Form
Rotherham United finished 13th in League One last season in their first year back in the third tier, following relegation from the Championship in 2023/24.
The Millers regularly yo-yo between the second and third tiers and have spent five years in each division in the last decade. However, they will start next season in the fourth tier for the first time since 2013, after relegation was confirmed in mid-April.
They currently sit 23rd in the league, five points above bottom side Northampton Town. Their
recent form has been poor, seeing four losses and one win in their last five games. They come into this weekend’s game off the back of a 0-2 home defeat to Luton Town during the week, after two goals from Kasey Palmer.
The two sides faced each other back in November, playing out a 1-1 draw at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, where Charlie Savage scored a second-half equaliser after Josh Benson gave the Millers the lead in the first half.
The boss
Lee Clark: Clark was appointed Rotherham manager in mid-March, signing a deal until the end of the season, following Matt Hamshaw’s sacking after almost a year in charge.
The former midfielder had a 16-year career as a player, representing the likes of Newcastle United, Sunderland and Fulham. Post-retirement, Clark started his managerial career at Huddersfield Town in 2008, where he spent just over three years.
He then went on to manage Birmingham City and Blackpool before a spell north of the border at Kilmarnock. Clarke then had spells managing Bury and non-league Blyth Spartans before moving overseas to manage Sudanese club Al-Merrikh. He had a spell in Oman managing Al-Ittihad before rturning to Al-Merrikh in 2022.
After just over four years out of the game, Clark was appointed Rotherham manager in March with the task of keeping them in the division. Unfortunately, the 53-year-old has been unable to avoid the drop, winning only one of his seven games in charge of the Millers.
Squad
Rotherham have a number of players out injured including goalkeeper Cameron Dawson, defender Marvin Kaleta and midfielders Liam Kelly, Hamish Douglas, Shaun McWilliams, Kian Spence and Joe Powell.
Predicted lineup
Cann, Rafferty, Adegboyega, Jules, Baptiste, Gore, Lee, Hall, Clarke, Gray, Nombe
Key player
10. Sam Nombe: Forward Nombe joined Rotherham in August 2023 from Exeter City for an undisclosed fee.
He came through the youth ranks at MK Dons and made his debut for the club in 2017. While at the Dons he had two separate loan spells at Oxford City and another at Maidenhead United. Nombe managed to break into the MK Dons first team in the 2019/20 season, scoring two goals for the club.
He had a loan spell with Luton Town in the 2020/21 season, but ended up joining Exeter on a permanent deal the following season. Nombe made 84 appearances for Exeter over the course of two seasons, scoring 27 goals.
Since moving to Rotherham, the 27-year-old has added another 30 goals to his career tally, with 12 of those coming this season. Nombe usually plays as a striker and is a counter-attacking threat who is a strong finisher.
One to watch
15. Jamal Baptiste: Defender Baptiste joined Rotherham on a season-long loan last summer from Championship side Sheffield United.
He started his career in the youth setup at West Ham United, signed his first pro deal with the club in 2020, and made his Hammers debut the following year. Baptiste went on to join Manchester City in 2023 and spent time on loan in Belgium with Lommel.
A permanent move to Sheffield United followed in 2024, where he has played twice, before being loaned to Rotherham this season to gain more first-team experience.
The 22-year-old has represented England at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels, with 15 Young Lions caps to his name. Baptiste is a centre-back who is strong in the air but also has good pace on the ground.
