Rotherham United 2 AFC Wimbledon 2
Crooks (60) Sanders (30)
Ladapo (81) Appiah (90+3) pen
Rotherham United squandered enough chances in the first forty-five minutes of today’s game at home to Wimbledon to go in with a good lead at half-time but, instead, came away with just a point.
Matt Crooks had the first chance of the game on five minutes after Chieo Ogbene had brought off a good save from visiting ‘keeper Joe Day with Crooks’ follow up going straight at the goalie. At the other end Millers’ ‘keeper Daniel Iversen had ‘a moment’ and came out to head the ball away but instead it fell to Scott Wagstaff with Rotherham skipper Richard Wood having to time his tackle right to put off the Wimbledon midfielder. Rotherham got a free-kick which Dan Barlaser took finding the head of Michael Smith in the area who nodded down ensuing in a nine-man scramble until referee Michael Salisbury decided enough was enough and deemed there had been a foul giving the visitors a free-kick just as Crooks put the ball in the net. Minutes later Smith got the better of his marker but he probably should have done better with his shot which gave Day the chance to save followed by a chance from distance from Barlaser which went inches wide. It was very much against run of play when Wimbledon went in front on the half-hour mark. Paul Osew was given far too much room and sent a nice ball through to Max Sanders who curled the ball past Iversen seeing the ball go into the back of the net off the upright. The Millers fans thought they had equalised six minutes later when a cross from Ogbene found Hakeeb Adelakun whose shot from an acute angle went into the side netting. A Barlaser free-kick caused problems coming off a defender for a corner which went for another corner while the hosts again forced another corner which fell to Adam Thompson who brought off a good save from Day which fell to Crooks who probably should have done better than sky it into the home fans behind the goal. Day was on hand minutes later to get to a cross in from Kyle Vassell before it fell to Smith before a in-swinging Barlaser corner was headed off the line by Sanders.
Storm Dennis had picked up during half-time and was swirling around the New York Stadium when Kyle Vassell won a free-kick which Dan Barlaser took only to see Joe Day hold onto. Hakeeb Adelakun saw a shot go wide before a cross from Adam Thompson was headed back across the face of goal by Michael Smith falling to Vassell who put his header well over. A superb cross from Chieo Ogbene was close to finding Adelakun only for some good defending by Shane McLoughlin stopping him tap home. But two minutes later the Millers were level after Vassell won the ball on the edge of the area and sent it in towards Matt Crooks who fired past Day to make it one-one. And a minute later it could have been more but for some good defending from Jack Rudoni. The Millers had a shout for a penalty on sixty-five minutes after Vassell went down under a challenge and then Ogbene was felled by Paul Osew with Mr Salisbury wasn’t interested. At the other end Dan Iversen had to be on his toes after he saved from a fierce shot from Joe Piggott. The Millers had the ball in the net again, this time from Vassell, but the referee had already blown for a foul to the hosts which eventually found the head of Richard Wood who saw it cleared off the line. A double substitution by the Millers saw Freddie Ladapo and Josh Koroma on for Kyle Vassell and Hakeeb Adelakun while Wimbledon brought on Mitchell Pinnock for Scott Wagstaff. The first yellow card of the game went to Luke O’Neill after he’d dragged Koroma to the floor with the resulting free-kick finding the head of Michael Ihiekwe who headed down to Thompson whose shot was blocked. Ladapo had come off the bench in a lively manner and was unlucky to see a shot go just past the upright after he’d turned this way and that to shoot. But a minute later he did score after he got away from his marker and smashed the ball into the net to give the Millers the lead. Wimbledon brought on Kwesi Appiah for Shane McLoughlin. Another yellow card was shown this time to Jack Rudoni after he’d been denied a throw-in and threw the ball away in temper. In the final minute of the game Wimbledon should perhaps have equalised when Pigott did well to find Sorensen who saw his shot go wide. As the board went up for four extra minutes the Millers last change saw Jamie Lindsay come on for Chieo Ogbene. With two minutes of those extra four gone Thompson was adjudged to have brought down Pigott in the area and Kwesi Appiah fired home from the spot to give Wimbledon a point.
As I said earlier if the Millers had taken their chances they would have been out of sight in the first half although we did seem to play better football in the final forty-five minutes.
Just one of those days I suppose – we were the better team but . . . .
And what of referee Michael Salisbury – I really don’t know what we can say about him that wasn’t heard around three sides of the stadium this afternoon. He was booed off the pitch by the Millers fans while our players seemed to be frustrated by many of his decisions all game.
Referee – Michael Salisbury
Crowd – 8,626 (248 Wimbledon fans)
