Rotherham United (A) | Match Preview
The Game
Rotherham United v Argyle. AESSEAL New York Stadium. Friday, 5 April. 8pm. Sky Bet Championship.
The Opposition
Rotherham are bottom of the Championship, and survived being relegated on Monday, when they beat Millwall at home. It was only the Millers' fourth win of the season, following other victories against Norwich City, Coventry City and Middlesbrough, all at home. If Rotherham do not beat Argyle on Friday night, they will be relegated.
The Gaffer
Leam Richardson was appointed at Rotherham United the week before the Millers visited Home Park, in mid-December.
Richardson played for Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool and Accrington Stanley, becoming caretaker manager of the latter after John Coleman left. Richardson became assistant to new manager Paul Cook, and although he took the job on a full-time basis after Cook left for Chesterfield, Richardson would follow him to Derbyshire, six months later.
His association with Cook continued at Portsmouth and then Wigan Athletic. Cook was sacked by Wigan, and replaced by John Sheridan, whom Richardson also assisted. When former Argyle boss Sheridan left for Swindon, Richardson got the job on a permanent basis, and took the Latics up to the Championship. He left four months into the season after a poor start.
The Squad
Goalkeeper Viktor Johansson has played every game for Rotherham in the league this season. The 25-year-old was with Hammerby in his native Sweden as a youth and completed his apprenticeship at Aston Villa. He moved to Leicester City but played only in the EFL Trophy before heading to Rotherham in 2020, and has now played 139 times for the club.
In his career, there is no team that 32-year-old Tom Eaves (above) has scored more goals against than Argyle. Four of those goals came in the 2017/18 season, when Eaves found the net in Gillingham's 2-1 defeat at Home Park, and then got a hat-trick when the Gills beat Argyle 5-2 on the final day of the season. Eaves played for Rotherham in 2013, one of six loan spells away from Bolton Wanderers. Subsequently, he has played for Yeovil Town, Gillingham and Hull City, before moving to Rotherham in 2022. He has four goals this season but has mostly been used from the bench.
Eaves' four-goal tally is matched by defender Hakeem Odoffin, and this makes the pair Rotherham's leading goalscorers this season. Odoffin played for Northampton Town, Livingston and Hamilton Academical before signing for Rotherham in the summer of 2021. He has played 32 league games this season, three as a substitute.
Earlier This Season
When the sides met at Home Park in December, the game would prove to be Steven Schumacher's last as Pilgrims boss. It was a game full of incident, with Rotherham going in front via a goal by Jamie Lindsay on 15 minutes and Argyle equalising through Finn Azaz's penalty just before half-time.
That equaliser came shortly after Argyle had lost Ryan Hardie to a head injury, and his replacement Mustapha Bundu lasted only seven minutes before also going off, this time because of a gashed leg. Both men went to hospital for their injuries.
Azaz scored after the break to put Argyle in front, and when Daniel Ayala was sent off a few minutes later, the Greens looked certain to see the game home. However, Tom Eaves came off the bench and scored to make it 2-2, and Rotherham looked like taking a point back to South Yorkshire, until Morgan Whittaker popped up with a winner five minutes into stoppage time.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their green home kit for this game.
Tickets
Tickets will be on sale on the day of the game.
Argyle TV
Commentary will be provided from AESSEAL New York Stadium by Nathan Albon and former Argyle and Rotherham defender Guy Branston.
Argyle TV’s pre-match show, hosted by Charlie Price and Katie Middleton, will begin at 7pm, and will be available to watch for free on YouTube.
The match is being screened by Sky Sports, which means there are restrictions on domestic broadcast and certain international territories.
Please click here to learn more about Argyle TV for this game.
Buy a match pass to watch the game, here.
