For all the latest news see our website at: www.dinningtonguardian.co.uk46 Dinnington and Maltby Guardian Friday 1st May 2009

PLYMOUTH Argyle, KidderminsterHarriers, Rochdale, TorquayUnited, Wycombe Wanderers,Brentford and now RotherhamUnited.

For a 30 something, nomadic lowerleague journeyman this is a careerpath that wouldn’t raise manyeyebrows. But this is not yourtypical journeyman.

Reuben Reid, pictured, is a hugelytalented 20-year-old with pace,strength and skill to boot.

As well as earning plaudits acrossSouth Yorkshire, he has begun toreceive higher praise. Ten goals inas many games earned him thePlayer of the Month award forMarch as he continues to show hisundisputed talent.

But the pacey young Bristolian had atumultuous start to a career thatbegan with such promise.

Trials at Crystal Palace andManchester United never came toanything, but he did eventuallysign for up-and-coming Plymouth.

Despite making his debut for them asa precocious 17-year-old, he nevermanaged to hold down a first teamplace, and last summer he wasreleased.

Things looked grim for Reid but,following numerous trials, he

signed for the Millers.Under the tutelage of manager Mark

Robins he has not only found aplace in the first team, but goals too.

“I’ve come here and Mark Robins wasa striker himself. He’s added a lotof things to my game,” said Reid,fresh from another goal-scoringperformance. “The best thing is thathe’s been playing me.”

“No other manager has given me thatopportunity and I’ve had a chanceto shine.”

“Hopefully I can repay the faith hehas shown in me by scoring goals.”

That he has. Blessed with natural skill,the striker looks a cut above themajority of strikers in League Two.

So much so, that the young striker isstill in with a chance of picking upthe division’s top scorer award,despite a barren spell.

“I’m up there now and I’m withincontact,” he said. “There are a fewlads up there around the 20 markbut you never know what willhappen. We’ve got a few games leftand, hopefully, if I keep scoring I

can get there.”Despite his scoring prowess, Reid had

struggled to make a mark at a clubbefore making the move to theMillers.

But 18 goals in 38 games this seasonhas seen him become a mainstay inone of the best teams in thedivision, on and off the field.

“I’ve come here at the start of theseason and it’s a very goodchanging room,” he said

“Probably the most welcomingchanging rooms I’ve ever been in.”

“So, it wasn’t hard for me to settle

down, feel welcome and part of theteam. Hopefully next season we cancontinue having a successfulseason, and hopefully push forpromotion.”

If it wasn’t for a 17-point deduction atthe start of the season the Millerswould have been promoted, thanksin no small part to Reuben’s goals.

But what has started this surge ofgoals?

“I think I’ve been seeing a lot more ofthe ball recently,” he said. “I think,on the whole, if you look at theresults we’ve been getting, we’vebeen winning so the team isplaying well.”

“I’ve obviously been putting the ballin the net but that’s a reflection onhow the team is doing.”

Having been on the cusp of becominga professional cricketer atGloucestershire, his decision tochoose football is beginning to payoff. And, despite his abundantpromise, he is happy where he is.

“I’m not one to make targets or lookto the future,” he said. “All I wantis to be playing football – playingfootball well for a successful team.”

“Enjoying my football, that’ll be bestfor me.” A simple mantra for aplayer who has had to fight so hardto get where he is today.

LEAGUE TWOTeam P W D L F A PBrentford 45 22 16 7 63 36 82Wycombe 45 20 18 7 53 31 78Exeter City 45 21 13 11 64 50 76Bury 45 20 15 10 62 43 75Gillingham 45 20 12 13 57 55 72Rochdale 45 19 13 13 70 58 70Dagenham 45 19 11 15 76 51 68Shrewsbury 45 16 18 11 59 43 66Bradford City 45 17 13 15 64 55 64Chesterfield 45 16 15 14 62 55 63Morecambe 45 15 18 12 53 52 63Darlington 45 19 12 14 59 43 59Lincoln City 45 14 17 14 53 50 59Rotherham Utd 45 21 12 12 60 45 58Aldershot Town 45 13 12 20 57 80 51Accrington 45 13 11 21 42 58 50Barnet FC 45 11 15 19 55 72 48Macclesfield 45 13 7 25 45 77 46Port Vale 45 12 9 24 42 65 45Notts County 45 10 14 21 47 68 44Bournemouth 45 16 12 17 55 51 43Grimsby Town 45 9 13 23 51 69 40Chester City 45 8 13 24 42 79 37Luton Town 45 13 17 15 58 63 26

by Simon Peachsport@worksop-guardian.co.uk

THEY say it’s all aboutplayers and it is. But thiswin was all about amanager and what hasbeen going on aroundhim and the effect it allhad.

