Millers Cobble Cobblers

Rotherham United 3 – 0 Northampton Town
Clarke-Harris (3, 34)
Green (49)


Rotherham United made it three wins out of three with a win over Northampton Town this afternoon at the New York Stadium.

And it took the Millers just three minutes to take the lead after Sam Nombe eased past his marker before sending the ball into the area and there was his skipper Jonson Clarke-Harris in space to climb above everyone else and head home past Town ‘keeper Nik Tzanev. The visitors tried to get straight back into the game with a similar move with Nesta Guinness-Walker crossing for Tyler Roberts who headed straight into the waiting arms of Dillon Phillips in the Rotherham goal. Andre Green was on the wrong end of a couple of tasty fouls winning free-kicks. Clarke-Harris got the ball sending it to Mallik Wilks who got the better of Mitch Pinnock sending in a lovely shot from just outside the box forcing a save from Tzanev. At the other end a sliding tackle from Andre Green stopped Pinnock from crossing into the box. Another super ball from Nombe for Clarke-Harris saw him get a firm header on the ball but this time Tzanev managed to save with his feet. Minutes later a headed pass from Clarke-Harris found Nombe whose angled shot went just over the crossbar. The first corner of the game just after the half-hour mark went the Cobblers way which Sam Hoskins and Pinnock tried to take short but Christ Tiehi was wise to it and got it away before a Samy Chouchane free-kick found the head of Guthrie who saw the ball caught by Phillips. And with the very next move the Millers went two-up. Green slipped past his marker and squared the ball to Clarke-Harris who smashed in his and the Millers second. Another foray up front from the hosts saw Northampton win it back and counter Cameron McGeehan (who was taking a minute or two off from his continual moaning at the referee) sent the ball into the box but Chouchane missed it and it was too far in front of Hoskins for him to be able to get. But McGeehan had a chance of his own when a loose ball on the edge of the area fell his way and he let fly only to see Phillips make a good save. In the last five minutes of the half Wilks tried his luck from a tight angle, the ball hitting the side netting, a foul on Tiehi saw Hoskins the first recipient of a yellow card the Phillips free-kick finding Clarke-Harris in the box who saw his header kept out by the Town defence before a poor challenge on Tiehi somehow saw Pinnock get the ball away sending a shot just past the upright.

The second-half started with a Rotherham change Christ Tiehi replaced due to an injury at the end of the first half by Liam Kelly while the visitors brought on former Miller Tom Eaves and Timothy Eyoma for Samy Chouchane and Aaron McGowan. Joe Powell came close to making it three-nil a minute into the half seeing his cracker of a shot going just over the crossbar. But on forty-nine minutes it was three-nil after a Powell corner found Jonson Clarke-Harris who saw his header blocked before a scramble in the box saw Andre Green get the ball and smashed it into the net from close range sending three sides of the New York Stadium to their feet applauding the player who had been out for over a year through injury. Northampton came a bit more into the game winning a number of fouls one of which saw Joe Powell booked and one that saw Mitch Pinnock find Sam Hoskins who tried his luck from just outside the box but the only people it worried were the travelling six hundred and fifty behind the goal. On sixty-eight minutes Town made three changes with Mitch Pinnock, Will Hondermarck and Sam Hoskins make way for Liam McCarron, Ben Fox and Martyn Waghorn. A good chance for the Millers went begging when a nice ball in from Clarke-Harris found Mallik Wilks who saw his shot go high and wide before the Millers fans again stood as one when Andre Green was replaced by Shaun McWilliams. A poor challenge on Powell saw substitute Waghorn get a yellow card and from the resulting set-piece the ball came back to Powell whose thunderous shot rattled the crossbar before coming back to Wilks who saw his shot go inches over. Kelly did well to get the ball and send it looping over for Nombe but Tzanev got there before him. At the other end Hakeem Odoffin did well to block a good shot from distance from Waghorn. Waghorn had another chance in time added on when he took a free-kick which went over the crossbar. Two late changes for Rotherham saw Alex MacDonald and Joe Hungbo take over from Joe Powell and Sam Nombe. Hungbo was soon in action winning a free-kick in a dangerous position which MacDonald took finding Odoffin who saw his header graze the crossbar before going out. The last change for the Millers was Jamie McCart replacing Reece James.

A win and a clean sheet – and a much better team performance.

Can we ask for more than that?

Attendance 8,745 with 659 Cobblers in the stands

Referee – Elliot Bell