Final Home Win Of Season Sees Millers Stay Up

Rotherham United are staying up – but they don`t half make life difficult for the fans! I don`t think there`s a finger nail left between us this evening after the two-one win that see`s the Millers playing Championship football for a second season under Steve Evans.

Before the game began both sets of fans stood for a minute`s silence for Peter Johnson who sadly passed away recently and I`m sure Mr Johnson would have been so happy with this evenings events.

The game had an edgy start to it and it was the visitors who were in action first when they were trying to claim a penalty after Russian International Pavel Pogrebnyak flatten Millers` ‘keeper Emi Martinez who had to receive treatment before able to continue. But the real first chance of the game was on ten minutes when cross from Danny Ward went across goal for Matt Derbyshire who couldn`t quite get his foot to it and it was put behind by a defender. From the resulting Ben Pringle corner it was only the head of a defender who got in front of Kirk Broadfoot who stopped the Millers taking the lead. Danny Lafferty then got in on the act and decided to try his luck from twenty yards out but again a defender got the ball to safety. Reading finally broke free but only to play a long ball which Martinez easily claimed before Lafferty went for a ball and was thumped in the back and bundled over by Chris Gunter straight into a ball boy who received intensive treatment on the touchline before being stretchered off to applause from the crowd. We hope he is OK. At the other end Mikkel Andersen did well to get down to a low shot from Lafferty before both Jack Hunt and Lee Frecklington are subjected to poor tackles from Reading players. Martinez did well a couple of minutes later to put Pogrebnyak off his stride before some good play between Ward and Derbyshire saw the ball just miss finding Frecklington in a superb position. Derbyshire tries to get Ward on the ball but his cross is too strong and went out before the Ward/Derbyshire combination this time found Frecklington whose effort was heading for goal only for Andersen to get his fingertips to it and put it behind. With half-time approaching the Millers got a free-kick after Michael Hector hauled Ward over which Pringle found Derbyshire with but the striker put the ball wide.

If possible the noise levels went up as the Millers emerged from the tunnel for the second half and with the hosts looking lively they soon took the lead. Ben Pringle found Danny Ward who evaded a couple of tackles before he put the ball towards the front post towards Matt Derbyshire and whether the Miller striker knew anything about it or it just happened to hit him it didn`t matter because the ball crossed the line and nearly eleven thousand fans were on their feet cheering. Straight down the other end Reading got the ball into the area and only some heroic heading from Kari Arnason stopped a Royal`s player getting to it. Six minutes after the first goal the Millers doubled their lead and with a very similar goal. Ward got a low cross into the area towards Derbyshire who couldn`t quite get to it but there was Lee Frecklington who had the easy task of tapping it into an empty net to start the cries of ‘we are staying up` from the Rotherham fans. And it could have been three when a foul by Chris Gunter on Ward gave the Millers a free-kick in a dangerous place. Richie Smallwood took the kick and found the head of Kirk Broadfoot who saw the ball go inches wide of the post. That was Broadfoot`s last action of the game as he went off injured and was replaced by Richard Wood. Just after the hour mark only a good interception from Gunter stopped a lovely ball from Pringle finding Derbyshire before Andersen did well to save from a Ward cross. Reading`s first real foray towards goal in the second half saw an Oliver Norwood cross fly off Arnason towards goal but Emi Martinez was there to pounce on the ball. Matt Derbyshire got a fantastic ovation when he was subbed and as he walked wearily off the pitch referee Graham Salisbury decided he was taking too long and showed the only yellow card of the game (so you can kick, thump, push, stand on players and not see yellow but slowly go off and one appears?) As the Millers were getting ready to celebrate they gave a goal away three minutes from time. A bit of tiredness started to show in the Millers and they failed to clear a ball from Stephen Kelly and as it fell to Norwood he let fly from distance and it flew over Martinez into the back of the net. As the board went up for five minutes of time added on (five minutes???) Millers` fans hearts were in their mouths when Jamie Mackie was allowed to get the ball through to Gareth McCleary, on for Jordan Obita who had a free shot at goal but he seemed to miss the ball and it went to safety. In the final minutes of the game Reading got a corner which Arnason cleared but with the visitors ‘keeper up for the corner there wasn`t a Miller who could get the ball to run clear at an empty goal (remembering Valley Parade?!). As fingernails were being bitten, eyes being covered Reading threw everyone forward and when a long range effort from Simon Cox flew towards goal Martinez appeared and easily saved. Urging the referee to blow his whistle when he did Millers fans from all four sides of the stadium ran onto the pitch chanting, singing and cheering.

We Are Stopping Up!