Lee Frecklington: a man at the heart of some great moments

A GREAT player, servant and a symbol of the modern era at Rotherham United, Lee Frecklington's place in the club's history is secure.

The midfield talisman has been at the very centre of the many of the AESSEAL New York Stadium's best moments.

His driving midfield play, his desire to win, the way he set an example to others, he was the type that all teams need.

The image of Frecklington being swallowed up the crowd at the kop end after scoring in the promotion-clinching victory over Aldershot back in 2013 is one of the most enduring from the stadium's relatively short history.

A year later he ran his blood to water in the League One play-off final against Leyton Orient and missed a penalty in the shoot-out, a rare blip.

Rotherham, of course, came through, swept along by an irresistible momentum and the Class of 2012, the side Steve Evans stitched together down in League Two, had a stab at the Championship and that, of course, is when the football landscape changed.

Through the good times and the bad, Frecklington has been a constant. Under Evans, the man who signed him from Peterborough, and then through the brief eras of Neil Redfearn, Alan Stubbs, Kenny Jackett and Neil Warnock, he's been trusted, one of the first names on the teamsheet, and that's testament to him.

Injuries might have kept him on the sidelines more than he or the club would have liked, but when he's been fit, he's generally played, and that's something that has carried on under Paul Warne.

At 32, he'd reached a crossroads and out of contract this summer, who could blame him for wanting to clarify his future now, during the transfer window.

Having his home-town club, Lincoln City, willing and able to take him on a good contract, the lure was obvious.

His departure marks the end of an era, he being the last survivor of the promotion winning side.

Rotherham's task now is to unearth another Lee Frecklington, a younger version who can give as much sterling service. They are weaker for his departure but, then again, they have won matches in his absence and there are others who can step up.

As Paul Warne says about the departure of his captain: "Football goes on."