9. An Easter Rising

Moment of Truth

As the season draws to a close, tensions in the Rotherham dressing room are starting to boil over after a 3-0 loss to Portsmouth. Manager Paul Warne is trying to dissect why his side is self-imploding having previously been top of the league. The post-mortem lasts half an hour before Warne has to address the waiting press.

As night falls, Warne reveals that he’s considering his position and that this may be his lowest moment in management. He talks of the abuse fans have been shouting at him and how much he is dreading speaking to the club owner about the side’s performance. Sounding exhausted with how frustrating his job has become, he mentions how lonely he felt on the sidelines.

Like Rotherham, Oxford have also suffered three straight defeats. They need to win each of their last four to give themselves any chance of making the play-offs. Rotherham need to stop a slide that’s seen them take just five points from the last available 21.

As The U’s travel up to Fleetwood for the Easter Friday game, anything less than a win would be enough to end their season. The pressure, not only on the staff and players but their families, is beginning to show. Karl Robinson’s mum Carol talks about her own stress watching the games and how the abuse Karl has received from fans has affected their family.

Despite the tension, Oxford takes a quick 3-0 lead and just manage to hang on to a 3-2 victory during nine minutes of stoppage time. The win keeps their season alive but at the cost of midfielder James Henry, who is taken to hospital for two hours of facial surgery after a sickening clash of heads. He will be lost for the rest of the season.

Ahead of Rotherham’s fixture against Ipswich, Warne’s family are also feeling the pressure. His wife Rachel worries that her husband hasn’t been sleeping and dreads the abuse from fans if the side goes a goal down. In the tunnel, Paul says it is the most scared he has ever felt. Fortunately for the Warnes, Michael Smith nets a 78th-minute winner for Rotherham and favourable other results mean The Millers were now back in automatic promotion places – albeit on goal difference. For one night, there is relief. How quickly the picture can change.