EFL manager travels half the country to attend match after family tragedy

Jack Otway
Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:39:19 +0000

Rotherham United boss Lee Clark undertook an extraordinary cross-country dash to reach Brisbane Road for today's League One fixture against Leyton Orient, following the death of his mother-in-law Helen on Friday evening.

The 53-year-old had travelled back to his native North East from the team's London hotel to support his partner Rachael and her family after receiving the devastating news.

Despite the already-relegated Millers having nothing to play for in terms of league position, Clark made the decision after family discussions to return south and take charge of his side for the afternoon's encounter.

According to the Daily Mail, Clark caught the 7.57am service from Newcastle this morning, but his journey was thrown into chaos when the train ground to a halt outside Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

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A broken-down train blocking the line brought his southbound progress to an abrupt stop.

Rather than wait for the railway issues to be resolved, the former Newcastle and Sunderland midfielder refused to let the setback derail his plans.

Clark hailed a taxi and set off on a lengthy road journey covering much of the country, determined to be in the dugout for the match at the home of the O's.

Initial estimates suggested Clark would reach Brisbane Road at approximately 2.30pm, giving him half an hour before the 3pm kick-off to prepare his players.

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However, additional delays during the taxi journey pushed his expected arrival time back significantly.

The Rotherham manager was ultimately anticipated to arrive at the ground at 2.59pm, leaving him with virtually no time before the referee's whistle.

With just a single minute to spare before kick-off, it appeared highly unlikely that Clark would have any opportunity to deliver a pre-match team talk to his squad.

Rotherham released a statement this morning offering 'heartfelt condolences' to their first team manager following Helen's passing.

The club confirmed Clark had left the squad's London base yesterday evening to be with Rachael, before deciding through family conversations to make the return trip to take charge at Leyton Orient.

"We know that our supporters will join us in extending their deepest sympathies to Lee, Rachael and the wider McArdle family and share our gratitude to him for the complicated logistical challenges he has navigated to take manage the team at Leyton Orient," the statement read.

Assistant manager Peter Leven will handle post-match media responsibilities to allow Clark to rejoin his family as quickly as possible.