as Rotherham had already sold their ground to Ken Booth in return for clearing £3 million of debt and had no tangible assets, so administration was not a viable option. This led to the launch of a "Save Our Millers" campaign, aiming to raise the £1 million needed to complete the season. It was also estimated that another £1 million was required to complete work on the new stand. South Yorkshire neighbours Sheffield United offered their support by paying the wages of Stephen Quinn and Jonathan Forte during their loan spells at Millmoor, and also donated profits from the beam-back of the Sheffield derby. Many local clubs also held collections. An eleventh-hour intervention by a consortium of local businessmen offering substantial investment and a new business plan averted a possible dissolution of the club. Denis Coleman took over as Rotherham United chairman, and made an immediate positive impact. The final match of the 2005–06 season, home to MK Dons, was a winner-take-all relegation showdown. A scoreless draw, combined with a Hartlepool United draw with Port Vale, kept Rotherham up and consigned both MK Dons and Hartlepool to the drop. However, Rotherham were to start the following season with a penalty of minus 10 points as a result of their financial troubles. Rotherham United began their second successive year in League One with a 10-point deficit as a result of the CVA which saved the club from liquidation. At one point during the close season, the team had only seven full-time professionals on the books but Knill made a number of signings during this period to bolster the squad including former Liverpool winger Richie Partridge, ex-Premiership players Delroy Facey and Martin Woods, former Bayern Munich and Nottingham Forest star Eugen Bopp and many others who have played at a higher level. On 16 September, after three wins and two draws in their first nine games, Rotherham gained their first point in the league. They moved off the bottom of the table on 14 October, and after a run of three successive victories they moved out of the relegation zone after a 5–1 win against Crewe Alexandra on 28 October. After winning every league game in October, Knill was awarded the Manager of the Month and Yorkshire Manager of the Year awards. At the arrival of the January transfer window, Knill sold stars Lee Williamson and Will Hoskins to Premiership side Watford