WHEN Nicky Law turned his back on Bradford City manager Stuart McCall this summer, it felt like a betrayal of his own family.

Law spent the majority of last season on loan to City but rejected the offer of a permanent deal in favour of a move to rivals Rotherham United.

The former Sheffield United midfielder admits that it was the 'toughest decision' of his career but says he would like nothing more than for both clubs to win promotion.

"I had a huge decision to make, the toughest of my career, and that was mainly because of Stuart McCall," admitted the 21-year-old. "He has been like a father figure to me in football both at Sheffield United and Bradford and I will forever be grateful for his help. It was horrible having to ring him to say I wouldn't be staying."

McCall had been assistant-manager at Bramall Lane before returning to Bradford, his spiritual home, as manager two seasons ago.

Law frequently turned to the former Scottish international midfielder for advice after being plunged into the spotlight during the Blades' unsuccessful battle against relegation from the Premier League.

Despite that strong bond, Law quickly decided that it would be in his best interests to join Rotherham.

As one club was making major cutbacks in budgets, the other was pushing the boat out on new signings and making a firm statement of intent.

"The biggest reason for joining Rotherham was the club's ambition to get out of this league this season," said Law. "I was also impressed by the plans for the new stadium and the new training ground.

"As soon as I spoke to Mark Robins, my mind was made up. What he has done with the club so far says a lot about his talent as a manager. Whenever a job comes up, he is now linked with it. And there is a good reason for that.

"I know that Stuart would have liked to sign Steve Jones, myself and Dean Furman (who were all loanees with Bradford last season) but he has missed out on them all. It is really tough to attract players when you are a club that is making cutbacks.

"But I am sure that Bradford will do fine this season," he stressed. "They have a good manager, they still have some good players, and a club the size of Bradford City should always be challenging for promotion."

When the new fixtures were published, Law inevitably checked the dates for his reunion; the Millers visit the Bantams on Saturday, December 12 and the return fixture takes place at the Don Valley Stadium on Saturday, March 6.

"I have not joined Rotherham as a stepping stone to another club. I want to play in the Championship with this club during my two-year contract," he said. "I don't want to spend the rest of my career in League Two and it was simply the difference in ambition between the two clubs that tipped the scales.

"I will be delighted if Bradford win promotion this season," he added. "Just as long as Rotherham have won the title!"

Law looks back with mixed emotions on his time with Sheffield United.

Manager Neil Warnock sprang a major surprise by picking the 18-year-old to make his full debut against Manchester United at Bramall Lane in November, 2006. After just two starts, however, Law was dropped and sank without a trace, finishing the season on loan at League One Yeovil.

"Playing in the Premier League was the highlight of my career but, in hindsight, my opportunity maybe came too soon. It was a culture shock and I was probably in awe of my opponents.

"On my debut, against Manchester United, I was up against great players such as Rooney, Ronaldo and Scholes. I was very young and I had to carry a lot of responsibility.

"If I had that chance again, I would definitely do things differently," he admitted.

"That season in the Premier League was a great experience but I had never expected to get anywhere near the first team so soon.

"Neil Warnock had a lot of players out injured but when Michael Tonge got fit again, I was dropped – and that was not a surprise. I had always expected to have to take a step back.

"I got on the bench a few times after that and I was actually down to start on Boxing Day against Arsenal because Keith Gillespie was injured. But just before the game, Keith was passed fit and that was that."

Law suffered a shoulder injury on loan at Yeovil that hindered his build-up to the following season. He played just one game for new manager Bryan Robson before spending two months on loan with Bradford.

At the start of last season, Law was back at Bramall Lane but was loaned to Bradford again by new manager Kevin Blackwell.

Although he could have stayed with the Blades this season, Law opted to move on.

"Spending a full season with Bradford was massive in terms of my development as a player," he said. "Until last season, I had only played about 10 games here and there. It was also a major culture shock coming from Sheffield United where we sometimes get things too easy. Playing in League Two is more physical, too, so that will stand me in good stead.

"You don't leave a massive club like Sheffield United lightly but things didn't work out for me after the change of manager. The game is all about opinions but, rest assured, I am hoping to prove one or two people wrong."

Law follows in his father's footsteps as Nicky Snr made over 100 appearances for the Millers at the start of the Nineties. Ironically, he also went on to manage Bradford.

"I am bit of a different player to my dad, who was a big muscly centre-half but he told me that Rotherham was a really good club. He also told me to do what I thought was right for my career. There were clubs in higher leagues showing interest but this was the club for me."


Rotherham ring the changes

Last season:14th League Two.

Ins: Tom Pope (Crewe Alexandra, £150,000), Nicky Law (Sheffield United), Kevin Ellison (Chester City), Jamie Annerson (Sheffield United), Paul Warne (Yeovil), Andy Liddell (Oldham Athletic)

Outs: Reuben Reid (West Brom, £200,000), Mark Hudson, Marc Newsham (Boston United), Alex Rhodes (Oxford United), Jamie Clarke (Lincon City), Steve Cann, Peter Holmes, Omar Garcia, Jamie Yates, Andy Todd, Tom Cahill, Richie Barker (retired).

YP Prediction: The Millers are going for automatic promotion after finishing mid-table last season with a 17-point penalty. Chairman Tony Stewart has backed manager Mark Robins in the transfer market and the new signings bring quality and experience to the table. With no major debts to repay, the Millers are second only to Notts County in the League Two spending stakes. Playing at a temporary home is an advantage in many ways since visiting teams do not enjoy the Don Valley experience. Providing the highly-regarded Robins is not tempted away, the Millers look genuine top-two candidates.