League One pantomime villain departs Stevenage for Rotherham United return

League One pantomime villain Steve Evans has departed Stevenage 48 hours before their penultimate match to return to Rotherham United.

The 61-year-old is a controversial figure in the EFL, a larger-than-life character that opposition supporters love to hate.

A position he thrives in, the former Leeds United and Crawley Town boss has four EFL promotions to his name, including taking Stevenage into League One last season before leading a playoff charge this year- falling short in the run-in.

Reading beat Stevenage home and away this season, but the manager riled some supporters up after claiming the celebrations were like they had won the 'World Cup.'

Boro are due to travel to Oxford United on Friday night, with coach Alex Revell taking charge of the final two fixtures.

Having spent two years with Rotherham United in the past, he took the Millers from the fourth tier into the second in successive seasons from 2012 until 2014.

Joining Leeds in 2015, Evans remains a popular figure with Rotherham fans.

He replaces Leam Richardson, who departed earlier in the day with a record of two wins in 24 matches as they return to League One.

“On behalf of everyone at Rotherham United, I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Steve Evans and Paul Raynor back to the football club," chairman Tony Stewart told the club website.

“Leam and Rob’s departure was not something we took lightly, but following extensive conversations at Board level, it was unanimously agreed that a change of direction was needed to give us the best possible chance of bouncing back to the Sky Bet Championship at the first time of asking.

“In Steve and Paul, we have two individuals that understand the Rotherham United ‘DNA’ and know what it takes to build a successful team. They have a proven track record of success at a plethora of clubs, including our own."