The Advertiser's Rotherham United Player of the Year and full ratings for the season

Ben Wiles

WAS it the opening goal at Ipswich Town? Was it the drop of the shoulder and coruscating run to set up the winner for Michael Smith at Plymouth Argyle? Was it the shift of feet and stunning strike at Wembley?

There were so many good Rotherham United moments for Ben Wiles in the 2021/22 campaign that it’s hard to pick out the best one.

He drove forward, he got back, he put in full shifts in every game, going as hard and fast in the 90th minute as he did in the first.

Throughout a year that brought the milestones of his 150th game and the second promotion of his career his standards never dropped.

Manager Paul Warne says the midfielder, who turned 23 last month, carried the team at times.

No-one has ever doubted Wiles’ talent. This was the year when he truly made it count. In the central-midfield role that suits him best, he was a League One ever-present, made 53 appearances in total and added goals to his game, hitting the target ten times.

There were some spectacular efforts in that double-figure haul: The Ipswich curler from just outside the area was a personal favourite of his, but the ones against the Trotters and Bromley were just as good.

He also played a part in one of the most memorable passages of play of the season, powering in from the halfway line to arrive late at the back post and head a corner into the path of Freddie Ladapo as the Millers took the lead in the Sheffield Wednesday derby at Hillsborough.

Rotherham were better than the Owls that day. With Wiles leading the way, they were better than the opposition most weeks.

Happily, he’s not ruling out still being at AESSEAL New York Stadium when Rotherham begin life in the Championship in August.

Let’s hope for one last season from the Advertiser’s Millers Player of the Year.

Season’s rating: 9/10

Michael Smith

The usual towering contribution from the frontman only with added firepower. His scoring tailed off towards the end of the season as he played through injury but there were 25 goals in total in the best campaign of his career.

Rating: 9/10

Chiedozie Ogbene

League One couldn’t hold him. He was too direct, too quick, too strong. If his crossing matched the quality of his scorching build-up play he’d already be in the Premier League. Chieo in full flight is a thrilling spectacle.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Ihiekwe

This lad excels in League One. He could have his nervy moments in possession but his all-round contribution had his manager describing him as the Millers’ best player for chunks of the campaign. Did all the necessary dirty work in his own box and was a huge threat in the opposition’s. 

Rating: 8/10

Dan Barlaser

The ‘Geordie Pirlo’. Or should that be ‘Polo’? He certainly liked to create a hole in an opposing defence with his slide-rule passing. He hit the wingers, he hit the frontmen, he hit pretty much everything he was aiming at. And the stats showed he puts in a bigger shift than a lot of people give him credit for. As good as anyone in the third tier on set-pieces.

Rating: 8/10

Ollie Rathbone

‘There’s only one Ollie Rathbone.’ Sometimes it seemed like there were two or three Ollie Rathbones. His non-stop effort and running set the tone for the Millers. Impish when he had the ball and a right pain in the opposition’s a*se when he didn’t. A first season at AESSEAL New York Stadium he should be proud of.

Rating: 8/10

Wes Harding

Right wing-back? “No problem, Gaffer.” Left-sided centre-half? “I’ll do you a job, Gaffer.” Harding’s versatility made him a key member of the squad. He’s a right-back who never plays as a right-back. An impressive physical unit with an engine powerful enough to make him an influence in both halves of the pitch.

Rating: 7/10

Richard Wood

Twenty-seven clean sheets. The captain has mentioned it in every conversation since the season ended. And why not? Played at the back and led from the front. An inspirational leader who gave ground to no opponent. Not even Old Father Time.

Rating: 8/10

Freddie Ladapo

Fifteen goals speak for themselves. Sadly, a badly-handled transfer request and a lack of interest at the business end of the season also speak for themselves. Time to part company with a player who allowed himself to descend from lively to liability.

Rating: 5/10

Shane Ferguson

A beautiful little player. His twinkling feet and a sparkling touch meant he was in total control of what he was doing in every game he played. If Fergie had the ball out wide, the cross came in.

Rating: 7/10

Rarmani Edmonds-Green (loan)

Struggled at first and then shone. Once he’d settled on the right of a three-man backline he just got better and better. He could do all the defensive basics but it was his reading of the game and comfort on the ball that really made him stand out. He could smile for England as well. A very popular lad.

Rating: 8/10

Jamie Lindsay

Was right in the shake-up for a midfield place until a hamstring injury did for him in late September. He still managed plenty of appearances but too many     of them for his liking were off the bench. It was frustrating for a good, tough, committed player who has a lot to offer.

Rating: 6/10

Viktor Johansson

Maybe not as consistent or as unflappable as his friend and rival, Josh Vickers, but the goalkeeper was capable of pulling off some gravity-defying saves.

