A sacking, a new beginning, handsome Joe Powell and the saga of the chips … a personal look at Rotherham United's League One campaign.

Most momentous day:

Sunday March 30. Steve Evans out, Matt Hamshaw in.

Most toxic day:

Saturday March 29. The afternoon against Crawley Town when Rotherham United fans told the manager in no uncertain terms it was time to go.

Biggest greedy guts (to be continued):

They do half-time chips for the media at Mansfield Town, only they don't do enough of them. One tray. And when they're gone, they're gone. The decent thing to do is take a few and leave plenty for the queue of people behind you. Someone in a Mansfield tracksuit got in early and overloaded his plate to such a degree that he had trouble carrying it away.

League One Team of the Year:

This is based solely on performances these players gave against the Millers. Josh Griffiths was outstanding in Bristol Rovers' net in the goalless stalemate in the opening league match at AESSEAL New York Stadium. I can remember him also being brilliant for Lincoln City in a 1-1 home draw with the Millers in 2021. Rotherham could do a lot worse than try to get the West Bromwich Albion 23-year-old on loan. 4-4-2: Josh Griffiths (Bristol Rovers); Brad Hills (Stockport County), Christoph Klarer (Birmingham City), Marc Roberts (Barnsley), Owen Dodgson (Burton); Taylor Gardner-Hickman (Birmingham), Tomoki Iwata (Birmingham), Paik Seung-Ho (Birmingham), Kwame Poku (Peterborough United); Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (Crawley Town), Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (Burton Albion).

Quote 1:

“Nathan, we all heard you say that your head had come off. Listen, you're a good guy and a great manager, but get yourself to Screwfix and get it screwed back on.” Steve Evans took exception to the assertion of Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones – who'd said in an interview a week earlier that he was “raging his nut off” – that Rotherham “didn't try to play” in a 1-1 draw at the Valley.

Warmest welcome:

Stockport. A lovely man on the door and then really helpful staff inside. It's a good ground, too. Old school and compact with an intense atmosphere. My 82nd of the 92.

Sad farewell:

Jake Hull is no longer with Rotherham, the release of the 23-year-old ending a long association that began in the youth ranks. There's still time for him to come good, he just needs to play. Great lad, terrible jokes. ‘What do you get when a hen spots a lettuce? Chicken caesar salad.’ See what I mean?

Quote 2:

“Hopefully the fans will see more moments of individual brilliance from me.” Joe Powell wasn't being big-headed, he just knows he can play a bit.

Best individual performance against the Millers:

Owen Dodgson. Burton's loan full-back (he's a young Burnley player) went on a game-long rampage down the left flank during a 4-2 Rotherham defeat at the Pirelli Stadium. The home side scored four unanswered goals in a 39-minute spell and he was the main reason. Josh Griffiths' and Tomoki Iwata's New York performances ran him close.

Coldest welcome:

Charlton. There were stewards who went out of their way not to direct me towards the media entrance when I was running late.

Quote 3:

“If you're giving me anything less than a 9 in the ratings, you're getting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers.” Goalkeeper Cameron Dawson knew how well he'd just played as he prepared to be interviewed by me after the win at Bolton Wanderers.

Biggest disappointment 1:

Rotherham being less than the sum of their parts for too much of the campaign.

Biggest disappointment 2:

This comes a very close second. Club chef Gavin Bradbury not offering to let me take home any of the chunky beef chilli he'd made for a photo session before our interview. I dropped so many hints as well.

Best individual performance by a Miller:

Cameron Dawson at Bolton. 10/10. See, no need to worry, Cam.

Goal of the season:

I wouldn't argue with anyone saying Mallik Wilks' 80-yard run and finish against Mansfield but my favourite was the winger's effort at Peterborough when he ‘chopped’ inside Jack Sparks so well that the Posh defender was left marking the corner flag.

Why you never read a single quote from Mallik Wilks:

He's a really lively presence away from the cameras and voice recorders but just can't do interviews. Of all the regular members of Rotherham's first-team squad, only he and Jordan Hugill didn't make an appearance in front of the media.

Quote 4:

“Because I've been in the f*cking fridge for three months.” Alex MacDonald's answer when one of Rotherham's media team wondered in January why the midfielder hadn't been doing more interviews.

Thanks, it's appreciated:

Not every player is prepared to face the music after a defeat, particularly when it comes on a winter midweek night a long way from home. Joe Powell, Liam Kelly, Reece James fronted up the most.

Craziest game:

Bolton 0 Rotherham 1. 108 goal attempts by the home side, 62 Cameron Dawson saves, 56 Hakeem Odoffin blocks.

