Away Draw For Millers

Coventry City 2 Rotherham United 2
Hamer 76                    Bramall 43
Gyokeres 90+1 pen   Washington 79


Rotherham United twice gave away the lead this evening but still came away with a point from their away game at Coventry.

The Millers made five changes to the team who lost on Saturday with Cohen Bramall, Georgie Kelly, Grant Hall, Hakeem Odoffin and Cameron Humphreys in the starting eleven.

It was the visitors who had the first chance when a Dan Baralser ball found Bramall who sent the ball into the box but there was no red shirt there to collect. Straight down the other end and both Martyn Waghorn and Jamie Allen had shots which were well blocked by the Millers defence. Skipper for the night Ben Wiles got himself into the box sending the ball through for Georgie Kelly who slipped but Barlaser won it back before Gustavo Hamer got the ball sending it to his ‘keeper Ben Wilson. Martyn Waghorn had to go off on just seven minutes with an injury with Kasey Palmer coming on in his place. The hosts had the next chance after Callum Doyle did well to get forward but his pass was wayward. Kelly won a free-kick for the Millers which Barlaser took finding the Irish forward who was about to poke it in when a defender got it away before a melee in the goalmouth saw the hosts get the ball to safety. Another foul on Kelly by Kyle McFadzean who was booked, saw another free-kick for the Millers which Bramall took finding nobody the home side breaking before being stopped by Grant Hall. Allen did well to get the ball across to Hamer but he slipped as he shot and it went out for a throw-in for Rotherham. Viktor Gyokeres got the better of his marker and ran towards goal with just Millers’ ‘keeper Viktor Johansson to beat, the Millers number one came out of his area to put the City striker off with Gyokeres and Lee Peltier colliding in the area the referee not interested in the City fans’ shout for a penalty. A minute later Fankaty Dabo went down the right wing and saw his shot-come-cross saved by Johansson before Doyle got a lovely ball from Ben Sheaf and tried his luck with the Millers’ ‘keeper reacting quickly and saving. Three corners for the hosts came to nothing before Grant Hall was booked for pulling back Palmer. The resulting free-kick caused problems in the Rotherham box which ended with with McFadzean heading over and Wes Harding and Peltier both needing treatment. Allen and Dabo both had good chances for the host before Barlaser did brilliantly to get the ball on the half-way line and sent a super pass to Bramall who looked up, saw Wilson off his line and let fly finding the back of the net to get his first goal in a Rotherham shirt – and what a goal! Coventry then lost Fankaty Dabo who limped off with Josh Eccles coming on. As the board went up for five extra minutes Coventry won a corner which found the head of Palmer with Odoffin getting it off the line before Peltier cleared.

Viktor Johansson had to be alert in the opening minute of the second half when a ball from Gustavo Hamer was looking for Jake Bidwell but the Millers’ ‘keeper got there first. A fantastic run from Cohen Bramall down the pitch saw him send a lovely ball into the box for Ben Wiles who sent the ball towards Conor Washington but a defender blocked. A late challenge on Ben Sheaf earned Hakeem Odoffin a yellow card and two minutes later Jamie Lindsay came on for the Millers number twenty-two. The Millers should have gone two up on the fifty-fifth minute when some nice football saw Ben Wiles bend the ball in towards Georgie Kelly but it looked like the bend on it fooled the Millers forward and it whistled past the post. The home side came close when a whipped ball in from Josh Eccles found Jamie Allen who volleyed over from just ten yards out before a shot from Hamer took a wicked deflection off Cohen Bramall who went down the ball being cleared by Lindsay. After having treatment Bramall hobbled off with Brooke Norton-Cuffy coming on. Some great defending from the visitors saw Grant Hall block a shot from Hamer with the ball falling to Kelsey Palmer who saw Lee Peltier clear his shot. More nice work from Barlaser saw him race down the pitch with both Ben Wiles and Conor Washington going with him but the pass didn’t find either of them. At the other end a Hamer free-kick was an easy claim for Viktor Johansson before the Millers ‘keeper had to be on his toes minutes later to stop a shot low down from Palmer. Gyokeres and Johansson went for the same ball with it falling to Jamie Allen who shot straight at the Millers number one who saved. A number of substitution saw Grant Hall, Lee Peltier and Georgie Kelly make way for Richard Wood, Jamie McCart and Tom Eaves for Rotherham and the hosts brought on Jonathan Panzo, Callum O’Hare and Todd Kane with Kyle McFadzean, Ben Sheaf and Jake Bidwell going the other way. And just two minutes later City drew level after Palmer slipped the ball through to Hamer who put it past Johansson into the goal. Another two minutes and Rotherham were back in front after a ball in the middle of the park from Lindsay found Barlaser who sent a long ball through the middle to Washington who was one-on-one with Ben Wilson, the ‘keeper stopping the ball but it carried on towards the goal with the Rotherham striker rounding the ‘keeper and hitting the ball into the net to make it two-one to the visitors. Norton-Cuffy saw yellow for tugging back O’Hara before some good work between Wes Harding and Wiles won a corner with the set-piece finding the head of Eaves who headed straight into the arms of Wilson. The board was just going up for an extra six minutes when O’Hara got the better of Richard Wood who leaned into him and over he went in the area  referee Andy Davies having no hesitation giving the penalty which Gyokeres scored. In the final minute of time added City got a free-kick on the edge of the area which saw Hamer put the ball inches over to leave the game at two-all.

A point away from home is not to be sniffed at. Yes, we had the lead twice but it was probably some good defending from Rotherham that helped get the point. And wouldn’t we have taken a point at 7.45 this evening? I know I would have.

Attendance – 18,593 of which 1,022 were Millers

Referee – Andy Davies