End-of-season ratings ... how Rotherham United's players fared in 2025/26

Loanee Dan Gore may now have left AESSEAL New York Stadium, but the contribution of the young Manchester United midfielder to the Millers' cause will be remembered for a long, long time.

Others to enjoy good campaigns were Jamal Baptiste, also on loan, and summer signing Denzel Hall while Harry Gray made his mark before heading back to Leeds United.

Below is a list of every man who made a first-team appearance during the 2025/26 season. Only those who featured five times or more have been graded.

Goalkeepers

Cameron Dawson: 5

Made good saves - and sometimes very good ones - but he was never entirely convincing. Crosses, rather than shots, were his problem. Fans were entitled to see more penalty-area assertiveness from a man of his physique.

35 appearances

Ted Cann: 6

Started well when he was finally given his chance in league games but didn't quite maintain his standards as the run-in progressed. He pulled off some excellent stops but could also be beaten a touch too easily. Another keeper who could have been better when coming for the ball.

19 apps

Defenders

Joe Rafferty: 6

The club's most natural defender. Very good inside the box with his positioning and blocks. Showed a captain's commitment and it always looked like it hurt him when the Millers conceded. He's reached an age where quick wingers can get at him on the outside but is still a solid operator who does more in attack than he's given credit for. Used in several positions and suffered because he wasn't always in his favoured right-back role.

48 apps, three goals

Denzel Hall: 7

Looked smooth at right-back and silky at wing-back. Only injury stopped him contending for player-of-the-season status. Fast, good on the ball and effective in his defending and attacking. A class act. He might not be around next season because bigger clubs could be interested.

31 apps, three goals

Jamal Baptiste (loan): 7

Came for game time and got it. A commendable first senior season for a Sheffield United prospect who looks capable of playing at a higher level. Has soft, quick feet for a big man and is rapid when he gets into his stride. There are a few positional questions for him still to answer, but he's very much on the right path.

41 apps, one goal

Hamish Douglas: 6.5

His low number of appearances keeps his score down. He was hit hard by injuries and was gutted not to feature more often. The youngster demonstrated his potential when he did play and showed he can handle the physical side of the game. Has already learned that the simpler he keeps things, the better he is. There should be many more opportunities for him if he can stay out of the treatment room.

14 apps, one goal

Lenny Agbaire: 5

It looked like Rotherham had a monster in the making when the young Scot excelled at the start of the campaign following his move south of the border. Then injuries took hold and he never hit the same heights again when he came back. He's raw and there's a mistake in him, but there's something to work with.

20 apps

Emmanuel Adegboyega: 5

A winning, stoppage-time goal on his debut wasn't a bad way to mark his January switch to New York. In the games that followed, he had sharp moments and others where his mind wandered. The jury's out. 2026/27 will be a pivotal season for him.

11 apps, one goal

Harrison Duncan

Appeared as a substitutions in the FA Cup and then the league and made a good impressions both times. Won his headers, made interceptions and was decent on the ball. A big, aggressive teenager who looks like he could make the grade

Two apps

Thomas Holmes (loan): 3

An amazing debut, then an injury, then a sad, swift fall from grace when he came back. It was tough to watch, and there was no way he was staying beyond January after that stoppage-time incident at Bolton Wanderers.

Eight apps

Zak Jules: 5

Physically, he has everything a centre-half needs. Mentally, maybe he doesn't. Excellent at his best. However, too often he wasn't at his best. Didn't test himself enough.

39 apps, one goal

Reece James: 6

A lovely, neat player. However, ‘lovely’ and ‘neat’ didn't stop wingers sometimes going past him too easily. He was a real threat going forward and delivered some telling crosses. Just a bit more nastiness was needed in his game. Showed character by playing through some painful injuries.

44 apps, two goals

Lino Sousa (loan): 2

One start, a few substitute outings and no impact.

Five apps

Midfielders

Dan Gore (loan): 8

If he had a bad game, I can't remember it. Had the drive to match his skill. Gave no quarter and asked no quarter all season. A hard, uncompromising competitor brimming with energy, enterprise and aggression.

41 apps, one goal

Liam Kelly: 5

In the winter of a fine career, the veteran found himself behind younger, harder-running men in the queue for a regular start. Rarely gave the ball away, but the legs didn't run quite like they once did.

25 apps

Josh Benson: 6

Too good for League One, too injury-prone to go higher. Such a shame a player of his gifts wasn't available more often. Beckham-esque in his free-kick quality. 25 apps, five goals

Dru Yearwood: 6

Looked like he might set a word record for sub appearances and then started to come good in the closing stages of the season before injury struck just as he was really finding his stride. Mobile and took no short cuts. Always put in a shift. Could go well in League Two if he stays.