Best players to interview:

Zak Jules (speaks slowly and with perfect grammar, making him dead easy to transcribe), Cameron Dawson (just a good, friendly, natural talker), Josh Kayode (very expressive and prepared to tackle tough subjects), Andre Green (ditto Kayode), Alex MacDonald (funny and sparky) and Jonson Clarke-Harris (affable, endearing and not what you were expecting).

Biggest greedy guts (episode two):

Very quickly, the Mansfield chips ran out. I was one of the lucky ones and had about six, but many poor souls went hungry. Meanwhile, the guy who'd swiped half of the tray continued to gorge himself.

Quote 5:

“Just arrived at Exeter.” Steve Evans' WhatsApp reply when I checked in around 6pm on a Tuesday evening to make sure we were okay for a phone chat the following morning. I'm not totally convinced he really had just arrived to watch a game at Exeter.

Most encouraging development:

The upturn following Matt Hamshaw's arrival. The players needed the new boss's more modern guidance and his detailed training regime. Roundwood was immediately a happier place and results and form instantly improved.

Player my sister would like to date:

The very photogenic Joe Powell.

Player I'm telling my sister to date:

Reece James. A thoroughly decent, personable bloke. Brother-in-law material.

Best question:

Radio Sheffield's Andy Giddings to Steve Evans: "Does Jordan Hugill have a balance problem?"

Quote 6:

“Donald Duck could have saved that.” After a loss at Leyton Orient, Steve Evans wasn't giving credit to any of his players, not even Cameron Dawson whose back-pedalling tip-over was one of the stops of the season.

Pre-match tradition:

The media team bought a can of Red Bull for Alex MacDonald before every match he was involved in.

Best line I wrote:

‘No away win, my arse.’ After Sam Nombe had ended Rotherham's near-two-year barren spell, at Cambridge United, with a last-minute winner off his backside.

Biggest disappointment 3:

Key signing Sean Raggett managing only 11 games because of injuries.

Biggest disappointments 4 and 5:

Jonson Clarke-Harris. Jordan Hugill. Big earners not making big enough contributions.

The F-Bomb:

Steve Evans was very good with all the local media but lost his cool after a defeat at Mansfield where he'd been hounded by fans of his former club. He'd slid into the dugout about 20 minutes before kick-off to avoid being a crowd target during a walk from the players' tunnel just before the start but could do nothing about the abuse during the game. After the final whistle, he was beyond agitated. I copped for a few swears but not as badly as the f*cking Mansfield reporter did.

Best-dressed Miller:

Hakeem Odoffin. Casual gear worn very well by someone in great shape. Loose jogging bottoms, tight tops.

Worst-dressed Miller:

Little Jack Holmes. Always manages to look like he's picked up a pair of centre-half's joggers from the Roundwood lost-property box.

Press rooms:

These are indoor places where journalists work before and after games. Huddersfield Town, Reading and Bolton had the best and most spacious ones in the division while Rotherham's came in a solid fourth. Sometimes they are referred to in club literature sent to writers and broadcasters as “suites” or “lounges”, which can be very misleading when they turn out to be a cramped pocket of space with a few chairs, no table and not enough plug sockets.

Press boxes:

These are outdoor facilities in one of the stands where journalists carefully observe proceedings yet often miss much of the last 15 minutes matches because their heads are buried in laptops as they prepare their on-the-whistle online verdicts. Sometimes travelling journos get abused by irate home supporters in a change from being called the ‘c’ word on X by some fans of their own club.

Quote 7:

“Joe, I've put you down for all the new-shirt modelling this summer. Everyone will want one when they see you in them.” Matt Hamshaw uses handsome Joe Powell to lend a hand to the commercial department.

Biggest greedy guts (the end):

We're at New York for the Mansfield return fixture and who should turn up but the Field Mill chip fiend. Fortunately, the food in the media suite at the home of the Millers is plentiful. I was too busy to keep a proper eye on him but I did notice that the number of pies went down more quickly than normal.

Those New York media pies:

They're proper Pukka and provided by club sponsor Matthew Twigg. Not only are they tasty, there's a lot of them. Steve Evans used to send a member of staff to get him one before a game.

That nozzle on the media-suite hot-water dispenser:

Don't get me started. Either an empty cup or third-degree burns depending on what kind of mood it's in.

Quick observation:

There's too much talk of food in this article.

Quote 8:

“My biggest problem? Having my dad try to pick the team every week.” Rawmarsh lad Matt Hamshaw is from a family of mad Millers.

Hope for next season:

More structure, a better structure. Fans and team in it together. Manager and team in it together. Manager and fans in it together. An honest, transparent Rotherham rediscovering their identity and old values. Improvement built on solid, sustainable foundations. Matt's Millers.

Plan for next season:

Turn up at Mansfield with a packed lunch and ignore the chips.​