Ross Millen was largely enjoying his football down south when the call came from his agent.
The Raith Rovers right-back became Ian Murray’s third signing of the summer after Scott Brown and Dylan Easton.
At English League Two side Scunthorpe United at the time, he had slight doubts after a managerial change at Glanford Park.
His time in England followed spells with Dunfermline, Livingston, Clyde, Queens Park and, most recently, Kilmarnock.
Return to Scotland
After speaking to Murray, the son of Andy Millen – who had a short spell at Stark’s Park in 1997 – decided a “fresh start” was needed.
“It was just lastminute.com – because down south they didn’t start until later,” said Millen.
“The agent phoned me and said ‘Listen, what do you think about coming back up?’.
“I thought it was a good opportunity and the gaffer [Ian Murray] spoke well.
“I thought, ‘I’ll come back up and see what happens’.”
Senior role
Millen made his competitive debut in the 6-0 win over Peterhead on Wednesday.
YESTERDAY'S GOALS | Last night saw us kick off our Premier Sports Cup campaign with a 6-0 win against Peterhead FC.@DylanEaston31 ⚽️⚽️⚽️
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/a1EBJdiNY8
— RaithTV (@RaithTV) July 14, 2022
At 27 years old Millen is certainly not nearing the end of his career – especially if he matches his father’s longevity.
But with hundreds of senior appearances under his belt he is expected to be an experienced head in a young side.
He is also expected to get high up the park from his starting position, something his manager praised during preseason.
“On the pitch, I get up the park, play high,” said Millen. “We’re still working on it.
“We’ve got a lot of things to work on and it’s only been two weeks for the boys together.
“I think you can see the difference from the game when we played Queen of the South until now.”
Stirling respect
Next up for Raith is another home tie in the Premier Sports Cup, this time to Stirling Albion.
Millen remembers the challenge the Binos pose from his time at Queen’s Park.
“Stirling Albion were always a hard game,” he said.
“They’ve signed quite well as well. That’ll be a tough, tough game.”
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