Rotherham United finished the season in the top two – but let’s have a quick look at how they got there, this time looking at the month of September.
The second month of the season saw Rotherham United start with a Papa John’s Trophy game away at the Keepmoat against neighbours Doncaster Rovers. Just under one thousand eight hundred people saw six goals with the visiting fans in their element when goals from Mickel Miller, Freddie Ladapo, an own goal, Will Grigg, who arrived seven days earlier on loan from Sunderland getting his first start and goal for the club, Jake Hull, another getting his first start and first goal and Joe Mattock plus a clean sheet saw the Millers get the win.
Millers Manager Paul Warne, ‘we made changes and it’s pleasing to know we can do that and still put on a performance.’ He also had some good words for Jake Hull who has come through the ranks at the New York Stadium saying, ”his attitude is spot on, he’s always trying to learn and he’s progressing nicely. He was virtually faultless tonight.’
The first league game of the month saw Fleetwood Town in Rotherham and it didn’t go as hoped. Callum Morton opened the scoring for the Cod Army on twenty-four minutes with Michael Smith equalising fourteen minutes later. Chieo Ogbene was pulled back in the area in time added on in the first half and up stepped Kieran Sadlier to put the hosts in front going in at half-time. The second half was less than ten minutes old when Gerard Garner equalised for Fleetwood and then goals from Danny Andrew and Callum Camps gave the visitors a four-two win.
After the game Warney said it had been the ‘worst game of the season’.
Rotherham had the chance to make amends three days later away Sincil Bank when Joshua Griffiths in the Lincoln goal had a great game. Michael Smith put the Millers into a deserved twenty-two minute lead and there were chances galore but the opportunities weren’t taken by the visitors and Lewis Fiorini equalised ten minutes into the second half with the game ending one-all.
Just after this game we found out that Michael Smith’s goal against Morecambe in August had been nominated for the Sky League One Goal of the Month.
Ben Wiles scored both goals in the Millers away win against Bolton Wanderers, the first on eighteen minutes and the second three minutes later in a game which saw Rotherham keep another clean sheet. In the second half a flare-up between Richie Barker and Ian Evatt saw the referee have to go over to the touchline to book them both.
Back to the New York Stadium when Crewe Alexandra were the visitors saw Ollie Rathbone get his first goal in a Millers shirt. And that’s how it looked like it would end until Wes Harding hauled down Chris Porter in the area as the clock moved to the ninety minute mark seeing the Millers player get a second yellow card and Porter pick himself up and score the resulting penalty giving Crewe a point to take home with them.
The final game of the month was at home again on a Tuesday night which saw AFC Wimbledon travelling to the game. Will Grigg got his first league goal on thirty-seven minutes with Michael Smith scoring in time added on in the first half. And it was Smith again who made it three-nil in the final minute of the game.
Two former Millers hung up their boots this month. The first being Shaun MacDonald who joined Rotherham in the summer of 2019 where injuries, a virus and a broken leg meant he didn’t get the playing time we probably wanted from him. Defender Kari Arnason joined Rotherham in 2012 from Aberdeen helping the Millers to back-to-back promotions also called time on his career at the age of thirty-eight.
Rotherham finished the month in fifth place on seventeen points, the same number as Wycombe, but with a better goal difference.
Vital Rotherham’s Man of the Month for September was Ollie Rathbone.
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