Rotherham United bounced straight back to the Championship although it did take until the final game of the season to make sure but how did the Millers get there?
NOVEMBER
The first game of November saw the Millers make the trip to take on Charlton Athletic at The Valley. Despite chances for both sides it was the visitors who went in front in time added on in the first half when Mickel Miller took advantage of a header down by Richard Wood to get his first league goal in a Rotherham shirt. The hosts were much the better side in the second half and when Conor Washington let fly on eighty-three minutes it was no surprise that the equaliser came.
Millers Manager Paul Warne said ‘we weren’t at our best and, in fairness, it was probably our worst performance of the season.’
After Chieo Ogbene was called up for the Republic of Ireland and Joshua Kayode for their U21 side plus Northern Ireland adding Shane Ferguson to their squad our game away at Shrewsbury, later on in the month, was postponed.
FA Cup football started and the Millers welcomed Bromley for their first visit to the New York Stadium. Ben Wiles and Freddie Ladapo scored in the final four minutes of the first half for the hosts and Bromley made the uphill battle even harder when half-time substitute Haji Mnoga saw red for an horrendous tackle on Chieo Ogbene after just six minutes on the pitch. A cross from Tolaji Bola on eighty minutes found Will Grigg who hit the ball into the roof of the net to give Rotherham a three-nil win. The Millers were drawn against either Bolton Wanderers or Stockport County in the next round with County getting through winning the replay.
Both Paul Warne and Michael Smith were up for Sky Bet League One awards for last month with Smudge getting the Player of the Month award.
After topping Group E in the Papa John’s Trophy Rotherham found out that they would play Port Vale at the New York Stadium in the next round.
Notts County forward Ruben Rodrigues was being linked with the Millers.
Michael Smith missed out on the next home game, which saw Cambridge United in town, through to suspension but the Millers had Ben Wiles who volleyed home on thirty-four minutes. After Freddie Ladapo was tripped in the area in time added on Dan Barlaser scored from the spot giving the hosts a two-nil lead at half-time. The U’s halved the deficit on fifty-one minutes with a curling effort from Sam Smith but Ladapo making it three-one to Rotherham half-an-hour later gave the Millers the win.
A long Tuesday night trip to Suffolk was the next game for the Millers when they travelled to take on Ipswich Town. A cracker of a goal from Ben Wiles put the visitors in front on twenty-four minutes plus a second half goal from Shane Ferguson, his first for Rotherham, saw the Millers extend their unbeaten run to twelve games.
After the game Paul Warne said that the Millers had ‘suffocated Ipswich’.
On their travels again the next game was away at Oxford and despite hitting the woodwork a couple of times the game ended goalless.
A busy month came to an end with the Papa John’s Trophy game at home to Port Vale. The first goal of the game came from the Millers on fifty-six minutes after Kieran Sadlier sent a ball over for substitute Michael Smith to hit the ball into the back of the net. With two minutes to go a Vale shot was blocked then deflected to David Amoo who equalised from close range sending the tie to penalties which the hosts won five-three.
The Millers finished November in top spot of League One with thirty-eight points, the same as second placed Wigan, but with a better goal difference.
Vital Rotherham’s Man of the Month was Mickel Miller who was twice voted Man of the Match during the month.
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