|
The season had started with Archie Gemmill and John McGovern as joint managers and ended with Danny Bergara in charge. Bergara had been a disaster and was promptly sacked and the Millers turned to a former player in Ronnie Moore.
The first season saw them finish in a disappointing 9th place in the basement division although they did have some glory with an FA Cup knock-out of the Clarets (the memories of that night in front of the Sky cameras are still painful).
It was better the season after and they finished fifth to qualify for the end of season play-offs but were beaten on penalties after two goalless semi-finals against Leyton Orient.
It was to get better though and 2nd place finishes saw them promoted in successive seasons and for the start of last season they took their place in the First Division.
Ronnie Moore himself said it would be a struggle and so it was and they were under the threat of relegation virtually all season. In the end they survived on goal difference with Crewe going down on 49 points.
And so to this season with hopes no higher to be honest and not a single new signing. They were again amongst the bookies favourites to go down and nobody would have put too much money on them staying up.
But they really couldn’t have made a better start. It looked tough on paper, a visit to last season’s play-off team Millwall, but they went to the New Den and came away with a 6-0 win with Darren Byfield scoring four of them.
They have hardly looked back and at one point only Portsmouth stood between them and the top of the table although since there has been some drop in form that now sees them in 10th place just one place above the Clarets with one more point.
It is though away from home where the form has dipped and so far it is only Portsmouth who have been to Millmoor and won.
|
Last week they picked up another three home points with an excellent win against 4th place Watford. The 2-1 win came in a game where Rotherham were the better side throughout and they would not have been flattered with a much bigger win. In the end they were thankful for goals from Martin McIntosh and Richie Barker to ensure the points were won.
The Rotherham team was: Mike Pollitt, Rob Scott, Chris Swailes, Martin McIntosh, Paul Hurst, Chris Sedgwick (Stewart Talbot), Darren Garner, Nick Daws, Andy Monkhouse, Richie Barker, Alan Lee. Subs not used: Ian Gray, Marvin Bryan, Paul Warne, Darren Byfield.
They have scored a total of 31 goals in their 18 league games and Darren Byfield has doubled his first day tally to 8 although former Claret Alan Lee is the player to look to for goals and he has scored a total of 10 league goals. Behind those two is Richie Barker with 5.
Alan Lee is just about certain to line up against his former club but is the only player expected to. Rotherham’s other ex-Claret John Mullin has been out of the side recently and has been playing reserve team football.
This is a game between two sides very close together in the league and on a ground where Burnley don'’ particularly do well. It is a game though that we are more than capable of winning.
Click HERE to see Rotherham’s complete results for this season.
He played for both
|
He made his debut on the opening day of the 1967/68 season and long with Willie Irvine scored in our 2-1 home win against First Division new boys Coventry City. In fact Frank scored in his first three games.
He was leading scorer in his first two seasons as a Claret but then had a couple of poor seasons goal wise as we finally lost our place in the top division. But he was back in goalscoring form in Division Two and was a major influence during our promotion season of 1972/73.
Back in Division One he was playing the best football of his career but disaster was to strike. He turned in probably his two finest performances in a Burnley shirt in the space of four days as we won 3-2 at Spurs and 2-0 at Wolves and scoring in both games.
The week after though came the return with Spurs and in one of the most savage and persistent attacks on one player I have ever seen they put him on a stretcher. It was one vicious challenge after another and he was to be out of the game for almost six months.
He was back to his best when we visited Don Revie’s Leeds in March 1974 and turned in yet another wonderful performance to beat them 4-1 but it was all too much for Leeds. With Revie screaming ‘Break his ****** legs’ from the touchline Frank’s career was virtually ended by an horrendous assault by Norman Hunter.
Incredibly he played the week after in the FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle but it was to be over 18 months before he played again. Then it was just a few appearances from a clearly nowhere near fit Casper but it did enable him to score his 100th goal on his first game back as seen in our 100 Great Clarets Moments.
|
And then his first home game in charge was a 3-1 win against a Barnsley side managed by Norman Hunter. At least there was some revenge for Frank.
He didn’t get the job on a permanent basis and John Bond came in and within no time he left the club and some months later went to Bury as number two to Martin Dobson. He was there for over four years before returning to Burnley as manager, again replacing Brian Miller.
