Game of Two Halves As Millers Go Into Plus Points

Richie Barker made his return to the Millers a happy one with a goal in the eightieth minute to leave Grimsby looking nervously over their shoulders at the teams below.

The Millers looked anything but a team that were looking to get into plus points in the first half as Town took a deserved lead on the twenty-ninth minute from midfielder Danny Boshell. The visitors dominated the first forty-five minutes and Boshell should have opened the scoring at the start of the game when Peter Till crossed to him in the area but he put his header wide. Reuben Reid could have put the Millers in front a few minutes later but his shot was easily saved by Phil Barnes. Till and Tomi Ameobi, who was a pain in the side of the home defenders all game, played a one two at the other end only for Till’s shot to go wide. Till again got the ball on the edge of the Millers area and his pass found Nick Hegarty who saw his shot blocked before Liam Trotter’s twenty yard effort took a deflection and went out for a corner. Then came the goal with some good work from Till, Trotter and Hegarty saw Boshell get the ball some twenty yards out and from a narrow angle, shot into the top corner of the net. Five minutes later a mix-up in the box by the Millers defence brought Andy Warrington racing off his line to make the ball his. With half-time approaching the homeside seem to get into their stride and they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area which Alex Rhodes took and Hegarty had to head it clear. The Millers then had a good claim for a penalty when Matt Heyward seemed to handle the ball but referee, Mr Oliver, waved the appeal away. In the final minute of the half, Town could have doubled their lead, when Boshell, who got the ball on the half-way line, elected to shoot instead of passing and, much to the Millers relief, only found the arms of Warrington.

Whatever Mark Robins said to his men during the half-time break must have worked because, although Town had two quick corners, a cross from Rhodes on the forty-ninth minute found Reuben Reid who deftly headed it into the net for the equaliser. After that, it was the Millers who took over the game. A slip twenty yards out by James Hunt let in Mark Hudson whose hard shot went past Barnes to put the home side in the lead. Drewe Broughton, livey up front, could have made it three but he shot wide and a few minutes later he found himself unmarked in the box but his shot was weak and went straight to Barnes. From a corner, Broughton got his head to the ball and it looked like it would bounce over the line but Trotter poked out a toe and Barnes dived on it. And, when the Mariners started to push forward again, the Millers hurled a long ball foward which found Micky Cummins who crashed the ball in from twenty-five yards out. It was time then for a standing ovation from the Millers fans as Richie Barker, brought in from Hartlepool yesterday, was brought on in place of Broughton. The Millers pushed forward again and again until the eightieth minute when Rhodes crossed the ball to the far post and Barker, outjumping the defenders, rose in the air and headed home. The Mariners now looked dead and buried and it was the Millers fans and players, jubilant with getting into plus points who went home happy!