No more Bachelor Boy as Rotherham United pull pre-match song

Since last February, Cliff Richard's 'Bachelor Boy' has been played just before kick-off, with fans then taking over by singing a Millers version of the song.

The aim was to boost the atmosphere but the response in the stands has become more and more muted as time has passed.

The club have issued a statement saying that Bachelor Boy is being scrapped and that they may look for a new anthem in the future.

They said on their website: “It has been increasingly relayed to us that it is no longer felt by fans that the pre-match anthem adds value to the matchday experience.

“While we are keen not to abandon the premise of an anthem entirely, we have listened to supporters and will be withdrawing Bachelor Boy from the pre-match running order.”

The song was chosen by Rotherham followers in a poll, beating Frank Hopkinson's ‘Miller Men’ into second place.

Home anthems have worked well for other teams, with Leeds United's ‘Leeds, Leeds, Leeds’ and Sheffield Wednesday's ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ being prime Yorkshire examples.

The Millers aren't scrapping the idea completely and plan to canvass the opinion of supporters again.

Their statement said: “We will look to address this with supporters again in the new year to see whether a different track would provoke a more unified response on the terraces or whether the concept of a pre-match anthem is perhaps not an element that is right for AESSEAL New York Stadium at present.”