This time next week Rotherham United fans will be on our way to Wembley for the final of the very same competition, though under a different guise, which saw the Millers first ever trip there in 1996. Then we played Shrewsbury Town in the Auto Windscreens Shield Trophy winning two-one with Nigel Jemson scoring both Rotherham’s goals.
But what happened to our heroes after that game?
Goalkeeper Matt ‘the cat’ Clarke came through the Youth set-up at Millmoor making his senior debut for the club in 1993 against Exeter City. He went on to make over one hundred and twenty appearances in a Rotherham shirt before moving to Premier League neighbours Sheffield Wednesday in July 1996 for £325,000. He was their number three ‘keeper and didn’t get many games but was sent-off minutes after coming off the bench against Liverpool for handling the ball and went to Bradford City on a free in the summer of 1999. After getting his chance he went on a forty-five game run for the Bantams and played in the UEFA Intertoto Cup before he fell out of favour and went out on loan to Bolton in March 2001. He went on a month loan to Fulham at the start of the next season but returned to Valley Parade after just one month signing for Crystal Palace in September 2001. He played forty games for Palace before a persistent knee injury at the age of thirty saw him hang up his gloves.
Left-back Paul Hurst was born in Rotherham and went on to play four hundred and thirty-eight games in a Millers shirt making his debut in the Autoglass Trophy in 1993. After spending his entire footballing career with Rotherham he was let-go at the end of the 2007/8 season after an injury hit season that saw him have a loan spell with Burton Albion. After getting a degree in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting he was back with the Millers in the role of Community Sports Trust Participation Officer. Hursty then went into management with another former Miller Rob Scott in 2009 at Ilkeston in the Northern Premier League helping them to promotion via the play-offs. The following season saw the pair move to manage Boston United, as well as working as a Professional Support Assistant at Rawmarsh School, again helping them to promotion via the play-offs as well as also winning the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup and the Lincolnshire Senior Shield. Grimsby Town was the next stop for Hurst and Scott in 2011 with Hurst becoming sole manager from 2013 to 2016. The Mariners won promotion via the play-offs back to the Football League. Hursty then went on to manager Shrewsbury Town, Ipswich Town and Scunthorpe United before returning to Grimsby in December 2020.
Local lad and central-defender Ian Breckin is probably best remembered for his red-and-white hat after the Wembley win! Or maybe for being the only Miller to get a red card in the final! After coming through the youth ranks with the Millers Ian signed his first professional contract in 1993 making his debut in April 1994 in a two-one home win against Bradford City and went on to play in the final nine games of the season. He went on to play over one hundred and fifty times for his home town club scoring a handful of goals his first one coming in December 1994 against Cardiff City at Millmoor. In 1997 Ian moved to Chesterfield going on to play more than two hundred games before going on to help Wigan Athletic to the Premier League, although he never got to play there as he moved to Nottingham Forest in 2005 and soon became team captain. Four years later he found himself back with the Spireites before hanging up his boots in 2011 and moved into management as head coach of Rotherham’s children’s side Wickersley Wanderers.
Born in Sunderland centre-back Neil Richardson started his career with Durham based side Brandon United. Joining the Millers in 1989 he played in various positions playing his first two games at the end of his first season. He stayed ten years at Millmoor with a loan spell at Exeter City in 1996 before moving to Mansfield Town in August 1999 retiring at the end of that season. He went on to coach at Field Mill before becoming head of youth football at Boston and caretaker youth coach with York City.
Defender Paul Blades was born in Peterborough and played over one hundred and sixty games for Derby County before moving to Norwich City, as, at the time, their record signing reportedly fro £700,000, in 1990. Paul then went on to make over one hundred appearances for Wolves before joining the Millers for £110,000 again a club record at the time. He played fifty-four games in all competitions in a Rotherham shirt before he was released in 1997 and dropping into non-league with Hednesford Town. Paul then went to work in the health and safety at an electrical firm.
Andy Roscoe was a trainee at Anfield before he moved to Bolton but it was difficult for him to get into the team and he only managed two games. He had loan spells with Rotherham before signing in December 1994 scoring his first goal in a three-one home win against Bradford. Andy went on to play over two hundred and thirty times for the Millers scoring twenty-six goals. He left the Millers in 1999 joining Mansfield Town, Exeter City and Leigh Genesis where he was also Assistant Manager until 2007.
Another local lad Shaun Goodwin joined the Millers as a schoolboy and came through the ranks going on to play at Millmoor for more than ten years as a professional. It was reported that both Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool) and Brian Clough (Nottingham Forest) were interested in signing Raggy and although that never happened he did while he did have a trial with Everton. He played well over three hundred games for Rotherham but injuries and having words with the management saw him leave Millmoor in 1998 joining neighbours Doncaster Rovers, in the Conference, for a season then moving to Altrincham and Gainsborough. In 2002 Shaun took over as manager of Maltby Main leaving three years later.