Rotherham can certainly saythey were pointed towards theexit door by a controversialand, seemingly, incorrectdecision over the first goal (thesort that certainly calls forafter-match clarification from areferee not that we’ll ever getsuch an explanation).

But this defeat was all set up by theresponse all round to that good egg,Stuart McCall, and the possibility hemight be leaving as Bradford boss onlytwo years after taking over.

You could say he started it with his‘I’m leaving if we don’t make the play-offs’ remark several weeks ago asthings began to slide.

Well, it seems this week, asuncertainty grew over what mighthappen, everybody from Obamadownwards had been writing, phoning,e-mailing – even Sir Alex Ferguson –telling him not to be so daft.

Even, in the disappointing throes ofdefeat, Millers boss Mark Robins shookhis hand and whispered in his ear:‘Don’t be a nugget, you’ve only been init two minutes.’

So, all things considered, it doesn’teven have to be smart money onMcCall staying on. The reception andresponse beforehand got the messageacross and set City players up for aperformance too much for the Millers.

McCall came out to rapturousapplause, with banners proclaiming‘Stuart for Life.’ The build-up inBradford – 12,000 season-ticket-holders, note – had been going on allweek and this was the climax.

They weren’t going to mug one oftheir own legends and as the gamekicked off thousands all round theground stood up waving cards bearingSOS – Save Our Stu.

The feeling cascaded down on to thepitch where City’s players werebursting with energy and drive andpurpose to show the gaffer how muchthey loved him. Nine games without awin – you wouldn’t have known it.

In such circumstances the last thingthe Millers needed was concession ofan early goal. In just 12 minutes, thebuzzing Bantams were in frontfollowing a corner.

Had the 15-yard shot fromimpressive midfielder Dean Furmangone straight in I would have argued itshould stand even if Peter Thorne wasin an offside position as it passed him.

But it didn’t pass him, it diverted offhis shins, and he was offside andpossibly in front of Andy Warrington aswell.

Rotherham’s protesting was strongerthan anything seen this season but,although ref Andy Hall spoke to hislinesman, the goal stood. Mentally, Idon’t really think Rotherham got overtheir anger and frustration for the restof the game.They should have beentwo down three minutes later but

Nicky Law fired over a great chanceafter Warrington made the first of hisfine saves from a Thorne header.

Perhaps a key moment – and thechance to deflate a bouyant ValleyParade – came on 19 minutes whenReuben Reid was put clear. He saw theopportunity to lift his shot over thewell-advanced Rhys Evans but mishitand struck it against the keeper’s legs.

City, livelier and quicker, werecertainly lifted by all that had gone onand having the lead too, and theydoubled it on 32 minutes. Law slippedpast Marc Joseph out on the right andhis hard, low centre was rattled insuperbly at the near post by Thorne, aserial scorer again Rotherhamthroughout his career.

Nick Fenton, who nearly equalisedearlier, was denied by a double block infront of an empty net after JamieGreen’s shot had been pushed out but

it needed a super save by Warringtonto prevent a third in stoppage timewhen Thorne looked sure to score.

So, the second half was game-chasing for Rotherham who were in aone-off all-white strip due to a colourclash. Just before the hour, Robinsswitched from 3-5-2 to the more usualformation by sending on Mark Hudsonand Drewe Broughton.

But it didn’t stop striker Steve Jonescatching the Millers out with some realspeedy stuff and Rotherham hadWarrington to thank for not beingrouted.

He turned over a Jones effort andfrom the corner did likewise from aKyle Nix 22-yarder. Then he got acrossto foil Jones when he looked sure toknock home Thorne's inviting pass.

After Hudson had forced Evans to afull-length effort as Rotherham strovehard to get back into it, Warrington

Millers no match for CityBradford 3 Millers 0

Boss has improved me, says Reuben Reid

by Les Paynesport@worksop-guardian.co.uk

Millers’ Ryan Taylor battles his way through the Bradford defence

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produced his best yet.Firstly he diverted away Joe Colbeck’s shot

beyond the far post.Thorne looked a cert for his hat-trick and

got the ball back in from an angle only forWarrington to dive back and grab the ballright on the line. leaving everyone puzzled asto how he prevented a goal.

Respite was brief. With 18 minutes left, thespeedy Jones raced away once too often tolash in the third and what has been amagnificent Millers away campaign – justlook at the figures – ended, in view of thatrecord, rather undeservedly in a manner likethis, although they could have no complaintsabout this result itself.

The beach beckons, although one suspects,in view of everything that hinges on Exeter'svisit next week – which includes a possiblehelping hand to promotion for ex-Millersboss Alan Knill – it won’t be a quiet finale.