The 2013-14 season will be
remembered by a lot of people for a long time if you have a Rotherham United
connection.
The way the team played over
the course of the League One campaign, with a high-tempo, attacking attitude,
flanked by an insatiable desire to fight for everything until the very last
minute made them a pleasure to watch.
It also led to an unlikely
promotion challenge which ended in the most glorious of days imaginable at Wembley
– a fitting culmination to a wonderful season.
It’s been less than 18 months
since that sun-drenched day at the national stadium, which had the veins coursing
with adrenalin and euphoria, but the Millers have rarely had that hit since.
And fans are not the only
ones longing for days like that again as the players involved reminisce fondly,
none more so than Ben Pringle.
The midfielder, who left for
Fulham this summer after turning down a new contract, will return to the New
York on Saturday with his new club and admits to missing the good times he
enjoyed in South Yorkshire.
"I definitely want them to do well, I always look back at
the times I had there fondly," he said.
"In a strange way I actually
quite miss it to be fair, the lads that we had in that dressing room and the
things that we did.
"The
main core of the players that were there all the way through to the Championship,
it was very special and I will always look back on it very, very fondly.
"Some
of the matches we played were absolutely unforgettable. After Saturday I would
like to see them to do well and stay up."
Only
three players remain from the squad that won promotion to the Championship in
2013-14 and that has been a bug-bear of Pringle's.
Everyone other than Adam Collin, Richie Smallwood and Lee
Frecklington have moved on and Pringle is a firm believer that the club should
have capitalised on that rare and unique spirit in the camp.
"I
still fully believe that was a very good strong side and I think more should
have been done by the club to keep that together because it is very rare to
find that in football – a team that was so together," he added.
"We
just clicked, going into training every day and I thought it's going to be like
that everywhere but it's only when you leave you look back and think that was
something good, so more should have been done to keep that together.
"Everyone
has gone their separate ways and that was from the club."
Naturally after moving on after four years, the Millers were the
first name he picked out of Fulham’s fixture list, but no one could have
imagined a return to his former stomping ground so soon.
He’s looking forward to coming back to New York, and hopes to get
a good reception.
“When I figured out where I
was going to be, that was the first thing that I looked for, when we were going
to be playing Rotherham both home and away,” he said.
“In the first month to go
back is pretty good. There’s not many of the boys left, I will be looking to
slapping Warney’s bald head as well.
“I don’t really know what
sort of reception I will get, I’d like to think it would be a good one.
“With the success we have had
over the last three years and what we achieved as a team, not just me, but the
rest of the other boys if they ever go back, I would expect them to get a good
reception just because of what we did together and brought to the club.”
Pringle's return to New York is just a sub-plot in a game that
has already taken on extra significance given both team's winless start to the
campaign.
"Both
teams need it, Rotherham have had a tough start as you can see in the first
month," Pringle added. "We have had some unexpected tough games
against teams you wouldn't necessarily think are going to be up there this
season, but due to their early-season form they have got every reason to be up
there, Brighton especially.
"With
Saturday coming up and both teams waiting to get off the mark I think it will
be a good game."