One of our other heroes was Darren Garner. Born in Plymouth the midfielder began his career with his home club before moving to non-league with Dorchester Town. June 1995 saw him join the Millers for a reported £30,000 and going on to play over two hundred and eight times in all competitions in his ten year stay at Millmoor. He scored twenty-three league goals in his time at Rotherham but will mostly be remembered for his ninetieth minute winner at Hillsborough in 2002. In March 2005 Darren went on loan to Torquay signing a permanent deal three months later. From there he spent time with Newport County and then played for Launceston, Truro City, Bodmin Town before returning to Launceston where he also had a spell as manager before moving out of football to work for a recruitment agency.
Born in Surrey midfielder Trevor Berry has spells at both Bournemouth and Aston Villa although never broke into their first teams before he joined the Millers in 1995 for a reported £20,000. He played around one hundred and fifty times for Rotherham while also having a short loan spell with Scunthorpe United. Having to retire at the early age of twenty-seven through injury Trevor moved to Wexford in Ireland and had a successful few months playing for Waterford before the ankle injury put paid to that. He went on to work for a security firm.
The ‘real’ hero of the team that day and Man of the Match winner was Nigel Jemson who scored both goals for the Millers. Born in Lancashire the striker was a YTS lad with Preston North End making his debut for them at the tender age of sixteen. Brian Clough then spent £150,000 bringing him to Nottingham Forest who he scored the winning goal for in the 1990 League Cup Final. 1991 saw him join Premiership side Sheffield Wednesday before joining Notts County in 1994. While at County he had loan spells with both Watford and Coventry City before moving to Millmoor, again on loan, in February 1996. He won the Rotherham fans hearts over when the Millers, already two-up in the first leg, went to Carlisle on a cold snowy February evening when he scored twice to send the Millers to their first Wembley appearance. Nigel went on to have two good seasons with Oxford before having playing time at Bury and over the border with Ayr United before returning to the Manor Ground. In 2000 he joined Shrewsbury Town helping scoring in their giant killing win over Everton in the FA Cup in 2003. He went on to have games for Ballymena United, Ilkeston Town (where he was player/manager), Halifax Town (where he was caretaker manager), Arnold Town and Rainworth Miners Welfare. There are reports that he was training to be a fireman while he also wrote a blog about Nottingham Forest.
Bermudian International Shaun Goater was out last hero on the pitch that afternoon. Born in Bermuda’s capital city Hamilton leaving at the age of seventeen to move to the USA and had a soccer scholarship at Columbia High School in New Jersey. He was brought to England after being spotted by scouts of Manchester United and after a trial got a professional contract in 1989. Shaun joined the Millers in 1989 making over two hundred and fifty appearances one of them being at Wembley where his work to get by his marker on nineteen minutes then find an unmarked Nigel Jemson who scored his first goal of the afternoon. From Millmoor he moved to Bristol City for a reported fee of £175,000 going on to make eighty-one appearances scoring forty-five times. In March 1998 Manchester City paid £400,000 for Shaun where he won the Second Division Play-Off Final and then helped them to be the champions of the 2001/2 First Division. 2003 saw Shaun move to Reading and two years later he joined Southend and helped them to promotion from League One. He retired from football in 2006. Shaun scored twenty goals in twenty-two games for Bermuda. Away from football he and three partners in the Bermuda-based East End Group Limited announced an amalgamation with Telecommunications Networks Limited and he is the groups Business Development Manager. In 2021 he returned to Manchester City as Academy Coach.
There were three subs that day for the Millers, though none got on the pitch, first Gary Bowyer who joined Rotherham in August 1995 making thirty-eight appearances before an injury saw him retire at just twenty-five years old. He’s gone on to manage Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bradford City and his present club Salford City. Rotherham was Andy Hayward‘s first professional club and he went on to play over one hundred and twenty games in a Millers shirt. He left Millmoor in 1998 going on to play for many non-league sides including Barrow, Frickley Athletic, Bradford Park Avenue, Stalybridge Celtic, and Ossett Town and in 2007 he returned to Frickley as player/assistant manager before moving onto Garforth Town. Our third substitute was Dundee born John McGlashan who played for Montrose, Millwall and Peterborough before moving to Millmoor in 1994 where he played over seventy times. From Rotherham he moved back to his home town of Dundee before joining Ross County, Arbroath. John also had a spell managing Millwall Lionesses and was player/manager with Dundee Violet before managing Arbroath for four years and Tayport. Sadly, after a battle with Motor Neurone Disease, John passed away in January 2018.
Manager Archie Gemmill had over six hundred and eighty league appearances in his footballing career most of them for Derby County fro 1970 to 1977 and then again in 1982 to 1984 as well as getting forty-three international caps for Scotland. After hanging up his boots he coached alongside Brian Clough for Nottingham Forest before joining Rotherham in 1994 for two seasons. Later on he managed the U19 Scotland team. Joint-Manager John McGovern played with Gemmill at Derby and Forest before finishing his career in 1985 with Bolton Wanderers where he was player/manager. He went on to manager Chorley before coming with Gemmill to Millmoor. After leaving Rotherham he managed Woking and Ilkeston Town with a spell as assistant manager at Hull City inbetween. He has also worked as an ambassador for Nottingham Forest.
Millers Memories were made that day. Here’s to some more being made next Sunday.
Up The Millers.
