MillersMad Season Review 05/06-August

With a new kit deal with Nike and a new stand on the horizon, Mick Harford started the season in the Millmoor hotseat with a few new additions to his squad. Amongst those were former Forest colleague Gregor Robertson, Brentford forward Deon Burton and Northern-Irish international Colin Murdock from Crewe who joined on a free and was immediately made club captain.

As the team prepared for it's opening day fixture at home to Walsall, Harford was on the look out for a reserve 'keeper to finalise his squad and he sealed the signature of Neil Cutler from Stockport two days before the crunch opener. Gary Montgomery would start the season in goal, but with the Millers looking likely for a point in their first game back at League one level for four years, Monty's blunder allowed Jorge Leitao to loop in a last minute winner for the Saddlers as the game finished 2-1. Chris Taylor had put Walsall in charge in just the second minute before Martin Butler had headed Rotherham level before half time. This then meant a day off work for me amongst others and a long Tuesday night trip to newly promoted Yeovil which saw the lads register their first point in a goalless encounter, Butler having a second half effort chalked off for offside.

Meanwhile off the field Harford's efforts concentrated on finding a striker with the Millers thin on the ground on cover for Burton and Butts. A local derby with Chesterfield loomed and a few thousand Millers fans were never likely to forget that day in a hurry! A tense game in torrential rain and an open terrace for the visiting fans made for a cracking afternooon, all the more sweeter when Butler sild the ball home at the back post to seal a single goal second half win infront of the travelling support who went barmy. This propelled the club into mid-table as they returned to home soil to prepare for Bradford's visit.

An entertaining game saw the Millers start brightly with Campbell-Ryce, who limped off injured early on, and McLaren having shots blocked with city 'keeper Russell Howarth in fine form. The game turned in the final ten minutes when Deon Burton bagged his first Millers goal from Shaun Barker's long through ball only for veteran Dean Windass to head in the equaliser almost immediately as the Millers threw away two points. However a convincing 3-1 win in the Carling Cup first round over Port Vale at Millmoor followed, another summer signing Jon Otsemobor netting his first Millers goal with a header at the death to seal it after Burton's second goal inside a week had put them in charge.

Things were looking rosey for the Millers after a shaky start to the month, Blackpool were the next on the receiving end as they were trounced 4-0 the following Saturday. A dominant display of attacking footbaall yielded a hat-trick from Burton, who was definately looking the part. It was no more than Mick Harford's side deserved after controlling the game from start to finish, leaving Colin Hendry's Seasiders looking for their first league win of the season and setting up a showdown with ex-gaffer Ronnie Moore's Oldham.

With the lads flying and full of confidence, a tense affair at Boundary Park saw a scrappy game with a physical Oldham outfit containing a few ex-Rotherham players stopping the Millers playing. However with 10 minutes remaining livewire Burton raced through (with a suspicion of handball!) and lashed the ball into the top corner sending the Millers fans wild behind the goal as the striker ran to the crowd in celebration.

The team finished August in fourth place, but right at the end of the month the first of the JCR rumblings emerged, as the club turned down a 100k bid from Southend for the winger.

Our next review starts with a trip to Port Vale with England also facing Wales in a world cup qualifier as we head into September........