The highlight of Rotherham United’s season was their run all the way to the final of this year’s East Midlands Regional League Cup. While Sheffield FC eventually defeated the side in the final, we caught up with Millers boss Adam Rawlings to go through the side’s run to the final, round by round.
First Round – 6/10/2024 – Dronfield Town FC 2-8 Rotherham United
“I wasn’t the Manager at this point, I was Head of Football, but it was a good, dominant display against a side we should be beating. It was a professional display to get us through to the next round and that’s all you can ask for”
Second Round – Bye
Third Round – 8/12/2024 – Gainsborough Trinity Community FC 1 (5) – (6) 1 Rotherham United – Pens
“Difficult game, very difficult. Gainsborough were very organised and matched us up all over the pitch system-wise. They are an incredibly stable team, so for us to get through on pens, it was probably the hardest test we faced up until the final.”
“We knew going into the shootout, penalties are probably not our strong point, but our keeper is really strong, so that gave us confidence, and I backed her to see us through!”
Quarter Final – 9/2/2025 – Rotherham United 4-1 New Bradwell St Peter FC
“It was a long journey for them, of course, and we were on top the whole game. It was a really dominant performance, and in the end, we were actually pretty disappointed to concede. We took advantage of our chances and yeah, a really good day.”
Semi Final – 9/3/25 – Asfordby Amateurs LG&I 0-2 Rotherham United
“Just like the last round, a fairly stable game. I knew from my football network, roughly what they were about and how to approach the game. They have a strong, rigid, hard-to-break-down structure.
“They love a long ball, so we knew it would be difficult, but we played with confidence and put in a strong display once again.
“It was the first of three clean sheets in a row, so it was definitely a good stepping stone for us as well.”
Final – 18/5/2025 – Rotherham United 0-2 Sheffield FC
We caught up with Adam, pre-County Cup final, as well as post-game. Going into the game, this is what Adam had to say:
“When we came into the club in October, we were under no illusions of where the club was, and now eight months later, we didn’t expect to be in this position.
“Not only that, but towards the back end of the season, we’ve had so many injuries, and the players have seen so much change this year, so to even be in a cup final is pretty amazing.
“But that being said, quite literally, our season hinges on this one game.
“Without the cup, it’s a pretty mediocre season. We can make it a really good season, and a somewhat successful season by winning a game in 90 minutes and that’s what it comes down to.”
After the side’s narrow 2-0 defeat, Adam reflected on the game and the season:
“The final was, of course, not the end to the season we wanted, but we have so much to be proud of this season. We’re the youngest squad in the league, we had a massive turnover of players, but we still managed to get the culture right at the club.
“The plans are already in place for what we hope will be a season to remember next year.”
You can catch our longer chat with Adam where he discussed the future plans for the club, his own personal journey and the potential move of the side into the New York Stadium, on the SYWF Podcast, available on YouTube and Spotify.
