Millers at the double – twice!

Rotherham United came from one down, yesterday against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park, to win four-one in a very good performance from the Millers.

The Millers ran the second half and it was a wonder that they didn`t go in at half-time three or four up having had shots cleared off the line and hit posts. The game was just five minutes old when a long clearance from Conrad Logan in the Millers` goal found Lewis Grabban who got himself into a good shooting position but dragged the shot just wide. A minute later Grabban got on the end of a good ball in from Tom Newey but he seemed to stumble over his shot before getting a second chance that flew into the side netting. The much talked about Adam Le Fondre was the next to be given a golden opportunity but his shot curled wide of the far post but on twenty-five minutes the travelling two hundred and thirty Millers thought they had gone in front. Dale Tonge found Danny Schofield in space in the area and, with Argyle ‘keeper, Jake Cole, out of position, Schofield shot towards goal only to see Ben Gibson hack it off the line and clear. Although Argyle were playing some nice passing football, the only real effort was around the half-hour mark when Durrell Berry, who wasn`t picked up at all in the first half, got in a good cross which looked like it would get to Warren Feeney`s head, but Ryan Cresswell got there before him and headed it away. Luke Daley tried his luck a few minutes later but his shot flew over Logan`s crossbar. In the final minutes of the half the first corner of the game was awarded to the Millers and Schofield found the head of Michael Raynes but his powerful header was cleared off the line by Berry. Moments later another corner to the Millers was taken deep by Schofield and once again found the head of Raynes but his flick on to Cresswell was just a bit too far for him to get onto it.

With the Millers fans expecting more of the same in the second half it was a bit of a shock when Plymouth took the lead on forty-nine minutes. Former Millers loanee, Will Atkinson, cut in from the left, beating two defenders and let fly from some twenty yards out to put the ball past Logan and into the back of the net. Within ten minutes, the Millers were level. Gareth Evans, who had been lively all game, swept passed Berry and put the ball across Cole into the far corner. Seven minutes later the winger scored again, after some good work and a perfect centre by Le Fondre found the winger in the box and he headed the ball into the net from ten yards out. Evans could have had a hat-trick after some good work from Jason Taylor found the winger again but, before he had time to shoot, Argyle`s defence did their work and crowded him out. But the Millers third was only a matter of time and Taylor himself could have got it, and seeing Cole in no-mans-land he shot only for Berry to get back and block. At the other end Logan did well to claw away a shot from Tom Hitchcock, who was on for Carl Fletcher. On eighty-two minutes, with Connor Hourihane complaining he`d been barged over, and, for once, the referee taking no notice, Schofield danced past him and put in the simplest of passes to Le Fondre who slipped the ball into the back of the net to send the Millers fans wild. They were even more happy a few minutes later when Chris Holroyd, on for Grabban, coolly dispossessed Hourihane on the edge of his own box, found Taylor who in turn found Le Fondre and the little striker had the easiest of finishes to make it four-one.

What a good entertaining game this was yesterday. Unlucky to go behind the Millers never looked back after equalising. Definitely worth getting up at 5am to see! Well done!