Johansson Can’t Stop Millers Losing

Rotherham United 0 Coventry City 1
                                             Ostigard 70

A night to forget for the Millers with Coventry getting the only goal of the game to take them six points better off than Rotherham.

Both sides made changes the Millers making five from the win over QPR on Tuesday with the starting eleven including Michael Ihiekwe back from injury, Richard Wood, Lewis Wing, Michael Smith and Jamie Lindsay who all came off the bench on Tuesday. Coventry started with Ben Wilson in goal seeing Marko Marosi drop to the bench and Julien Dacosta and Dom Hyam also returning.

Rotherham have goalkeeper Viktor Johansson to thank for the fact they they weren’t two down in the opening minutes when he pushed a shot from Liam Kelly onto the crossbar just after kick-off and ten minutes later he got his body in front of a shot from Callum O’Hare, who had nobody marking him, before Matty Godden put the rebound way over. The Millers got a couple of corners just after the twenty minute mark with the last one coming back to Lewis Wing whose angled shot bounced back off the bottom of the far post. The Millers were living a lucky life when Tyler Walker went looking for Godden but the pass was too far for him followed by the striker firing over a minute later. Johansson then brought off his third great save of the game when he kept out Walker header ten minutes before the end of the half. At the other end an Angus MacDonald cross found Ben Wiles who put the ball into the area with the visiting defence doing well to clearing to safety. Goalless at half-time – thank you Viking.

The second half began with a yellow card for Lewis Wing after he pulled Matty James back. A cross into the box from Wes Harding went over the head of the intended Michael Smith which was followed by a yellow for Ben Wiles after he stopped Leo Ostigard getting into the box. The resulting set-piece was straight at the wall but put into the box Julien Dacosta but Viktor Johansson got to it before Tyler Walker. On the hour mark the Millers brought on Ryan Giles and Freddie Ladapo for Matt Olosunde and Ben Wiles. Wing and Matt Crooks worked well with the latter putting a super ball into the area but it was just behind Jamie Lindsay. On the seventieth minute Harding and Sam McCallum came together going for a ball with referee Jarred Gillett giving the visitors a free-kick in a good place for City. From the kick the ball found the head of Ostigard who put it into the net giving Coventry the lead. Changes for Coventry saw Tyler Walker and Matty Godden make way for Maxime Biamou and Viktor Gyokeres with Chieo Ogbene and Clark Robertson coming on for Rotherham to replace Jamie Lindsay and Wes Harding. Some good defending from Millers skipper Richard Wood stops the ball reaching Biamou while Callum O’Hare was taken off for Coventry and Gustavo Hamer coming on. With ten minutes to go Johansson did well to tip away a shot from Dacosta followed by a booking for Biamou for a foul on Crooks. Kieran Sadlier came on for Michael Ihiekwe for the hosts and as the board went up for six further minutes Johansson got down well to a shot from Dacosta. Wood is the next to see yellow for a late challenge on Dom Hyam. A free-kick in not a bad place for the Millers after  Viktor Gyokeres pulled Wing back but it was the Sky Blues who got their heads to it.

A one-nil loss in a game we really, really needed to get something from. It was a scrappy game and one I think the visitors deserved to win with Rotherham never really getting into it and having Viktor Johansson to thank for the score line not being more.

Is that the nail in the coffin?

We will see. Onto Sunday lunchtime and a visit from Birmingham City.