The boss reluctantly allowed the midfielder to leave for big-spending Wrexham, who come calling at the home of the Millers for a League One clash tomorrow.
It’s the first time Rathbone has been back to his former stamping ground since his departure in the summer, when the Welsh club paid a club-record fee to sign him.
Evans has backed off from his previous light-hearted claim that he would give the player a kiss but he will still demonstrate his affection for the 27-year-old.
“Ollie will be getting a hug,” he grinned.
Rathbone, who became a crowd favourite in his spent three seasons in South Yorkshire, is believed to have cost his new side around £400,000.
“You couldn’t really stand in his way once Wrexham matched what our board wanted,” Evans said.
“Fair play to them; they identified him as a really good player who would compete with some really talented boys they’d already got.
“Ollie rang me after he signed to say how much it hurt to go. But, for his career and family, it was right for him.”
Tomorrow’s visitors are financed by American movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and have climbed from the National League to second place in the third tier under the duo’s ownership.
They will be backed by a large following in New York as they seek to improve on a record of six wins, two draws, and two losses in their opening ten league games.
Evans acknowledges the glamour that now accompanies them—and has dubbed them the division’s “Harlem Globetrotters”—but refuses to attach much significance to it.
“They’re a Hollywood story, aren’t they?” he said. “I think it’s a fantastic story for the people of Wrexham. The townsfolk must be touching wood every day in the hope that it continues.
“They’ll bring full attendance and a fantastic atmosphere as we try to stop their juggernaut.
“Internally, we have not built this up any more than our matches against Leyton Orient next Tuesday and Stevenage a week on Saturday.”
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One to watch
​Jack Marriott joined Wrexham in the January transfer window and this season has hit the target five times in 12 appearances. The much-travelled 30-year-old’s previous clubs include Luton Town, Peterborough United, Derby County and Fleetwood Town. Marriott, who has 131 career goals to his name, scored twice for Posh in a 2-1 League One home win over Rotherham in 2017.
Form guide
​Millers: LDWWWD
Wrexham: LWDLWW
In their last league game just before the international break, Wrexham were 4-1 home winners over Northampton Town.
Past meetings
Dec 22 2007, League Two: Millers 3 Wrexham 0
Derek Holmes 2, Marc Newsham
Sep 15 2007, League Two: Wrexham 0 Millers 1
Chris O’Grady
Feb 20 2001, old Division Two: Millers 2 Wrexham 0
Alan Lee, Brian Wilsterman
Nov 18 2000, FA Cup: Wrexham 0 Millers 1
Alan Lee
Opposition boss
​Former Bury and Reading midfielder Phil Parkinson has been managing clubs for more than 20 years and took charge of Wrexham in July 2021. He has led them out of the National League and up to League One and they are among the third tier’s pace-setters this term. Now aged 56, he has also won promotions as the boss of Colchester United, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers.
Man in the middle
​Ben Atkinson made the EFL list in 2023 and now takes charge of games in League One and League Two. Saturday’s New York Stadium clash will be his first experience handling a Millers game. His five matches this term have seen him issue 21 yellow cards and no reds. Last season, there were 137 bookings and nine dismissals in 27 matches. From London, he works during the week as a dentist.
The odds
​A home victory is 5/4 while a triumph for the visitors is 21/10. A draw is 9/4. There have been 75 contests between the clubs since 1923, with 25 wins for Rotherham and 34 for Wrexham.
