12,928 | Blake |
. | . | a | 0-3 | 9,157 | . |