"Everyone decided I was king for a day," Las Vegas man thanks Millers fans for warm welcome during first match

A man was given a warm welcome when he travelled all the way from Las Vegas for his first-ever football game as Rotherham took on Swindon.

Carl Nixon, 64, travelled to the UK non-stop last Thursday after having discovered Rotherham United on TV.

He said: “My wife and I were looking for something to watch and we came across the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary.

“We ended up watching all five seasons in like two weeks.”

Carl fell in love with Paul Mullin after watching the show, and began following Rotherham after Mullin made the move from Wrexham.

“Paul Mullin has a son who is on the spectrum, and my quirky son is also on the spectrum,” he says.

Carl made the epic 5,000-mile trek to Swindon specially to see Rotherham play, but did not expect to have such a reception from the club.

He said: “My original plan was to go to the game, see what it was all about then go back to the hotel and fly home.

“Well it took a turn - a turn for the better!”

Carl was greeted by club chairman Tony Stewart on the day, and was brought to the team bus to meet players as they got off.

Of course, he desperately wanted to meet Paul Mullin and was not disappointed when the icon himself arrived.

He said: “He was first off the bus, and he came right over and thanked me for coming and my support.

“I really admire him, the way he handles his life and the business with his boy and juggles that with a job that many people would love to have.

“He made it seem like he’d waited his whole life to say hello to me, and the one other person who made me feel like that in my life and that was President Jimmy Carter."

Carl was given the full English football treatment, with a cap and scarf gifted to help him cheer Rotherham on.

After meeting the team, Carl was asked to read out the team sheet from the field before the game and was initially apprehensive.

He said: “I was a little hesitant but then I realised it was false modesty. Of course I wanted to do that!”

He explains how overwhelmed he was by the size of the stadium, and by how supportive everyone he met was despite having never met him.

Carl said said: “Everyone just decided that I was king for a day!"

He made sure to fit plenty of the usual tourist activities into his trip, stopping at Harrods for Christmas gifts and visiting locations from ‘Ted Lasso’.

But it was going to the game itself that really touched Carl, who explained that a season ticket might not be feasible.

“That turned out 20 times-100 times better than I could ever have imagined,” he said.

“I’m still overwhelmed at the hospitality and what great folks I met.”

He also got the opportunity to chat to goalkeeper and fellow yank Julian Eyestone, and discovered the youngster had attended a rival college back in the states.

"He said he hoped I brought them luck which clearly I didn’t do,” Carl said.

The Millers ultimately lost 2-1 to Swindon on the day, but that didn’t stop Carl from having the time of his life.

He said: “It didn't even matter if they won or lost, for me it was just the whole experience of doing it.

“It was just so wonderful and the supporters acted like I was visiting from the moon.

“Las Vegas is not close, but they do have aeroplanes and so it was just a really special weekend that I will talk about for as long as I live.”