Rotherham United 0 Shrewsbury Town 3
Udoh 36, Bennett 78,
Bowman 90+2
Rotherham United saw their lead at the top of League One cut to just one point after their three-nil loss at the New York Stadium to Shrewsbury Town this afternoon.
The sun was shining, former Miller John Breckin got the fans riled up before the game and the fans were in full voice – it’s just a pity the memo hadn’t been sent to the players who looked anything but up for this game.
The Millers did well in the opening minute when Jordi Osei-Tutu and Ben Wiles combined well getting a great ball in the box for Joshua Kayode who won a corner. But, frankly, after this it went rather downhill. Matthew Pennington rose to clear the corner followed by the Shrews going forward and only some good work from Angus MacDonald stopped a cross from George Nurse reaching Luke Leahy sending the ball out for a throw-in which was punched away by Millers ‘keeper Josh Vickers but only as far as Penington who saw his shot go over the crossbar. At the other end Michael Smith chested a ball down for Oliver Rathbone to get on the end off with the midfielder having a shot that went wide before some good work from Osei-Tutu again found Rathbone who won a corner which came to nothing. Dan Barlaser did well to block a shot from Daniel Udoh with the corner coming in and eventually found Ryan Bowman who shot towards an empty net with Michael Ihiekwe managing to clear off the line. And minutes later it was Ihiekwe again who stopped a cross finding Bowman who was through on goal. Shrewsbury had been taking their time over every free-kick, every corner and eventually referee Anthony Backhouse got his yellow card out and booked Udoh for kicking the ball away when the Millers had a goal kick. Kayode flew into the box at the other end of the pitch with Ethan Ebanks Landell with the cenrtre-forward going down under a challenge the referee not interested. Kayode’s next action was to get a yellow card for a foul after Pennington fell over him. Nurse got the better of Kayode on the half-way line and sent a perfect ball into the area for Udoh who put the ball past Vickers to give the visitors the lead. Two minutes later MacDonald and Leahy went up for a ball with Leahy going down in a heap and the referee rushing over brandishing a red card to the Millers defender who was deemed to have led with his arm. Down to ten men, one-down with seven minutes until half-time but it could have been two for Town after an Elliott Bennett corner saw Vickers getting bringing off a great save to stop the ball finding Bowman who was again on his own in the penalty area before Nurse sent a shot high into the stand behind when he was in a good position.
A double change for the hosts saw Dan Barlaser and Joshua Kayode make way for Richard Wood and Chieo Ogbene for the second half. Some nice work from Shane Ferguson saw him try to bring Ben Wiles into the game but the cross was too long. Ogbene was making his way down the wing before being bundled over by George Nurse. Jordi Osei-Tutu took the set-piece which Wood rising highest but saw the ball go wide. At the other end Josh Vickers made first one brilliant save getting down to stop Ryan Bowman scoring, the ball then finding it’s way to Josh Vela who saw the Millers’ ‘keeper come off his line to deny him. The final change for Rotherham saw Osei-Tutu replaced by Mickel Miller. Some quick work from Ogbene saw him win a corner which Wiles took but it was easy for Shrews ‘keeper Marko Marosi. A nasty challenge on Ollie Rathbone saw a yellow card go Elliott Bennett’s way with the free-kick saw Ogbene’s shot blocked. On seventy-eight minutes the visitors doubled their lead after Vickers did well to deny Bowman but the ball fell to Bennett who tapped home with no intervention from the Rotherham defence. With ten minutes to go Vickers did well again to stop a low shot from Vela go in before a low cross at the other end from Michael Smith was heading towards Miller before Ethan Ebanks-Landell blocked the cross. A cross from Wiles found Smith who brought off a save from Marosi which was followed by a yellow card for Matthew Pennington after he dragged Smith to the floor. A double change for Shrewsbury saw Daniel Udoh and George Nurse off with Tom Bloxham and Aaron Pierre coming the other way. The fourth official put the board up for a further five minutes and two minutes into that saw Shrews get a third after some poor – and tired looking – defending gave Bowman an age to put the ball into the net.
It wasn’t a good game for the Millers which was a match littered with time wasting, free-kicks and some pretty poor defending and crossing to be fair. And, with the International break coming up and then a trip to Wembley, this was really a game we could have done with not only winning but, at the very least, putting on a good performance.
Next stop Wembley.
Attendance – 9,253 of which 426 had made the trip down from Shropshire
Referee – Anthony Backhouse
