League One's finest? Some thought so ... Sam Nombe's time with Rotherham United

It was a bold statement about Sam Nombe from Rotherham United's manager at the time but he had back-up.

Matt Hamshaw said he'd spoken with a few other third-tier bosses and they agreed with his assessment.

Nombe ranged from good to very good to excellent during his time at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Actually, he ranged from poor to good to very good to excellent because that first season wasn't one to remember.

He arrived as the Millers' first £1-million-pound player at a difficult time when they were embarking on a disastrous Championship campaign in 2023 that would end in painful relegation.

It wasn't his fault. There were myriad reasons for the club sliding in such ignominious fashion. His return of only three goals in 42 matches was just one of them.

In fact, all of his three years came at a difficult time. Rotherham were supposed to go straight back up under Steve Evans but didn't. Then they were going to be play-off contenders under Hamshaw but weren't. They went the other way and that left Nombe with two relegations on his Millers CV.

Maybe that's why he has departed with the respect of fans but not really the degree of affection that might have been expected. It's not that they didn't like him, they just didn't love him.

He was top scorer in his last two seasons, he produced some spectacular moments, he worked hard on the pitch. The 'Nombe' chants to the tune of 'Zombie' were regular, but there should have been more of a bond.

As a player, his qualities were evident - the constant probing, the pace to reach balls he had no right to, the tight control and muscular thrust in tight areas, plus 15 goals in year two and then 13 more in his final, injury-interrupted campaign.

As a person, maybe there was just a shy reluctance to show too much of himself. We all appreciated Sam the hitman, I just don't think we ever got to know Sam the man.

He was interviewed on that historic night at Cambridge United in 2024 when his stoppage-time goal - which famously went in off his backside - secured a 1-0 victory and ended a run without an away win that seemed to have stretched forever.

His lack of post-match animation made it seem like he'd not scored and the match had finished 0-0.

Hamshaw handled Nombe well, won his trust and got him performing to the peak of his powers. The player's finest display came at his old club, Exeter City, in January when he didn't score himself but was the creator-in-chief with his ceaseless running with and without the ball in a 4-0 triumph. The Grecians simply couldn't handle him.

Generally, he was decent with the media and didn't shirk press duties. He never relished being in journalists' presence yet didn't appear to mind it too much either. His face would light up when he was asked about becoming a dad.

He's 27 now and has just returned to where it all began for him at MK Dons. Club and player look a perfect fit. They're in the third tier and are managed by Paul Warne, serial promotion-winner at that level, so Nombe could be looking at the first 20-goal season of his career.

Meanwhile, back in 2023, when the attacker was struggling in the Championship in the early stages of his Millers stay, I chatted with Warne who, as boss of Derby County, had come up against the attacker the year before in the division below.

"What did you make of him?" I asked, and his verdict came close to matching Hamshaw's.

"One of the best in League One."