RUFC - It's FA Cup Weekend!

This weekend is the FA Cup Third Round and Rotherham United are, as us Millers fans are used to, not taking part!

The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in the world, beginning in 1871/2 when Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1-0 at Kennington Oval in front of 2,000 people. Since then lots of clubs, some who are no longer around, have won the Cup, the latest being Chelsea last season at the New Wembley in front of more than 88,000 fans.

As I said, Millers fans are used to getting their fix of the FA Cup all done and dusted by the second round and the last time we were in the third round of the competition was six years ago, in January 2005.

The Millers were in the Championship and Yeovil Town, who at the time were two divisions lower than the Millers, were the visitors at Millmoor. Rotherham had beaten Millwall the week before at the New Den and Yeovil came to Millmoor having won eight games on the trot. The Millers had the first opening of the game on five minutes when Michael Proctor got the ball to Martin Butler in the area but the Millers striker handled the ball while getting control At the other end Terry Skiverton saw a header go wide. Andy Monkhouse had a shot that hit the bar before Philip Jevons, at the other end, saw a free-kick go inches over Mike Pollitt's goal. Martin McIntosh came closest to breaking the deadlock on forty-one minutes when he received the ball from a Rob Scott long throw but McIntosh fired just over. A minute later saw Scott carried off with a dislocated shoulder and Paul Gilchrist took his place.

Yeovil came out fighting in the second half and Skiverton saw a shot go just wide while Pollitt had to make a good save from a Jevons shot from twenty yards out. Just after the hour mark McIntosh brought down Paul Terry in the area and, from the resulting penalty, Jevons gave the visitors the lead. Monkhouse nearly got an equaliser but shot wide from twenty-five yards out and Will Hoskins, on for Proctor, had a shot blocked. A little against run of play, Yeovil doubled their lead when Darren Way found himself in way too much room and put the ball in the back of the net. A minute later, the home defence let Andrejs Stolcers run forty yards with the ball and put it past Pollitt to make the score three-nil to the visitors.

Teams that day

Rotherham
Pollitt
Scott (Gilchrist)
Swails
McIntosh
Hurst
Monkhouse
McLaren
Vernazza
Campbell-Ryce
Butler
Proctor (Hoskins)
Subs not used - Montgomery, Warne, Daws

Yeovil
Weale
Skiverton
Guyett
Lindegaard
Terry
Johnson
Stolcers
Gall (Caceres)
Way
Tarachulski (O'Brien)
Jevons (Davies)
Subs not used - Collis, Mirza

Referee Curson booked seven players that day - Hurst, McIntosh, Monkhouse and Pollitt for the Millers and Yeovil players Johnson, Skiverton and Stolcers

Yeovil went on to play Charlton in the next round at The Valley where they lost 3-2.

In the 2003/4 season, the Millers lost to Northampton in the Third round of the FA Cup. The first game, at Sixfields, was a one-all draw with Richie Barker putting the Millers one up ten minutes into the second half only for Martin Smith to equalise less than ten minutes later. With a big tie at home against Manchester United to look forward to the replay was ten days later at Millmoor with the Millers display described as the 'worst performance for years.' Paul Hurst had put the home side one up on nineteen minutes but goals from Richard Walker and Martin Smith gave the Cobblers a deserved win.

Northampton lost 3-0 to Manchester United in the next round.

In the 2002/3 season the Millers once again fell in the third round - this time to Wimbledon. Neil Shipperley put the Dons one up on thirty-six minutes with Joel McAnuff and Lionel Morgan scoring to give Wimbledon a three-nil win. Wimbledon lost to Walsall in the next round.


What games can you remember with the Millers in the FA Cup?
Come and tell us, here, on Vital Rotherham

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.