Rotherham United had five players in on loan this season but we also had a number of our own players who went out on loan.
Forward Joshua Kayode joined League Two side Carlisle United in August, who he had been with for the second half of the season before. JJ played thirty-six games for the Cumbrians finding the net eight times which you might think isn’t that many goals but for quite a few of those games he found himself playing out of position. He signed a new deal with the Millers which keeps him at the New York Stadium until the 2023/4 season. October last year saw him called up for the Republic of Ireland U21 squad and again the following month when he came off the bench to earn his first cap. A few days later he made his full debut scoring against a Luxembourg U21 side. While at Carlisle JJ was three times named in the League Two Sky Bet Team of the Week while his goals with the Brunton Park outfit made him joint-third-highest under-21s scorer in England’s top four tiers.
Is it time for him to get a place in the Rotherham playing squad next season? I think so.
Rotherham defender Jake Hull came through the Academy and joined Matlock Town of the Northern Premier League in September on a two month Youth loan deal while another young defender Jake Cooper, also an Academy graduate playing in the three Football League Trophy games for the Millers in the 2019/20 season had two loan spells this season, firstly with Gateshead then at National League side Hartlepool.
Got to be good for the youngsters to be getting game time.
Twenty-nine year old defender Curtis Tilt was signed for the Millers on the final day of the 2020 January transfer window from Blackpool. He’s played just sixty minutes for the Millers and went out on loan to Wigan Athletic in October last year who avoided relegation from League One with one game to go with Curtis playing his part in that scoring three goals in thirty-seven appearances. In the final game of the season he was sent-off but after a Latics appeal the red card was overturned.
I think a few of us raised an eyebrow when Curtis was sent out on loan. He’s done well for Wigan so let’s hope his experience proves invaluable next season in a Rotherham shirt.
Mikel Miller joined Rotherham from Scottish Premiership side Hamilton Academical in the summer of 2020 scoring his first Millers goal in a friendly against Mansfield Town. After nine games this season for Rotherham he joined League One side Northampton Town on loan until the end of the season. He made twelve appearances for the Cobblers, a hamstring injury keeping him out of more games, and couldn’t help Northampton getting relegated.
Another one why at lot of fans couldn’t understand the need for him to be sent out on loan. Will Miller play in a Millers shirt next season?
July 2018 saw striker Kyle Vassell join from Blackpool and, despite various injuries, made sixty-five appearances in a Rotherham shirt, fourteen of those this season just gone. In January he joined Fleetwood Town on loan scoring four times in twenty-six games. At the end of his contract this summer Kyle will be released by Rotherham.
Striker Jamie Proctor joined the Millers in July 2017 but a bad injury kept his appearances down to twenty-nine appearances. After various loan spells while at the New York Stadium Jamie joined Newport County in October last year scoring twice in thirteen appearances. January saw Jamie move on loan to League One side Wigan Athletic again getting two goals this time in fifteen games. At the end of this season Rotherham released the twenty-nine year old.
Another player being released is right-back Billy Jones who joined Rotherham from Sunderland in July 2018. In his first two seasons he made thirty-four appearances for the Millers and seven this past season before joining Crewe Alexandra in January on loan. He managed just three games before a knee injury saw him back at the New York Stadium for rehabilitation.
A quick ‘shout out’ to MikeMiller on our forum for keeping us up to date with what has been happening with our loaned out players – great job, sir!
