There is no doubt that whatever promising young ‘keeper Marek Rodak goes onto achieve in the game that he will look back on the past few months with a great deal of affection.
The 20-year-old stopper has enjoyed a whirlwind start to this season’s campaign by firstly being handed his first start for parent club Fulham during their EFL Cup victory over Wycombe Wanderers, before deciding to further his EFL experience by putting pen-to-paper on a season-long loan deal with the Millers, following previous temporary spells with Welling and League Two outfit Accrington Stanley in the last two seasons.
Prior to joining up with his new side, Rodak was busy cementing his place between the sticks for his Slovakian national team during the recent international break whereby he helped steer them to the top of their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying group following victories over Estonia and Northern Ireland.
On his return from international duty, Rodak was thrust immediately into the Millers spotlight, by being handed his Rotherham debut during the recent five-goal home thriller with Bury, after reportedly impressing the club’s coaching staff with his training displays in the run-up to the Roses clash.
Speaking to the club website, Rodak admitted that he was thrilled to make his Millers debut in the most dramatic of circumstances after Richie Towell’s last-gasp winner brought scenes of delirium amongst the AESSEAL New York Stadium faithful.
“It was nice to win the game and make my debut in front of the home fans,” Rodak enthused.
“I spoke to the gaffer the day before the game, and he told me I was playing. I was absolutely buzzing for it. I was really looking forward to it.
“It was a really nice atmosphere to play here. The fans were very good to me.
“I'm looking forward to further games with the team.”
During the fledgling stages of his Millers career, Rodak has looked generally assured as the last line of defence while he gave a glimpse of his goal-saving exploits during the narrow defeat at Yorkshire rivals Bradford City last weekend, when he bravely denied Dominic Poleon on two occasions to give the Millers hope of claiming a share of the spoils, although they ultimately failed to do so.
Rodak admits that he is confident of continuing his progress for both club and country, as he looks to garner further league experience with the Millers, in their attempt to bounce back to the Championship at the first time of asking.
“I think I've settled well,” Rodak added.
“The lads have been very good to me. It's a very good group of lads here.
“I came here to play first-team games. It's obviously a step up for me and we will see what happens.
“As a team, we are looking to push on and play well. The mood is very positive and we are all looking forward to the next game, which we will hopefully win.”