A Quick Look Back At Last Season – Pre-Season

Football – Rotherham United v Southend United – npower Football League Two – New York Stadium – 12/13 , 13/10/12
General View of New York Stadium
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Alex Morton
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Rotherham United had a bit of an up, down, not sure, down, up sort of a season which finally accumulated to the fact that a home win against Middlesbrough meant the Millers could go to Wigan on the last day of the season knowing they were already safe.

And that’s something that hasn’t happened for a while.

But how did we get there?

Let’s have a quick look at pre-season . . .

The Millers started to prepare themselves for the Championship after finishing the previous season as League One runners-up behind Wigan Athletic.

In May the EFL awarded the club the Family Excellence Award with special mentions going to Miller Bear for his participation as well as the Red and White shops ‘pocket money’ selection of gifts.

Rumours were soon around saying we were after this body and that body with the first solid statement being made about Mickel Miller who announced he wouldn’t be staying with Rotherham when his contract ran out in July and duly moved to Plymouth Argyle.

Huddersfield Town, and later Burnley, were putting ‘feelers’ out about Ben Wiles while Freddie Ladapo, who had put a transfer request in at the start of the year, was also thought to be on the radar of various clubs including Hull City. Chieo Ogbene was interesting a few clubs with Swansea City being one that we saw mentioned. Ben and Chieo went nowhere while Freddie joined Ipswich Town.

After being let go young defender Jake Cooper joined National League side Altrincham while Joe Mattock moved on to League Two side Harrogate Town. In mid-July another released player, Angus MacDonald, joined another League Two side in Swindon Town.

Although they were offered new deals at the New York Stadium both Michael Smith and Michael Ihiekwe made the short trip to join Sheffield Wednesday.

Richard Wood, on the other hand, signed on for another year with Jamie Lindsay signing a two year deal.

Manager Paul Warne said he was hoping to sign ‘seven or eight’ new players for the upcoming campaign. The first signing came at the end of May when Conor Washington put pen to paper on a two year deal. Peter Kioso was the next player in joining from Luton Town in June and hot on his heels came Tom Eaves for his second spell at the New York Stadium signing a three year deal. Another getting a three year deal was defender Jamie McCart coming in from Scottish side St Johnstone.

The first day of July saw Cohen Bramall arrive from Lincoln City.

July saw the New York Stadium host the French, Italian and Icelandic Ladies for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. This included the quarter-final which saw France beat the Netherlands one-nil after extra time.

As usual Rotherham’s first pre-season friendly saw them at Roundwood taking on Parkgate. Tolaji Bola and Georgie Kelly scored in the first half with Parkgate coming back to make it two-all thanks to goals from Freddy Tracey and Alex Rippon. But goals from Josh Ayres and Conor Washington saw the Millers win four-two.

Another friendly saw the Millers travel to Wetherby Road to take on Harrogate Town. Hakeem Odoffin and Dan Barlaser scored first half goals while Ciaran McGuckin made it three-nil on seventy-two minutes. After the game Paul Warne said the performance was ‘good in part’ but ‘still a bit rusty’.

And he probably thought the same in the next friendly which was away at Salford which saw the hosts go ahead on fifteen minutes thanks to a Conor McAleny goal. Only a last gasp goal from Joshua Kayode in the final minutes gave the Millers a draw.

It was JJ who scored in the next friendly game away at Field Mill when he put the Millers ahead on the hour mark with Mansfield Town earning a draw four minutes from time thanks to a goal from Rhys Oats. Warney actually said he enjoyed the game but warned that we were ‘one or two injuries away from catastrophe’.

A short trip to the Keepmoat to take on Doncaster Rovers was the Millers next friendly when George Miller opened the scoring for the visitors on eleven minutes, Hakeem Odoffin equalising five minutes later. Miller struck again in the second half but Georgie Kelly got a second equaliser with the game ending two-all. Paul Warne wasn’t impressed with the performance but at least we came away ‘injury free’.

After that game Grant Hall joined the Millers on a season long loan from Middlesbrough and played forty-five minutes in the final friendly of pre-season away against Crewe Alexandra. Rotherham were one up in the first minute with a goal from Conor Washington with Georgie Kelly making it two on thirty-nine minutes. A minute later the hosts made it two-one with a goal from Dan Agyei.

Sadly former Miller Neil Hague passed away in July.

Another defender joined the Millers with Lee Peltier coming in on a one year deal. He was followed by midfielder Scott High from Huddersfield Town on a season long loan.

And so on to the 2022/23 season . . .