Rotherham United started the busy month of April in twentieth position with forty points and has seven games in which to get to the ‘magic’ fifty mark.
A trip to the MKM Stadium on April Fool’s Day was the first game of the month where ground out a goalless draw against Hull City. The hosts were on top for the start of the game but the Millers got back into it and had corner after corner which came to nothing. Domingos Quina came off the bench on the sixty-ninth minute for Rotherham and ‘took one for the team’ when he fouled Adama Traore when he was on goal, and, although it looked to a few people like there were other players back Referee David Webb deemed him the last man and sent him off. But the Millers hung on for a much needed point. Rotherham Manager Matt Taylor said that it was an ‘incredible’ effort from his team after going down to ten men.
It was a Good Friday for the Millers in the next game when West Bromwich Albion were the visitors to the New York Stadium. The Millers really seemed up for this game and could have been in front by a couple of goals before Jordan Hugill’s clumsy tackle on Conor Townsend saw Referee Tim Robinson give a penalty which former Miller loanee John Swift put away to give the Baggies the lead on thirty-two minutes. But Hugill made up for this ten minutes later by heading home a Conor Coventry corner and put the Millers in front five minutes into the second half. Tariqe Fosu got into the act when he blasted the ball into the roof of the net from close range to give Rotherham a three-one win.
Easter Monday saw Rotherham make the trip to Norfolk to take on Norwich City at Carrow Road which saw Josh Vickers make his first league start of the season. Some dogged defending by Rotherham saw them fetch a point back in a goalless draw. After the game Millers Boss Matt Taylor said it had been a ‘good Easter’.
Hakeem Odoffin was named the Championship’s EFL Player in the Community for 2023 for his worth with the Rotherham United Community Trust.
The Millers next game saw them welcome promotion hopefuls Luton Town to the New York Stadium where a goal either side of half-time gave the Hatter a two-nil win.
The next home game saw already promoted Burnley arrive at the New York Stadium with hopes of sealing the Championship title. A volley on twenty-six minutes from Scott Twine saw them on track to do that but a Shane Ferguson corner in time added on at the end of the half was put into his own net by Vitinho to give Rotherham the equaliser. After an injury in the first half Millers’ ‘keeper Josh Vickers was replaced by debutant Robbie Hemfrey who was soon in the action saving a Johann Berg Gudmundsson shot before palming away a Connor Roberts shot. But he could do nothing on the eight-first minute when a cracking shot from Manuel Benson flew into the net to give Burnley the lead again. But when a ball into the box at the other end caused confusion up stepped Georgie Kelly to make it two-all from close range. A good point against the champions elect.
The games were coming thick and fast and a patched up Millers team made the journey to Ashton Gate to take on Bristol City. Tommy Conway put the hosts in front on the quarter of an hour mark but the Millers equalised in the second half after Chieo Ogbene avoided more than one lunge at him sending the ball to Jordan Hugill who was felled just inside the box referee Josh Smith having no hesitation in giving the spot-kick which Hugill equalised from. But in injury time a shot from Kal Naismith could only be parried out by Viktor Johansson as far as Andi Weimann who put the ball over the line to give City the three points. ‘It was cruel’ Millers Boss Matt Taylor said after the match. It was actually very, very frustrating.
Sad news came a few days after the game when we heard that former Miller Barry Webster had sadly passed away.
The last game of the month was the re-arranged Cardiff City match which saw mops, armbands and rubber rings in all four stands in jest of how the previous game had been abandoned. And, of course, it did rain but not as it had before. Kion Etete put the Bluebirds in front on eleven minutes but Rotherham were pushing and pushing which paid off on thirty-seven minutes after a Wes Harding cross caused havoc in the box before the ball found the head of Chieo Ogbene at the far post who popped the ball into the net for the equaliser. A foul on Jaden Philogene by Conor Coventry saw referee Oliver Langford give the visitors a penalty in the last minute of the first half which Sory Kaba took hitting the woodwork and going out to safety. But just before the final whistle City won the game after a set-piece wasn’t cleared by the Millers defence and fell to Cedric Kipre who scored from close range.
Finishing the month in twenty-first place with forty-six points the Millers had two games the following month to make sure of staying up. The bottom of the table looked like this
20 Huddersfield Town . . . 47 points
21 Rotherham United . . . 46 points
22 Reading . . . . . . . . . . . 44 points
23 Blackpool . . . . . . . . . . 41 points
24 Wigan . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 points
And so to the last two games of the season . . .
