Miller's Move

Last updated : 03 February 2005 By Stray Shots Team
Taken from a posting on shotsweb:

From the QPR v Crewe Matchday Magazive 28th December 2004.

As a rangers fan from birth, Miller spent his youth watching his team from the stands, to now be playing in front of them is a scenario he is still failing to get his head around. A month after making his dream move, you can still hear the disbelief in Miller's voice as he harks back to the day when his footballing world was turned upside down.

"I didn't really expect any of this. I was here for a reserve game with Aldershot and I was just so happy to be playing at Loftus road, even though the stands were practically empty.

"Then after the game, one of the lads told me that Ian Holloway had been asking about me. It was hard to believe; here was the manager of the team I supported, a man that I used to watch play, asking about me.

"Later on in the week I heard that Ollie had kept on enquiring about me and suddenly I could start to believe it. His persistence made me think, hang on, this could really happen here. "I was told at about 8pm on the Thursday night that I had to get myself over to the training ground the next day for a medical. It all happened so fast but I wouldn't have it any other way"

Two weeks later, Miller was sitting on the bench for QPR as they took on Leeds United at Elland Road in front of just under 30,000. Just down the road, Aldershot were visiting Halifax, being watched by 1724. Suddenly Miller could start to believe it was really happening.

"In the morning we went for our usual team walk and bumped into a few Aldershot fans who were up there for the Halifax game. That was a bit of a surreal experience and it made me realise how far I'd come.

"I was sitting on the bench at Leeds and looking around and was just glad to be there."

It wasn't long before he found himself in the starting line-up against Ipswich a few weeks later, which once again blew Miller away.

"To make my home debut was a fantastic feeling, to hear them call my name out when they were announcing the team was unbelievable.

"I can remember being a fan and watching players make their home debuts, and suddenly it's me.

"It was great to get out there and play. The faith that Ian Holloway showed in me in training kept me ticking over. I felt confident that my time will come. He kept giving me snippets of knowledge and tips and they have really paid off.

"Up at Nottingham Forest I thought the game went well for me. I've had a few compliments from the manager and it's encouraging. Sometimes you can come off the pitch and think 'did I do enough?' But Ollie always saves his encouragement for after the game when you can look back be proud of the display you've put on."

The one thing that's missing from the fairytale is an elusive haul of three points.

"It's a shame that I'm waiting for our first win with me in the side, I'm starting to think I'm a bit of a jink. What makes it even harder to swallow is that we have played really well in some of the games we've lost and it was totally undeserved.

"How the season will end is too close to call at the moment. When you look at the quality we've got at this club you can't see any reason why we cant push and go for it.

"Every team has it's blips; we're having ours now, which means if we can get it out of the way we can free ourselves up for a good push towards the end of the season. Realistically it could happen: we could make it to the play-offs. Then all we need is a good result on the day.

"People say that dreams don't come true, but to go from the conference to the Premiership within a year - well what a dream that will be."