It was definitely a tale of two halves for Rotherham United this afternoon at Deepdale with an own goal in time added on making it a miserable journey home in the rain for the thousand Millers.
Neil Redfearn wasted no time in getting new signing Shay Facey, on loan from Manchester City, into a Rotherham shirt giving him a start just hours after making his signing official. And he was soon into the action after he headed a ball forward straight from the kick-off. Sam Johnstone in the Preston goal did well in the opening minutes to get down to a cross from Grant Ward before Facey, at the other end, did well to block from Eoin Doyle. On seven minutes the Millers won a free-kick which Johnstone punched away before a promising move came to nothing as Tony Andreu lost his balance on the greasy pitch. Rotherham should have gone ahead on ten minutes after some lovely work between Kirk Broadfoot and Danny Ward saw the striker get round the Preston ‘keeper only to see his shot blocked then cleared by Bailey Wright. Rotherham lost skipper Lee Frecklington just after that after he limped off with Paul Green coming on to take his place. The hosts were awarded a free-kick which was taken by Paul Gallagher and only a good header away from Facey stopped the ball getting near the goal which was followed by a Greg Cunningham shot which hit Doyle and went just wide before a good tackle from Farrend Rawson stopped Joe Garner getting a shot away. A free-kick for the hosts saw Gallagher crash the ball into the wall of yellow shirts with Andreu, Danny Ward and Joe Newell combining well to get the visitors a corner. Some super running from Facey followed by a great tackle on Adam Reach stopped the Preston midfielder in his tracks and the Millers counter-attacked with Andreu setting Danny Ward free and then got himself into the area to head Ward`s cross into the bottom corner of the net sending the visiting fans wild. Moments later it could have been one-one after Garner was first to a long kick from Johnstone and he thundered a shot towards goal only to see Green block it and put the ball out to safety and a minute later Reach did well to get by Facey but a fantastic sliding tackle from Green stopped him getting any further. In the final minute of the game Lee Camp came racing out of his goal to prevent Garner being able to get the ball.
Straight from the kick-off of the second half the Millers had a chance to double their lead after Joe Mattock got the better of his marker and crossed the ball into the box having a scurrying Sam Johnstone just getting to the ball to put it out. The first yellow of the afternoon went to Joe Newell after he stupidly hauled down Paul Gallagher before the Millers got a free-kick when Grant Ward was hauled to the ground by Adam Reach after beating two men – a yellow for the offender you`d think but no. Mattock put in a cross for Grant Ward a few minutes later but the Spurs loanee`s shot from twenty yards out went just over. Mattock was busy at the other end too when he had to clear a Joe Garner header off the line before Lee Camp had to make an acrobatic save from Paul Huntington, on for Bailey Wright. Preston were battering the Millers defence but somehow the visitors managed to keep them out and some super work from Joe Newell saw him beat Marnick Vermijl for pace and sending a lovely ball over to Danny Ward who missed it. At the other end Kirk Broadfoot did enough to put Garner and Doyle off their stride before Jonson Clarke-Harris came on for Tony Andreu. Heroics from Camp blocked Alan Browne`s effort before Johnstone did well to tip a Danny Ward effort over the crossbar. But Preston were persistent and it paid off on sixty-four minutes after the Millers failed to deal with a free-kick and Huntington found Eoin Doyle who had the simplest job just to tap the ball over the line for the equaliser. And a minute later it was nearly two when a super cross from Gallagher found Garner in acres of space but the former Forest striker couldn`t control the ball and it went out for a goal-kick. On sixty-five minutes the Millers defence opened up and let Doyle in with what looked like a free shot at goal until Kirk Broadfoot decided otherwise and made a superb tackle before Camp comes to the rescue again with a wonderful point-blank save with Mattock clearing off the line minutes later from Garner. A good run from Paul Green was wasted when he crossed into the box at the other end only to find no yellow shirt had run with him before the Irish midfielder gets free again getting the ball to Danny Ward whose shot ends up in the visiting Millers fans behind the goal. Grant Ward then has a run getting the ball to Newell but his shot was easily cleared before a Newell free-kick only finds the arms of Johnstone. Danny Collins came on in the place of Farrend Rawson and is soon in the thick of the action when he has to clear a cross and Mattock is there to collect the ball and make a good run towards the other goal passing to Danny Ward who can only shoot into the waiting arms of Johnstone. A foul from Collins saw Gallagher take the resulting free-kick which Camp can only push away and with the ball looking like it would reach Garner a well timed leg from Mattock gets the ball away. Broadfoot and Green also have to be alert to stop crosses getting towards the line before Facey manages to clear. And just when it looked like the Millers were going to hang for a point disaster struck after a long throw into the box appeared to hit the head of Clarke-Harris and flew over Camp into the back of the net to give the hosts all three points.
It`s a terrible way to lose a game of football an own goal but, if we are being totally honest, Preston were the team, in the second half, who were harrying and fighting for the ball and shooting. Such a shame we couldn`t hold out for a draw.
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