Rotherham United will look at Leyton Orient with big frustration: View | OneFootball

The past decade for both Rotherham and Leyton Orient couldn't have been more different.

It has been 10 years since the infamous play-off final in 2014 between Leyton Orient and Rotherham United.

Much has changed for the two sides as both have seen some incredible highs and lows over the past decade.

Just two years ago, Orient were battling to keep their EFL status while Rotherham were securing promotion back to the Championship, now the two gear up to face each other for the first time in more than 10 years.

The last meeting was that play-off final to cap off the 2013/14 League One campaign.

The O's reached Wembley by defeating Peterborough United over two legs, while Rotherham prevailed over Preston North End. The game finished 2-2 after 120 minutes, with the Millers coming out on top on penalties and achieving promotion to the Championship while halting the Orient momentum under then-manager Russell Slade.

The two sides proceeded to go down very different paths

Rotherham then went on to spend three years in the Championship before dropping back down to League One but managed to bounce back up after only a single season, winning the play-offs once again.

Orient, on the other hand, saw a quick collapse with two relegations in three years meaning the East London outfit plunged into non-League and almost reached liquidation. In just 36 months, the O's went from a penalty kick from the Championship to almost the end of their existence.

Despite the struggles in previous years, new owners Nigel Travis and Kent Teague soon managed to breathe new life into the O's and found themselves promoted back to the EFL in 2019. Meanwhile, Rotherham were stuck in a period of bouncing between leagues, not managing to find a way to survive in the Championship but consistently being too good for League One.

A constant revolving door of players coming and going made it difficult for them to achieve any sort of consistency. It wasn't until the 2022/23 season that the Millers finally survived in the Championship, with a respectable 19th place finish - coincidentally the same year Orient won promotion back up to League One for the first time in eight years.

Millers fans will look at Orient success begrudgingly

It seemed as though the two clubs were light years apart when Rotherham were traveling to Newcastle United and Norwich City, while the O's were faced trips to Boreham Wood and Bromley, but the two teams now prepare to do battle on level footing.

Indeed, it must be a source of frustration for the Millers that for all their promotions and Championship spells over the past decade, they're back scrapping in League One once again and have failed to really build at a higher level. Not only are Orient a reminder of that but they represent a side on a positive trajectory, which can't be said for Rotherham right now.

The success achieved under managers Justin Edinburgh and now Richie Wellens puts Orient back in League One and remaining on the upward trajectory that they have been on in recent years.

Rotherham, meanwhile, have dipped back into the past, re-hiring Steve Evans who was in charge of that infamous final in 2014. Evans has recent history with the O's himself - being in charge of Stevenage who were competing for the League Two title with Orient in 2023.

The pair have failed for consistency so far this season, with both sides only managing to pick up consecutive league wins once this season. Orient will be looking to make home advantage count despite not having won at home this season while Rotherham will be keen to extend their away unbeaten run to five.

With it being a decade since these two faced, neither fan base will truly know what to expect from the other side but both will be looking for the three points - Orient will want to put their demons of that play-off final to rest while Rotherham will want to capture that spark that helped them gain promotion on that day ten years ago.