Back in the Championship for the coming season let’s have a quick look at who Rotherham United will be meeting . . .
Norwich City
Founded in 1902 Norwich went into voluntary liquidation during the First World War reforming in February 1919 and joined the Third Division of the Football League a year later. In the 1933/4 season the Canaries were promoted to the Second Division and moved to Carrow Road in August 1935. Relegated at the end of the 1938/9 season and then the suspension of league football due to the Second World War plus a year of poor results saw City having to seek re-election to the league. 1959/60 saw Norwich promoted back up to the Second Division with the 70’s seeing them yo-yo-ing between the First and Second Divisions. At the end of the 1984/5 season the Canaries became the first English team to win a major trophy (they beat Sunderland in the final of the League Cup) and then get relegated. Norwich did get back to the top tier of English football with their highest position in the Premier League with their highest position being third in the 1992/3 season. Norwich find themselves in the Championship after finishing bottom of the Premier League last season.
The Millers and Canaries have met thirty-six times in the past, thirty of those in the league which Norwich have won twelve to Rotherham’s nine. The last time the pair met was at the New York Stadium in March 2019 when Kenny McLean put the visitors in front on the stroke of half-time. Seven minutes into the second half Semi Ajayi equalised for the Millers but five minutes later Norwich were back in front thanks to a goal from Ben Godfrey.
Ground – Carrow Road
Nickname – The Canaries
Manager – Daniel Farke
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest were founded in 1865 and were founder members of the Football Alliance joining the Football League in 1892 moving to their current ground, City Ground, six years later. Undoubtedly their most successful period was when Brian Clough was in charge when they won the league and back-to-back European Cups as well as four League Cups and two Full Members Cups (which was held between 1985 and 1992 in various guises). Forest have been out of top flight football since 1999.
The Millers and Forest have met thirty-eight times in the league in the past with Forest winning nineteen of those games to Rotherham’s seven. The pair last met in the Championship in April 2019 with Michael Smith giving the Millers a lead at the New York Stadium on ten minutes. Eighteen minutes later former Miller Lewis Grabban got an equaliser but Michael Ihiekwe grabbed all three points for the hosts on the hour mark.
Ground – City Ground
Nickname – Forest, The Reds
Manager – Sabri Lamouchi
Preston North End
Originally founded as a cricket club in 1863, Preston were a founding member of the Football League and were the first League Champions in 1889. In the same year the team also won the FA Cup so were the first club to win the ‘double’ and winning both became known as ‘The Invincibles’. They also won the league the following year but their last major trophy was an FA Cup Final win in 1938.
Of the fifty-eight games the Millers and the Lilywhites have played against each other Rotherham have won twenty to Preston’s sixteen. The pair last met in the Championship on New Years Day 2019 at the New York Stadium. As the fourth official put the board up for added time at the end of the first half a spectacular Will Vaulks free-kick saw the hosts take the lead with Michael Smith doubling the lead on the seventy-sixth minute. Lukas Nmecha pulled one back for Preston but it wasn’t enough to stop the Millers getting all three points.
Ground – Deepdale
Nickname – The Lilywhites
Manager – Alex Neil
Queens Park Rangers
QPR were founded in 1882 becoming a professional team seven years later. Their first promotion was in the 1947/8 season as Champions of the Division Three South spending four years in Divison Two before being relegated at the end of the 1952 season. March 1967 saw them become the first Third Division club to win the League Cup a season that also saw them promoted. The following season saw Rangers promoted to the top division but after just one season saw them back in Division Two. After being promoted as runners-up QPR started the 1974/5 season back in the top flight and the following season saw them end up in second place in Division One, one point behind Liverpool. In the 1976/7 season QPR had their first foray into Europe and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup losing to AEK Athens, two years later they found themselves back in the Second Division. 1982 saw them reach the FA Cup Final losing to Spurs in a replay and the season after saw them back in the top flight. Two years later QPR were back in the UEFA Cup losing out on away goals to FK Partizan in the second round. At the end of the 1995/6 season QPR were relegated from the Premier League to Division One with them being relegated to League Two in 2001. The end of the 2003/4 season saw them go back up to League One as runners-up. Financial problems plagued the club and they had numerous managers in a few years but eventually the club were back on a high and gained promotion to the Premier League in April 2011 and escaped relegation on the last day of the season. With three games still to go the following season Rangers found themselves relegated to the Championship but returned at the end of the 2013/14 season via the play-off’s.
Rotherham and QPR have sixteen times in the league in the past with Rangers winning seven of those games to the Millers five. The pair last met on a Wednesday night in March 2019 which saw the game goalless until a stunning strike from Semi Ajayi gave the Millers the lead at Loftus Road.
Ground – Loftus Road on the seventy-first minute. Fourteen minutes later Bright Osayi-Samuel slotted home to equalise but a free-kick in time added on found the head of Ajayi who gave the Millers their first away win of the season.
Ground – Loftus Road (Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium)
Nickname – The Hoops, The R’s
Manager – Mark Warburton
Reading
Formed on Christmas Day 1871 Reading became a professional team twenty-four years later being elected to the Football League in 1920 in the Third Division South. Although they had a couple of near misses the Royals didn’t really pull up any trees until John Madejski took over the club in 1991 and three years later were top of the new Division Two and the next season were runners-up in Division One, only denied promotion because, at that time, only the top team went up. In 1995 they looked to be going up again but lost to Bolton Wanderers in the Play-Off Final. Going back down the leagues Reading once again got to the 2004 play-offs but lost in the semi-final before finally winning the Championship in 2005/6 with a whopping one hundred and six points, recording just two losses on the way. That first season in the Premier League saw Reading finish a very respectable eighth but the following season they were relegated back to the Championship where they finished fourth but lost in the semi-final of the play-offs. In the 2010/11 season they once again found themselves in the play-off final losing to Swansea City but the following season saw them get promoted to the Premier League again but saw them come straight back down again.
Rotherham and Reading have met forty-four times in the league in the past with Reading winning nineteen of those encounters to the Millers ten. The pair last met at the Madjeski Stadium in February 2019 when Ovie Ejaria put the hosts one up just past the half hour stage but Semi Ajayi found the net on seventy-nine minutes to give the Millers their fifth consecutive draw.
Ground – Madjeski Stadium
Nickname – The Royals
Manager – Mark Bowen
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