RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.
THE OPPO Rotherham United aka The Millers
DATE – Saturday 23rd October
KO TIME – 3pm
THE GROUND – Millmoor, Rotherham– click here and here for maps of the area – the arrow points to where the ground is.
Millmoor is close to the centre of Rotherham, just off the ring road and also close to jcn 34 of the M1 and jcn 1 of the M18 (from the A1 southbound).
Away supporters are accommodated in the Community Stand and the Railway End, which is covered. There are spaces for 17 visiting disabled supporters but booking is necessary: phone 01709 512434.
If you want to pick up some bargains before the match or have an other half who doesn’t fancy the match (or doesn’t have a ticket), give them your credit card to look after while they pass some time at the HUGE Meadowhall Shopping Centre, only three miles away.
Millmoor is generally a safe place to visit and incidents of trouble have been few and far between in recent years. A Millers’ supporter says “The conduct of some of our stewards has been questionable and there have been numerous complaints from away fans about their over exuberant behaviour towards them when celebrating a goal.”
TICKETS
Tickets for this fixture are now on general sale, priced £15 for adults, £9 for concessions.
GOING BY CAR?
From the north-east you can either go A1 then M1, or A1 then M18.
A1/M1 route:
Travelling from the north east, get yourself onto the A1/A1M southbound; just after you pass A1(M) junction 45 (for the A64 Leeds/York road) you’ll see signs for the M1 – so take the M1 south. You join the M1 at jcn 48 and you need to stay on it until you reach jcn 33.
Leave the M1 at junction 33 then take the A630 dual carriageway towards Rotherham. Veer left at the first roundabout, right at the next, then go straight on at the one after that. You should now see the floodlights over to the left.
Home fans should turn left at the final roundabout into Masborough Street, while away fans are supposed to go right round the roundabout, back onto the dual carriageway, and then turn left into the car park of the Zone nightclub.
If you’re approaching from the south, take the M1 exiting at junction 33, then turn right following signs for Rotherham, at the roundabout turn left and then right at the next roundabout, follow the dual carriageway to the next roundabout where you should go straight on, at the next roundabout turn left, the ground should be a quarter of a mile on the left.
A1/M18 route:
Travelling from the north east, get yourself onto the A1/A1M southbound.
At jcn 35 of the A1, veer left onto the slip road and take the third exit off the roundabout, onto the M18. After 8 miles the M18 runs out and joins the M1 at jcn 32 – make sure you follow signs for the M1 northbound! Leave the M1 at jcn 33 and and at the roundabout take the 3rd exit for the A630. At the roundabout for the junction with the A631, take the first exit – so that you stay on the A630. At the next roundabout – the junction with Bawtry Road – take the second exit. Go straight over at the roundabout where the junction with Sheffield Road is, the road crosses over the railway line then turn left at the next roundabout onto Masbrough Street and you’ll see the ground on your left.
There’s some on-street parking in the streets near the ground – please park considerately for local residents!!
GOING BY TRAIN?
It’ll take you a couple of hours or thereabouts to go by train.
The 11.22 Virgin service out of Newcastle gets you to Doncaster at 12.48, then change for the 1.01pm Arriva Trains Northern service Rotherham, where you’ll arrive at 1.26 – just time for a cheeky pint before the match.
Or the 11.29 Virgin service out of Newcastle gets you to Doncaster at 12.55, then change for the 1.24pm Arriva Trains Northern service Rotherham, where you’ll arrive at 1.50 – mebbes time for a cheeky half.
On exiting the station go left over the bridge. Head towards the floodlights over (or under via subway) the dual carriageway, and up Masbrough Street, and you’re there.
Coming home: The 5.38pm service out of Rotherham takes you to Doncaster where you change for the 6.25pm Virgin service to Newcastle, and you’ll arrive there just after 8.30pm.
ALS are, as usual, running their coach service – click here for details.
STOPPING OVER?
· Travelodge Sheffield – A630 Ring Road (4 miles away from ground) – tel 0870 191 1674
· Travel Inn Rotherham – Bawtry Road, Rotherham – tel 08701 977 222
· Hotel Campanile – Hellaby Industrial Estate, Rotherham – tel 01709 700255.
