Rotherham United v Tranmere Rovers: Evans’s drive and passion big assets for Rotherham

Then, home was Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield where, even in the year Moore led the Millers to the League Two play-off final, 
attendances were down more than 1,000 on the last season at Millmoor.

Adding to the downbeat feel was a lack of atmosphere at home games, mainly due to a venue that had been built to stage athletics in the summer months rather than football in the depths of winter.

Now, of course, the picture has changed dramatically with Rotherham boasting a state-of-the-art new home, a vibrant team looking to maintain the momentum of last season’s promotion and a fan-base swelled sufficiently to suggest that this season will bring the club’s highest average attendance for more than 30 years.

Moore, rightly revered in the South Yorkshire town for leading the Millers to back-to-back promotions during the late Nineties, will get to see for himself tonight what great strides have been made by his former club when his Tranmere Rovers side travel to the New York Stadium.

No wonder, therefore, Millers chairman Tony Stewart is a happy man right now as he looks to welcome back a manager he sacked in March, 2011.

“Ronnie is a good friend of this club,” said Stewart. “He is held in high regard in Rotherham and always will be for what he did.

“He took this club into the Championship and that will never be forgotten. So, we will welcome Ronnie and I hope that, after the game, Tranmere go on a great run.”

The Wirral club need an upturn in form. A 4-0 home defeat to Leyton Orient over the weekend pushed them back into the relegation zone.

Rotherham, though, will be all too well aware of how Tranmere did on their last visit to Yorkshire just 10 days ago when they inflicted Bradford City’s first league defeat in almost two months with a 1-0 triumph at Valley Parade.

The Millers also go into tonight’s game on the back of two straight defeats, but Stewart insists optimism abounds.

He said: “I feel we have not only a good team but also a good squad and we are very optimistic that we can do well. How well, only time will tell.

“But I feel there is a winning culture at the club, plus a real drive and passion. All those things can be put down to the manager.

“Steve (Evans) is a man who echoes my own sentiments and aspirations for Rotherham United. I first became aware of him when Crawley (then managed by Evans) never seemed to be off the television a few years ago.

“I saw quite a few of their games and there was a real drive and passion about how Crawley played that I liked. I remember turning to my son one day and saying, ‘I don’t know who the Crawley manager is but he has a very good team with the right drive and passion’.

“By bringing Steve here, we imported that to Rotherham. We now have a Rotherham that I always thought it should be.

“Steve has helped move the club forward, just as moving to the stadium did last year. The fans can see how ambitious this club is and that is why our average crowd is up again by about 1,000 this season to around 9,000.”

Moore was a player at Millmoor when United last boasted an average home attendance to compare with this season’s figure, the 1981-82 side being watched by an average gate of 9,009.

Tonight, the 60-year-old will face his former club for the first time since being sacked following a poor run that culminated in a 5-0 thrashing at Chesterfield.

Stewart said: “Ronnie is a good friend of this club. He made a difference by getting us into the play-off final (in 2010 when the Millers lost 3-2 to Dagenham & Redbridge). We then started the next season really well and had something like 43 points at the midway point.

“If we had maintained that form in the second half of the season, we would have had a great chance of winning automatic promotion.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and it was seen by the directors and club that we weren’t going to be able to build on the previous season. So, we went our separate ways.

“It was a pure business decision and nothing to do with personalities or anything like that.”

Rotherham are without Michael O’Connor, who is suspended following his red card in the defeat at Milton Keynes Dons. Ian Goodison is also banned after being sent off in Tranmere’s defeat to leaders Leyton Orient.

Last six games: Rotherham United DLWWLL, Tranmere Rovers LLLLWL.

Last time: Rotherham United 2 Tranmere Rovers 1; September 12, 2006; League One.

Referee: T Harrington (Cleveland).