Barker Relishing Rotherham Return

Barker, who joined the Stags in November of last year after three four year spell with the Millers and has since gone on to become Mansfield’s leading scorer this season with seven goals so far and club captain. Talking to Mansfield’s official site, www.mansfieldtown.co.uk, Barker is hoping to get one over on his old club: “"It would be nice to score up there. I am looking forward to returning to Millmooor. There have been quite a lot of changes since I was there with a new manager and only six or seven players that were there when I was. And they are redeveloping the stadium so it will be quite a different place from when I was playing. But I am looking forward to looking up a few old faces . I hope that I can score on Saturday but the goal is not the most important thing to me it is the result and the performance. After all they are in the league above us. They are struggling a bit at the moment but it will be an upset if we manage to beat them."

Fine goal

After their old manager Carlton Palmer resigned in September, rumours were rife that Barker was being lined up to become the new player-manager at the tender age of thirty but that was ruled out when Peter Shirtliff was named as the new gaffer. However, Barker does confirm that he spoke about becoming a player-coach. “"I have never said that I wanted the job, I said that if Peter needed any help I would help him out. I am still only thirty and I would hope that I could carry on playing for a good few years yet and I have spoke to him about it and he thinks that it is difficult for somebody to play and coach at the same time which is fair enough and besides that the way things have gone for the last couple of weeks we are some kind of role and I wouldn't want to do anything that was detriment to me or the football club. I have set myself little targets and if it meant that taking on a coaching role would get in the way, especially at the age of thirty. I am not sure if that is what I would want for myself or the team so for now I am happy carrying on with what I am doing. But as I said if he needed my help I would be quite happy to help out."

Happy times

The former Brighton and Macclesfield man has the rare feat of making more substitute appearances for Rotherham than starts, coming on an amazing 71 times compared to his 69 starts. He bagged 12 goals for the Millers, five less than he has already managed with Mansfield, in just 44 starts. He stays in the hearts of many Rotherham fans after scoring a particularly sweet winner at Hillsborough in 2002.

Millersmad would like to wish Richie a warm welcome back to Millmoor.