Rating: 7/10

Mickel Miller

Too little seen of a big talent. Poetry in motion when he cruised down the left flank but hamstring issues meant he was on the sidelines as often as he was in the team. It was a shame because the boy can play.

Rating: 7/10

Josh Kayode

There were good signs at times and   the young centre-forward was often useful as an impact sub, but he didn’t quite make the sustained impression  we were all yearning for. He has the pace and running power to trouble teams and a lot of other sides like him. Hopefully pre-season will see ‘JJ’ kicking on.

Rating: 6/10

Will Grigg (loan)

We might be seeing him in a Rotherham shirt again. Boss Warne certainly values the sharp brain and clever link-up play that the striker brings to proceedings and will try to tempt him into signing a permanent deal. The 30-year-old was a big miss when a torn hamstring left him requiring surgery in February.

Rating: 7/10

Joe Mattock

He’s been a wonderful servant to the club since 2015 but now is probably the right time to be thinking about a parting of the ways. Suffered — again — with injuries but played a steady part towards the end of the season where his experience and steadiness made him a useful member of the squad.

Rating: 6/10

Josh Vickers

Looked as good as any goalkeeper in the division before his campaign was brought to an early conclusion by a hand injury. There were simply no weaknesses in his game, only strengths. His performances at Shrewsbury Town and at home to Lincoln City were something to behold.

Rating: 8/10

Hakeem Odoffin

He never adapted to the pace of the English game after his switch from Scottish football and didn’t move the ball quickly enough. After finding minutes hard to come by in League One, the midfielder may well move on now Rotherham have been promoted to the Championship.

Rating: 5/10

Kieran Sadlier

The attacker had skill and an eye for a goal but lacked the attitude to be a Millers player. He didn’t fancy the workload of being a wing-back and his departure had long been on the cards before he headed to Bolton Wanderers in January.

Rating: 5/10

Jordi Osei-Tutu (loan)

Made a slow start when he arrived in January but was showing his class by the end of the campaign. He has pace and can go past players with ease. His added-time equaliser at Wembley in the Papa John’s Trophy Final was one of the highlights of the year.

Rating: 6/10

Tolaji Bola

There’s a player in there but he found himself behind two wing-backs in Shane Ferguson and Mickel Miller who offered a little extra danger. ‘T’ would have been hoping for much more game-time when he arrived in the summer.

Rating: 5/10

Angus MacDonald

It was so, so good to see him back on a pitch again, at AFC Wimbledon in early February, after nine months out through health issues. He managed a few more outings but he’d been playing catch-up with his fitness and it showed. He was some way off the level he reached in the previous season in the Championship.

Rating: 5/10

Georgie Kelly

We waited three months for a debut, then nine minutes for a goal. That was some last-day impact he made at Gillingham.

Rating: NA

PLAYER STATS

ROTHERHAM played 58 matches in their 2021/22 campaign: 46 in the league, eight in the Papa John’s Trophy, three in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup.

Ben Wiles was the only player to appear in every league match. Chiedozie Ogbene and Michael Smith missed only one league game each and Dan Barlaser two.

Michael Smith

54 apps, 25 goals

Ben Wiles

53 apps, ten goals

Chiedozie Ogbene

53 apps, four goals

(+ six Republic of Ireland games)

Michael Ihiekwe

53 apps, five goals

Dan Barlaser

52 apps, nine goals

Ollie Rathbone

52 apps, two goals

Wes Harding

46 apps, one goal

Richard Wood

45 apps, one goal

Freddie Ladapo

41 apps, 15 goals

Shane Ferguson

40 apps, one goal

(+ four Northern Ireland games)

Rarmani Edmonds-Green (loan)

38 apps, three goals

Jamie Lindsay

35 apps, one goal

Viktor Johansson

33 apps

Mickel Miller

30 apps, four goals

Josh Kayode

29 apps, two goals

Will Grigg (loan)

28 apps, six goals

Joe Mattock

27 apps, one goal

Josh Vickers

25 apps

Hakeem Odoffin

22 apps, one goal

Kieran Sadlier

21 apps, six goals

Jordi Osei-Tutu (loan)

16 apps, one goal

Tolaji Bola

13 apps

Angus MacDonald

Eight apps

Georgie Kelly

One app, one goal

Players who were on the League One bench but never made an appearance:

Josh Chapman

Curtis Tilt

Players who appeared only in the Papa John’s Trophy:

Jake Hull: 3

Jacob Gratton 2

Curtis Durose 1

Mack Warne 1

Ciaran McGuckin 1

Players who were on the bench in the Papa John’s Trophy but never made an appearance:

Nathan Exton

Jerome Greaves

Sam Greenhouse