Striker Jessie sets target as Millers prepare for crunch Lincoln match

MILLERS striker Jessie Broadhurst ended 2023 in fine goalscoring form and is looking to keep up the momentum as Rotherham United Women look to bring last year’s strong form into 2024.

The 21-year-old, who notched her first ever FA Cup goal in a 3-2 win over Long Itchington in October, has eight goals so far in her first season with Rotherham United Women.

Her total includes four in a week as she doubled up against both Notts County and Handsworth in December.

The delighted forward said of her recent run: “It feels amazing. Scoring goals is my job.”

Broadhurst’s December haul included a rare headed goal, which she admitted she had enjoyed, adding: “I think I always get underestimated because I’m quite small.”

That header was a last-minute winner in a 2-1 victory for the Millers’ Reserves at Handsworth, and Broadhurst said: “It was crazy when that went in – everyone just went wild.”

Reflecting on the season so far, Broadhurst said joining the Millers had met her expectations but she was keen to push on.

“My aim was always to score goals,” she said.

“Scoring in the FA Cup was the biggest highlight.

‘I’ve never played in the FA Cup before and it obviously was the cherry on top of our win.

“My hope for 2024 is to just continue scoring goals and helping the team out and for the team to continue to be successful and pushing our way up the table.”

Broadhurst has forged an understanding with strike partner, Milly Colford, most notably when a backheel assist from Colford set Broadhurst up for a vital goal at Notts County in December.

“We really work fantastically together,” said Broadhurst.

“We link up well and play some balls for each other and that’s paid off against Notts County.”

Has she set herself a target?

“Last season, I scored 17 for my old team so my goal is to score more than that.”

This weekend brings the toughest test yet for Pete Jarvis’s side, with free-scoring Lincoln United set to subject the Millers’ impressive home record to serious examination.

Something has to give when the two Uniteds clash on Sunday at Roundwood, where Rotherham have a 100 per cent record so far this season.

For their part, the table-topping Imps are yet to drop a single point in the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Premier Division, with six wins out of six, clocking up a plus-35 goal difference in the process.

The Millers know victory could prove crucial in their bid for promotion and can point to their own encouraging league form, with just two goals conceded at home and only six overall in five games.

A string of cup games and postponements means Roundwood has not hosted a league match since the end of October but Sunday is the ideal time for newcomers and regulars to make the trip to Rawmarsh as two of the division’s biggest hitters come face to face. Kick-off is at 2pm.

Dave Vine’s Reserves side are also in league action and will be aiming to continue their recent resurgence when they travel to Middlewood Rovers off the back of that dramatic win at Handsworth a week before Christmas.

Forming a Reserves squad from scratch was never going to be all plain sailing but captain Nnola Oyeka, who has led the line this season, said the fruits of their hard work were starting to come through.

“It has been quite difficult, especially because the majority of the new players are just 16 – it’s been about trying to ease them into playing with an adult side,” she said.

“It’s a bit more tactics-heavy, especially with Rotherham, helping them do that.

“I think if you ask any of our opponents, they always say that we are way better than our results show anyway, and (against Handsworth), we wanted it more than they did – to push on and get the win.”

Oyeka said she also had high hopes for a successful 2024, adding: “I’m playing a new position for me and I’m hoping going to be chipping in with more goals and assists.

“For the team, I’m hoping for top four or five.”

Oyeka said the club had progressed hugely over the past 18 months, adding: “I think we have a different understanding of the game compared to where we were last year.

“We have a bigger squad but with the same mentality – it’s all about trying to transfer that through the Reserves.”

Following Sunday’s game against Lincoln United, the Millers host Chesterfield at Roundwood Pavilion on Sunday, 21 January at 2pm.