A Second Friendly Draw For Millers

Mansfield Town 1 Rotherham United 1
Oates (86)                   Kayode (60)

Rotherham United travelled to a sun-drenched One Call Stadium this afternoon taking on Mansfield Town in another pre-season friendly which was the second draw of the week for the Millers.

The Millers came close to opening the scoring in the first minute after a ball from Dan Barlaser was headed towards goal by Ben Wiles with Christy Pym making his debut in the Stags’ goal bringing off a good save. At the other end Barlaser tried to usher the ball out for a goal-kick with Ollie Clarke nipping in and bending it towards goal but it was an easy save for Rotherham ‘keeper Viktor Johansson. Barlaser was in action again sending the ball into the area but it dropped for Pym before some good running from Will Swan saw his shot going just wide. A lovely ball from Peter Kioso just by passed Conor Washington with Pym there to collect. Barlaser and Washington worked well together, the latter sending a ball into the area for Joshua Kayode but it was just too early for him to get on the end of before Chieo Ogbene duped his marker and got a ball to Jamie Lindsay whose cracking shot was blocked and Pym was there minutes later to save another shot from Lindsay. Stephen McLaughlin sent a cross in at the other end which saw Lucas Aikins head wide which was followed by Kioso getting into the box to stop a Clarke cross finding a Mansfield player. Kioso was then involved at the other end when a cross from JJ found him but his header was well saved by Pym, Clarke got the better of the Rotherham back line but there was no-one in the box to collect his pass which was followed by Wiles sending Lindsay on his way the Millers midfielders shot going out for a corner which came to nothing. In the last couple of minutes of the half a good run from Ogbene saw his cross run through for Pym to gather before more nice work from the Irish international saw him his ball to Lindsay at the back post take a wicked bounce leaving the score goalless at half-time.

No changes for either team – unusual for a Rotherham friendly – for the start of the second half with the opening minutes being quiet. The hosts had the first chance after some good work between George Lapslie, Will Swan and Jordan Bowery saw the former Miller win a corner which came to nothing. Some lovely football from Chieo Ogbene saw him get down the wing sending in a super ball for Conor Washington who saw his header go just wide before Millers’ ‘keeper Viktor Johansson do well to get down low to save from Bowery who’d rode two challenges to get his shot away. Another break from Mansfield saw skipper Richard Wood step in to get the ball away before a super ball from Hakeem Odoffin saw a shot from Ogbene blocked going for a corner which Dan Barlaser took finding Joshua Kayode who headed home to put the visitors in front. This was followed by two changes for Rotherham, Ben Wiles and Cameron Humphreys making way for Ollie Rathbone and Jake Hull. Minutes later there was some bad news for the Millers with Kayode going down under a challenge which saw him limp off and Georgie Kelly coming on in his place. Mansfield made three changes fetching on Hiram Boateng, Stephen Quinn and George Maris for Ollie Clarke, Dylan McGeouch and George Lapslie. Peter Kioso got the better of Bowery putting a good cross in for Kelly who saw his header cleared before Baralser tried his luck with a free-kick from some twenty yards out which brought off a good save from Christy Pym. More changes saw Rotherham bring off Dan Barlaser, Jamie Lindsay, Chieo Ogbene and Peter Kioso with Mackenzie Warne, Curtis Durose, Douglas and Holvey coming the other way. Mansfield replaced Jordan Bowery with Kellan Gordon. A foul on Gordon by Holvey saw the Stags get a free-kick on the edge of the area which Boateng took straight into the arms of the waiting Johansson. Another change for the Millers saw Champion on for Richard Wood while the Stags brought on George Cooper, Jason Law and Rhys Oats for debutant Riley Harbottle, Will Swan and Lucas Akins. Nice work from the Millers subs Warne, Champion and Douglas saw them send Durose away with the ball who won a corner which didn’t bother the Stags defence. Boateng had a shot at the other end but Hull was there to cover and block but there was no stopping a shot on eighty-six minutes from Oates whose tight angled shot flew into the bottom corner of the net to make it one-one. And it might have been two for the hosts with Oates getting past Hakeem Odoffin but the Millers defender did well to get a good tackle in to stop the Stags forward. Gordon then got the better of the Millers defence sending a ball into the area but it went too far for Law to get on the end of.

Possibly a better work out for Paul Warne’s men (or lads) this afternoon than the previous friendly games and a draw was probably the fair outcome. For me, there are just too many second half changes to be able to see who is playing well but I do realise pre-season games are more about getting minutes into the players.

Tuesday night, should it go ahead because of the red weather warning (I don’t ever remember a game being called off for ‘good’ weather but there is always a first time) sees the Millers away at Doncaster.

Attendance – 2,440 with 410 Millers

Teams
Rotherham
Viktor Johansson
Richard Wood (Champion 76)
Hakeem Odoffin
Cameron Humphreys (Hull 61)
Peter Kioso (Holvey 70)
Dan Barlaser (Warne 70)
Ben Wiles (Rathbone 61)
Jamie Lindsay (Durose 70)
Chieo Ogbene (Douglas 70)
Conor Washington
Joshua Kayode (Georgie Kelly 65)
Subs not used – Josh Vickers

Mansfield
Christy Pym
Jordan Bowery (Gordon 70)
John-Joe O’Toole
Oliver Hawkins
Riley Harbottle – (Cooper 76)
Stephen McLaughlin
Ollie Clarke (Boateng 65)
Dylan McGeouch (Quinn 65)
George Lapslie (Maris 65)
Will Swan (Law 76)
Lucas Akins (Oates 76)
Subs not used – Owen Mason, James Gale