· Days Inn Hotel – Woodall Services (M1) – tel 0114 248 7992
· Ibis Hotel – Moorhead Way, Rotherham – tel 01709 730333
SCRAN AND BOOZE
Good news! They do Chicken Balti Pies inside the ground.
The Tivoli Club, which backs onto the ground, has a good atmosphere and will serve away supporters, although it can get very crowded and occasionally a bit rowdy on matchdays. At the Millmoor Hotel, next to the ground, away supporters are allowed inside at the discretion of the door staff; it’s the HQ of the Rotherham United Supporters’ Club. The Kingfisher on Mary Street and the Moulders Rest on Masbrough Street both serve away fans. The Millmoor, also on Masbrough Street, welcomes away fans in its large clubroom upstairs.
RTG’s away report-meister Herts says “the locals are friendly – frankly just wander down the street and fall into any of the pubs that take your fancy is the best advice.”
LEND US A FIVER I’M OUT OF CASH
If you’re going to Meadowhall before the match, you’ll find a cash machine easily, and there’s almost certainly one at Woolley Edge services, just south of jcn 39 on the M1 if you’re coming that way.
Otherwise there’s a ‘Moneybox’ cash machine at Luminar Leisure on Main Street (just along from the aforementioned Masbrough Street) – but it’ll charge you £1.50 for using it. Or there are two ATMs at the Tesco’s on Market Street which are free to use, or a Lloyds TSB on Corporation Street.
IN THE NEWS
They’ve just announced that the club’s new owners are the company Earth Mortgages, with directors Darren Millington and Mike Worthington taking control at Millmoor. Chairman Ken Booth announced last December that he intended to step aside.
Liverpool winger Richie Moore was apparently put off a loan move to the Millers because of their current league position.
Rotherham currently have Pompey striker Mark Burchill on a month’s loan, although the Millers’ game against us will be Burchill’s last at Millmoor unless the deal is extended.
Former Sunderland striker Michael Proctor plays for them – he went to them in February as part of a swap deal which saw Darren Byfield come to us. Proctor’s only scored once for them this season, in their Carling Cup first round defeat of Chesterfield.
They also have a midfielder by the name of John Mullin……the same John Mullin who played for Sunderland for four years in the late 90’s. We signed him from Burnley in ’95 for £40,000 then he went back to Burnley on a free in July 1999 and stayed there for two years; they then sold him to the Millers in January 2001.
LAST SEASON
Finished 17th out of 24 with 54 points
THIS SEASON
Currently 24th of 24 (as at 12.10.04)
P12 W0 D5 L7 F5 A16 Pts 5 GD -11
HOME FORM
P6 W0 D3 L3 F4 A9 Pts 3 GD -5
HEAD TO HEAD
We’ve played the Millers 16 times in the League in recent years, we’ve won eight, they’ve won only three, and we’ve drawn five.
LAST 4 MEETINGS
28.12.03 Rotherham 0 Sunderland 2 (Stewart 30, 41(p))
21.10.03 Sunderland 0 Rotherham 0
03.01.98 R’ham 1, Sunderland 5 (FA Cup 3rd rnd: Phillips 15,55,72,76, Quinn 85)
07.05.88 Rotherham 1, Sunderland 4 (Old Div 3)
20.12.87 Sunderland 3, Rotherham 0 (Old Div 3)
TRIVIA
The club was formed in 1877 as Thornhill United – the pitch was so narrow that they were banned from hosting FA Cup ties there. They changed their name to Rotherham County in reaction to another team forming in the town (Rotherham Town FC), and moved to Millmoor in 1907,with its relatively superior facilities – and the pitch width met with official approval. In 1925 they merged with Rotherham Town FC and became Rotherham United.
In 1967 they persuaded Tommy Docherty to manage them but he was gone within a year. Sunderland icon Ian Porterfield managed them from December 1979 to June 1981, and he was succeeded by Emlyn Hughes as player/manager.
Famous Millers: Shaun Goater, Imre Varadi, Nicky Law, Clive Mendonca, Martin Scott (ex SAFC).
Credits Rotherham United, Millersnet.co.uk, Fans FC, ‘Herts’, Link, Multimap, Rough Guide to English Football, Soccerbase, streetmap.co.uk, The AA, BBC, Nexus.