Rotherham United had five players on loan this season but how well did they do for us?
Goalkeeper Jamal Blackman joined in August from Chelsea his first game being the EFL Cup tie away at Salford (when his hair was a similar style to my bathmat!) He was yellow carded when he fouled Tom Elliott in the area on the eighty-third minute giving away a penalty which was scored. Five minutes into time added on the Millers equalised and the game went to penalties which the League Two side won four-two.
I think it’s fair to say that the Millers fans didn’t take to Jamal at first but he kept his place and two clean sheets until an injury forced him back to Stamford Bridge for treatment in November. He came back with Viktor Johansson taking over for February, most of March and April until his eye injury saw Jamal back between the sticks after just seven minutes at Barnsley keeping the shirt for the rest of the season. All in all Jamal kept five clean sheets over the season.
Having started the start of the season on loan at Coventry City midfielder Ryan Giles was brought home by his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers and sent straight back out on loan to the New York Stadium in January.
Ryan made his debut for the Millers the day after arriving coming off the bench away at Middlesbrough on eighty-eight minutes scoring a composed goal two minutes into time added on which gave the visitors a three-nil win. A lively player who never gave up, the twenty-one year old made twenty-three appearances for Rotherham scoring another goal at home against Derby.
George Hirst came to Rotherham in mid-September from Leicester City and is another who Millers fans didn’t seem to take too so I think it will be a bit of a surprise to learn that he made thirty-two appearances in a Millers shirt having just three starts.
The twenty-two year old never actually played a full ninety minutes for Rotherham so I think it’s unfair for us to judge him and, in the last few times he came off the subs bench, he did seem to be putting himself about more than he seemed to when he first arrived.
Suriname international Florian Jozefzoon came to Rotherham on loan from Derby County in mid-October coming off the bench to make his debut just two days later at home to Norwich City.
Flo made twenty-five appearances for Rotherham starting nine games. While with the Millers he was called up for the Suriname squad in March scoring on his debut in a six-nil win over Aruba.
Attacking midfielder Lewis Wing was probably our best loan signing of the season arriving from Middlesbrough in February having already played a number of games for ‘Boro scoring twice away at Birmingham.
Lewis made his debut in our three-nil home win over Derby and went on to make an impression in the other nineteen games he played in scoring a cracking first goal from a free-kick to equalise at home to Blackburn and a super volley away at Cardiff to bring Rotherham so close to staying in the Championship.
Will we see any of these players in a Millers shirt again?
All at Vital Rotherham wish these five players ‘best wishes’ for their futures.
