Rotherham United’s first foray into the FA Cup sees them play at Craven Cottage against Fulham on Friday night when Dean Whitestone from Northamptonshire has the whistle.
Dean was last in charge of a Millers game at the New York Stadium in October when Bristol City were the visitors. After Jordan Hugill had a goal ruled out for offside just after half-time for the Millers, Tommy Conway opened the scoring for City on eighty-one minutes. Tyler Blackett equalised five minutes later but Conway struck again deep into time added on which saw City take all three points.
Last season saw Dean in the middle for three Millers games the last one being in January when Blackburn Rovers were the visitors to the New York Stadium. A first minute goal from Hakeem Odoffin gave Rotherham an early lead with three second half goals from Ollie Rathbone, Shane Ferguson and Conor Washington seeing the hosts get a four-nil win.
He was also in the middle for our Bonfire Night game at the New York Stadium against Norwich City. City took a seventeen minute lead with a goal from Kenny McLean with Ollie Rathbone equalising shortly after half-time. But just a minute later Aaron Ramsey scored for the visitors giving the Canaries all three points. A month earlier Dean was again in town for Matt Taylor’s first game in charge of Rotherham and on nine minutes gave the Millers a penalty after Millwall’s Jake Cooper scythed Ben Wiles down in the area. Dan Baralser stepped up and duly put the spot-kick away. But the visitors grew into the game and a cracking Zian Flemming goal gave Millwall a point on the evening.
Before that Dean was in the middle for our FA Cup tie at Loftus Road against Queens Park Rangers in January. Goalless after ninety minutes the game came to life in extra time when Michael Ihiekwe put the visitors in front on the ninety-eighth minute but seventeen minutes later Lyndon Dykes scored to take the game to penalties which Rangers won eight-seven.
A League One game at Priestfield in April 2018 also saw Dean with the whistle when a goal on twenty minutes from Will Vaulks saw the Millers get all three points. Earlier that season Dean was also in charge when Rotherham travelled to take on AFC Wimbledon. The game was a three-one victory for the hosts with Lyle Taylor getting a hat-trick. Joe Newell scored for the Millers. Anthony Forde and David Ball were booked that Tuesday night.
In August 2015 Dean was in the middle for our Championship game at Loftus Road which hosts QPR won four-two. Tjaronn Cherry scored twice and a Charlie Austin goal made it three-nil but goals from Jonson Clarke-Harris and Tom Thorpe made it three-two with two minutes to go. Dean Whitestone then gave Rangers a penalty in the final minute of the game after he thought Lee Frecklington had fouled Seb Polter in the area which Austin scored from to make it four-two. Yellow cards were shown to Austin and the Millers Lewis Buxton.
Good Friday 2015 saw Dean was in charge of a Millers game at St Andrew’s Stadium. Robert Tesche and Clayton Donaldson gave Birmingham a two-nil lead in the first half with Matt Derbyshire getting a consolation three minutes into the second half for the visitors. Dean booked two players from each side that day – Kirk Broadfoot and Craig Morgan of the Millers and City`s Jonathan Grounds and Andrew Shinnie.
The season before Dean was in the middle for two Millers games, the first in August at the New York Stadium when Shrewsbury were in town. Jon Taylor put the visitors in front in the first half but twelve minutes into the second half an Alex Revell goal equalised for the Millers. Just after the hour mark the Shrews went in front for the second time with a Tom Bradshaw goal which prompted Steve Evans to bring Daniel Nardiello off the bench for Matt Tubbs and within three minutes the Millers striker had equalised again. Not long after Nardiello received a yellow card for ‘unsporting behaviour` and incensed at the end of the game he ran over to the ref and started an argument which saw him get a second yellow after the final whistle.
This was followed by a game in the May when Rotherham visited the County Ground to take on Swindon Town. The Millers got off to a flying start when Wes Thomas opened the scoring in the first minute. Wes doubled the score twenty-two minutes later with Swindon but when Massimo Luongo fell over in front of Kari Arnason in the penalty box on the hour mark Mr Whitestone pointed to the spot and with Michael Smith scoring the penalty. Adam Collin pulled off some great saves in the second half of the game with Mr Whitestone infuriating Steve Evans when he said ‘no’ in the final minute of the game when Foderingham had three lunges at Kieran Agard before pulling him down in the area with the ref being the only person in the stadium not thinking it was a penalty.
Dean has been in the middle for other Millers games in the past, the first being at the Liberty Stadium two days before Christmas in 2006. Eugen Bopp put the Millers in front eleven minutes into the second half but an Adebayo Akinfenwa goal on the stroke of full-time gave Swansea a share of the points. In January 2008 a hat-trick from Derek Holmes at Sincil Bank saw the Millers beat Lincoln City three-one. That day Dean showed red to Shane Clarke of Lincoln City in the final minute of the game. September 2012 saw Dean in the middle for our nil-nil draw with Barnet at Underhill when he sent Alex Revell off ten minutes from the end of the game for what he said was a ‘two-footed challenge’.
Of the seventeen games Dean has been in charge of this season he has shown sixty-three yellow cards and two red.
Running the line on Friday night we have Gary Beswick and Sam Lewis, the Fourth Official will be Gill Sunny Singh with Graham Scott, Michael Oliver and Dan Cook on VAR.
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