This game was on telly, kicking off at 6.30pm on a Sunday night and 3000ish Rotherham fans took advantage of a £5 entry. This was the first trip to a really big stadium and the Rotherham fans really wanted to enjoy it as they created a great atmosphere, often out singing a vociferous and hostile home crowd.
We started off really well and took a 16th minute lead, and it was a goal that was celebrated as joyously as any I can remember for a long time (Brentford excepted). The reason for this was because it was Alan Lee's first league goal of the season and we went wild as he rocketed a header in from a free kick before coming to celebrate in front of us. We continued to play well so were disappointed to see Birmingham equalise on the stroke of half time. A corner wasn't dealt with properly and Branston on the line hit the ball in to his own net.
It was important to defend stoutly for the first twenty minutes or so after half time but we didn't manage to do that. Geoff Horsfield turned Macca superbly and drove past Pollitt. 2-1 down but we were still playing well and it didn't take long for us to restore parity. A corner from Mullin was met at the near post by Swailes who powered a header in, which was met with great delight by us because at the time we were on the end of a "who are ya" chant. We could have gone on to win the game as well as Mullin hit the bar from a high distance looping shot with the keeper stranded.
Neither team got another goal but it was a great game, in a great atmosphere where we were expected to get a thumping but in fact announced our arrival in the division with a quality display.
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Rotherham (February 02)
There are so many things about this game that makes it so great. Winning against our rivals, in the last minute against a team whose fans' goaded us and had made us the butt of their jokes for so many years, which gave us the bragging rights for at least a few months.
The first half was a scrappy affair and neither looked like scoring to be honest. We were playing on a beach of a pitch and there were certainly a few donkeys about, mainly dressed in blue and white. We started off the second half at lightning pace. Sedgwick was running rings around his full back and eventually managed to get a decent cross in where Alan Lee netted with a glancing header, which seemed to take forever to go in. There was great hysteria in the Rotherham end and we nearly scored again shortly after but Kevin Pressman's large frame got in the way of a Mark Robins shot.
We then decided to sit back and defend and somehow managed to leave Kuqi unmarked for a corner and he had no problems in equalising. We looked under threat then as they piled forward but we weathered the storm and it seemed a draw would be on the cards. Then in the 91st minute a free kick found it's way to Richie Barker, whose looping header nestled in the far corner. Hysteria number two. The Rotherham Owls banner soon disappeared as victory was ours in the greatest of ways. Bliss.
Burnley 2-6 Rotherham (December 02)
We absolutely hammered them. It was 6-2 but could have been 16-2. Burnley had a dodgy defence, they conceded goals all season (seven against Wednesday!!) and we had a good away record picking up a win at Ipswich the week before.
We got off to a great start, Burnley had left Alan Lee unmarked from a corner and he scored from a header against his former club. Then another former Burnley player in John Mullin gave us a 3-0 lead with two superb long distant shots that sent the Rotherham fans crazy. Burnley's defence looked like a circus and we could have had many more in the first half but nevertheless we were delighted to be three up at the break.
We were expecting some sort of backlash after half time but it didn't come as more calamitous defending allowed Lee to double his tally. Burnley put in a bit of a rally and pulled two quick goals back. However, there was to be no comeback as two more Rotherham goals scored by Darren Byfield gave the Millers a resounding win! A great journey home safe in the knowledge that we'd had a great year!
Rotherham 1-0 Leeds (November 04)
A few years ago, who would have thought that this would have been a league fixture? Leeds were reaching the semi final of the Champions League and we were plying our trade in the lower leagues. Yet contrasting fortunes meant that our paths crossed for the first time in my life time.
You had a feeling that everything was set up for a Rotherham win. We had gone 20 games in to the season without a win, we were on Sky and these were games we have notoriously got results in, in the past. So we were set aback a bit my Leeds' extraordinarily fast start. They hit the woodwork three times in ten minutes, all from the same player and generally threatened our goal whenever they went forward. They were constantly bombarding us with attacks and we really struggled to get hold of the ball and pass it.
It was a miracle that we got in to half time at 0-0 so we were a little worried by the way that things did not seem to be changing. Leeds were looking a little less threatening in the second half though and the nearest they came to scoring was when wide load Ricketts missed the ball when hew as three yards out!!
We finally managed to get a bit of possession and put Leeds under some pressure. Sullivan saved from a Junior free kick and we were winning corners. Then the golden moment. McLaren knocked in a free kick and it fell to Shaun Barker who back heeled the ball through a defender's legs. Leeds couldn't clear and Captain Marvel Macca was on hand to poke the ball home. I have to say that immediately afterwards, when we were all singing "who are ya" to the Leeds fans has to go down as one of my favourite moments watching football. The sense of joy and euphoria was superb!
It was a nail biting ten minutes that we had to hang on for, but despite a few scares we managed it and there were scene of unbridled joy and sheer relief that we had actually won a game!! And against Dirty Leeds of all teams.
There wasn't too much to shout about in this season but this has to be the highlight and although the performance wasn't the greatest, the result still stands as one of our best in the second tier.
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