Caledonia Dreaming or Ian38018 Sporting Travels: Rotherham United

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Rotherham United - New York Stadium

Rotherham 1-0 Chesterfield

16^th February 2013

I have long held a bit of a soft-spot for Rotherham; for my first ever date was with a girl from the town. Although perhaps the term date is stretching things just a bit. Back in 1970, on a family holiday in good old Butlin’s Skegness, my brother, cousin and I got in tow with a larger group of English kids. One evening after a trip to the cinema (to see The List Of Adrian Messenger, if memory serves), a communal decision was taken to pair up the boys and the girls into items.

When someone shouted out, “Is anyone ten?” and I raised my hand, I was paired off with the only female in the party of my age. A remarkably pretty girl she was too, with strawberry blonde hair and rosy cheeks, who told me her name was Jill.

So, the next day on our first date, I took her onto The Waltzer, The Carousel and The Mad Mouse – all rides free courtesy of Mr Butlin, and in the evening to the cinema once more. Thus did we spend the next few days before until, all too soon, it was Saturday and time for our respective families to return home. Jill and I never reached the kissing stage (we were only 10 after all). Indeed, I don’t recall even managing to say “I don’t mean to be bold, but may I hold your hand”.

I did get her address and promised to write, but being a typical taciturn Scot with zero communication skills, correspondence consisted of a single Christmas card, as I let slip away the first romance of my life.

The whole business became a bit of running family joke and my mother, partly to tease me, would over the following decade religiously transfer Jill’s details into each new family address book she started. With the consequence even now, some 40 years on, I can still recall the Brinsworth address with ease. Which is perhaps just a touch worrying.

I did resist the temptation to detour to view the house this afternoon (that, I realise, would perhaps be just a wee bit creepy), but had no qualms about dropping in to visit Rotherham United’s former home Millmoor.

However, I had barely set foot in the Millmoor car-park when a little pug-faced chap sitting in a white hut bellowed at me “You can’t come in. It’s private”. I explained I just wished to take a few photographs, but was met with “You can’t. It’s Private”. This phrase “It’s Private”, clearly his version of the Vogon guard’s “Resistance is Useless!”

I appreciated he was just doing his job, but wondered if he perhaps could perform it with just a touch less gusto. I later reflected this sitting in a little hut shouting at people was probably the first real authority he had ever been given. Certainly since that unfortunate incident which occurred when he was entrusted with handing out the scissors at Junior School.

Consequently, I just walked up onto the Coronation Bridge and took my photos from there, from where I was pleased to note the club’s new home the New York Stadium was also visible, and I could get both in the same snap. The new ‘un really did look rather impressive. Partly the large red panels, which I found I really rather liked, but also the fact it was enclosed. No open corners !!

Millmoor, Rotherham - February 2013

Down Millmoor Lane

Millmoor, Rotherham - February 2013

Millmoor and The New York Stadium, Rotherham.

New York Stadium, Rotherham.

The New York Stadium was built on part of the site formerly occupied
by the Guest & Chrimes Ltd Foundry, a few of the buildings
from which still exist next door to the stadium.
One hopes these can be retained and restored in some way.

This sign can also be found just behind the stadium. I just liked it.

Inside, the venue was equally pleasing, with a rather unique Perspex roofing arrangement topped off by some distinctly continental-looking floodlights. The relatively steep rake of the seating also meant one would feel quite close to the action no matter where one was seated.

The game itself, however, was a disappointment. The better side certainly took the three points in the end, but goodness Rotherham didn’t half make hard work of despatching a very poor Chesterfield side. Home striker Nardiello made a mess of perhaps the best opportunity of a dull first-half, hitting a post when scoring looked easier.

Winger Daniel Kearns regularly took the ball past both of Chesterfield’s separated-at-birth twins Drew Talbot and Danny Whitaker, but subsequently appeared either reluctant or unable to do anything constructive with it, much to the frustration of his team-mates.

Alex Revell passed up another gilt-edged opportunity just after the break, before big defender Johnny MULLINS decided to wander upfield to show his forwards what was required, heading in a corner on 57 minutes. Even this turn of events was not enough to shake the visitors out of their repose, although the aforementioned Whitaker never stopped trying to cajole his colleagues awake. I was impressed, though by visiting full-back Nathan Smith who showed some neat touches.

Finally in the closing minutes Chesterfield began throwing bods forward, and on two occasions late on headers flashed across the goal of relieved home ‘keeper Andy Warrington. It made for a diverting last few minutes, but had the visitors taken even one point back south it would I feel have been an act of scandalous larceny.