36 apps

Kian Spence: 6

He came from League Two with the ambition of proving he could flourish at a higher level and he certainly achieved that. Has a better engine than any other Millers player. Nimble and light-footed, he was good with the ball and without it. He also had an eye for goal and the appetite for a tackle. The pity was, medical staff saw more of him than fans did.

22 apps, three goals

Shaun McWilliams: 6

Another mobile player who made a contribution in both halves, but he sometimes lacked a bit of quality on the ball. Injuries started to take hold in the second half of the campaign.

34 apps, three goals

Joe Powell: 6

Not the Powell of 2024/25, but he was always worth his place. An honest player who believes the minimum requirement of a pro is maximum effort. Skilful enough to have League One suitors this summer after Rotherham's relegation to the fourth tier.

36 apps, one goal

Cohen Lee

Short-term boss Lee Clark had been at the club for only a few says when he saw the teenager in a practice match and immediately promoted him to the first-team set-up. The local lad is a good mix of composure and competitiveness. He's got a future in the game.

Four apps

James Clarke: 5

He's got something and needs to show more of it. The youngster's displays were a mixed bag. Better going forwards than backwards.

13 apps, one goal

Brandon Cover: 3

Arrived in January and has yet to make his mark. Is he a defender? Is he a midfielder? Ended of the season out of the starting 11 and sometimes out of the matchday 18.

10 apps

Attackers

Jack Holmes: 5

A peripheral figure until Clark came in and liked what he saw in training. Suddenly, there was more game time, and two last-day goals in a new central role gave a hint of that Holmes might be better used there than out wide.

20 apps, two goals

Marvin Kaleta: 4

There were flashes of quality - he was direct and could beat a man - but the winger was yet another player who became a familiar face in the treatment room. Hopefully, he can shed that reputation, along with a few pounds in weight, and realise his potential next term.

19 apps

Ar'Jany Martha: 5

The summer signing was unplayable at times in the early stages of the season, but his form slid faster than Rotherham did down the table and he contributed little after his November qualification for the World Cup with Curacao.

47 apps, two goals

Sam Nombe: 7

Missed a big chunk of the season early on with a torn hamstring and recovered to prove himself one of the most dangerous frontmen in the division. Ran hard and caused problems for most defences. Suffered from a touch of tunnel vision when teammates were better placed. We've probably seen the last of the record signing in a Rotherham shirt because the club will seek to sell him and he'll want to play higher than League Two.

32 apps, 13 goals

Jordan Hugill: 4.5

Fair play to him for battling through the severe discomfort of an ankle problem when the Millers were down to the bare bones. There just weren't enough goals - one in open play, plus a penalty - from him.

35 apps, two goals

Duncan Watmore: 4.5

Arrived in the new year with injury concerns surrounding him and duly had to sit out the closing stages of the campaign. There were moments of pure quality from a player with plenty of Premier League and Championship games on his CV, but he was never fit enough to truly do himself justice.

13 apps

Harry Gray (loan): 7

The 17-year-old took the first important senior steps in what should turn out to be a stellar career. He was raw, he took the wrong option on occasion, but some of his play was sublime. He has quick feet and an even quicker mind. Would have scored more goals had he been deployed centrally rather than on the left flank. There was beautiful balance to his running with the ball.

20 apps, three goals

Josh Ayres: 5

Willing and mobile. Needs to look after the ball better. Had an excellent non-league loan with Alfreton Town. 10 apps, two goals

Josh Kayode

You have to feel for the lad. Another season spent on the sidelines through injury and now the 25-year-old is at a crossroads in his career after so many fitness issues over the last four years.

Three apps

Martin Sherif (loan): 5

The hulking Everton teenager had his first taste of senior football. Hit and miss for the Millers and left early because of recurring hamstring problems.

10 apps, two goals

Kion Etete (loan): 3

Played like he didn't want to get injured. Has plenty of talent but not the strong mind or body needed to make the most of it. Left in January for St Mirren and fared no better there.

14 apps

Gabriele Biancheri (loan): 3

His first loan and maybe Rotherham, with only four wins in 2026, weren't right for the Manchester United youngster. Just two of his outings were as a starter and he didn't look physically ready for the rigours of the third tier.

11 apps

Ciaran McGuckin

Hopefully he finds a decent club and goes well in 2026/17. Deserves a change of fortune after some bad luck with injuries during his time at New York.

Four apps

Dean Gardner

One for the future. Did himself no harm when he was called upon on.

Three apps, one goal

Kane Richardson

Tough and tricky, but the teenager wasn't at his best in his couple of senior outings. Let's see what next season brings.

Two apps

Ben Hatton

Hit horribly by injuries in a crucial year for him and never had the opportunity to show if he was worth another contract.

One app