One song and lots of effort ... farewell to Rotherham United's Ollie Rathbone
I was packing away my laptop after a friendly in the summer of 2021 when I offered an opinion in the press box about a Rochdale midfielder who had particularly caught the eye in a 2-2 draw with Rotherham United.
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Hide Ad“He's like that in every game," came the reply at Spotland from the home side's media officer.
Within a fortnight, Ollie was a Miller.
Now, sadly, he's gone after three seasons: a stunning first one, a great second one and a third in which he didn't quite scale his previous heights as Rotherham were collapsing in on themselves but still emerged with credit.
His was always the brightest smile at Roundwood, he was always the first one to come over with a handshake.
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Hide AdThat warmth extended to supporters for whom he left a typically heartfelt social-media message on his X account following last Friday's departure for Wrexham.
“What a ride,” he posted. “I have made memories that will stay with me for life. I want to say a special ‘thank you’ to the fans who have been so supportive since my very first day. I always gave my all when I pulled on that shirt.”
It's an excellent move for him, a brilliant one even. Wrexham's success and the manner in which it has been achieved breeds some resentment on the outside, but to be on the inside of that Hollywood roller coaster will be a real adventure.
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Hide AdHe will be as good for them as they will be for him. The wages won't be bad either.
That first, promotion season at AESSEAL New York Stadium, he won the Man-of-the-Match award so many times he might as well have sponsored it.
That second one, he played for months carrying the pain of a groin injury and was a major factor in Championship survival.
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Hide AdEven through the horrors of that last one, as the club crashed back to League One, he never hid.
The beleaguered boss of the time, Leam Richardson, was faced with what almost amounted to a dressing-room mutiny but he knew that Rathbone was one of around half a dozen players who would stay true to themselves and to the team.
And here's a little insight into Ollie's character …
He performed his initiation song on an away-game hotel evening when several teammates did the same. Others sang better, he felt, yet they'd all read their lyrics from their phones. He was the only one who'd committed them to memory.
Captain Richard Wood noticed and made a quiet note.
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Hide AdRathbone would have signed a new contract a year ago when the Millers were still buoyant after staying up for the first time in four attempts.
A deal was put on the table and then taken off.
The midfielder, quite rightly, felt wronged and the events that were to unfold in the following campaign strengthened his conviction that the time was coming to leave.
Always, he ran his heart out for the badge. Such energy and endeavour won him favour with the crowd and a few spectacular goals helped his cause as well.
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Hide AdHe was so much more than a ‘ratter’, although he did do ratting rather well. Once he'd sniffed a battle, he never gave up the scent.
Across a 138-game stay, he made his mark on and off the pitch and will be welcomed back with open Millers arms when he returns to New York with his new club in October.
By the way, the song he'd learned word for word was ‘Shallow’ by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
There was nothing shallow about him.
That Ollie Rathbone, he was some player. He was some person too.