It wasn’t to be a successful return though and when he left two and a half years later we were still in Division Four. He made some bad signings in that time too but did leave us with the likes of Steve Davis, John Pender and John Deary who were all to play major parts in two promotions under his replacement Jimmy Mullen.
Frank, who still lives locally, has not been involved in the game since, but was until recently involved with the club’s kit sponsors TFG. They had previously been known as Super League a company that Frank was co-owner of.
He still goes on the Turf when able and is still keen to see the club that he gave over eighteen years service do well.
League results in the last 20 years
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
a | |||||
1982/83 | 2 | h | 1-2 | 9,169 | Steven |
a | 1-1 | 6,079 | Taylor | ||
1983/84 | 3 | h | 2-2 | 4,676 | Scott Biggins |
a | 1-1 | 5,544 | Flynn | ||
1984/85 | 3 | h | 7-0 | 3,907 | Hird(3 1pen) Biggins(2) Devine Lawrence |
a | 2-3 | 4,646 | Biggins | ||
1988/89 | 4 | h | 1-0 | 9,290 | Oghani |
a | 1-3 | 5,726 | Farrell | ||
1991/92 | 4 | h | 1-2 | 13,812 | Francis |
a | 1-2 | 6,042 | Conroy | ||
1992/93 | 2 | h | 1-1 | 9,684 | Deary |
a | 1-0 | 4,989 | Heath(pen) | ||
1993/94 | 2 | h | 0-0 | 10,806 | |
a | 2-3 | 5,553 | Laws(og) Francis | ||
1995/96 | 2 | h | 2-1 | 10,478 | Eyres(pen) Philliskirk |
a | 0-1 | 5,553 | |||
1996/97 | 2 | h | 3-3 | 7,875 | Cooke(2) Barnes |
a | 0-1 | 4,562 | |||
2001/02 | 1 | h | 3-0 | 14,820 | I Moore Weller Payton(pen) |
a | 1-1 | 9,021 | Taylor(pen) |
Click HERE to see all our league results against Rotherham, the first as recently as 1980.
Last Time in the League
Rotherham United 1 (Robins 11pen) Burnley 1 (Taylor 9pen) – Nationwide League Division 1, Tuesday 12th February 2002
|
It was a game that should have been played on Boxing Day but one that was postponed once referee Brandwood had made sure everyone had got there and was re-arranged on a Tuesday following games at Watford the previous Tuesday and Barnsley on the Saturday.
Brandwood made up for lost time though and in a somewhat erratic performance he awarded the Clarets a dubious looking penalty after just 9 minutes that was comfortable converted by Gareth Taylor, his second success from the spot after replacing Glen Little.
If that was dubious then the one he gave at the other end two minutes later was outrageous as ex-Claret John Mullin conned him into giving a foul against Kevin Ball. Mark Robins converted that and after such a hectic start we sat back and looked forward to the entertainment.
The trouble was that we had seen just about all we were going to get. On a pitch unsuitable for good football we struggled to pass the ball and constantly gave it away whilst our opponents made little attempt to play much football at all. They seemed content in hitting balls up to the unimpressive Alan Lee, the former Claret, up front.
Having won at Watford and drawn at Barnsley another point here did seem to bring about a good return from the week away from home and it has to be said that neither side on the night deserved more than a point.
Stan tried his three substitutions in ten minutes routine but even that had no effect although one of the subs, Graham Branch, did miss a late chance with a header that he should have done better with. But in the end it was a point we had to settle for.
The teams were,
Rotherham United: Mike Pollitt, Chris Swailes, Martin McIntosh, Marvin Bryan, Paul Hurst, Chris Sedgwick, Stewart Talbot (Nick Daws 73), John Mullin, Andy Monkhouse (Paul Warne 85), Mark Robins, Alan Lee (Richie Barker 75). Subs not used: Ian Gray, Guy Branston.
Burnley: Marlon Beresford, Dean West, Ian Cox, Arthur Gnohere, Lee Briscoe, Glen Little (Brad Maylett 65), Paul Weller, Kevin Ball, Alan Moore, Ian Moore (Robbie Blake 61), Gareth Taylor (Graham Branch 75). Subs not used: Gordon Armstrong, Paul Cook.
Referee: John Brandwood (Lichfield).