Hull City 2 Rotherham United 2
Bowen (2) Forde (48)
Campbel l(23) McKenzie (55og)
Rotherham United got a valuable point on their travels this evening coming back from two down to draw two-all.
Before the game began there was a minutes applause from both sets of fans in memory of England Goalkeeper Gordon Banks who sadly passed away this morning.
The game was less than two minutes old when Jarrod Bowen got behind Richard Wood and fired across goal into the far corner. The first Millers attack came on ten minutes when Jerry Yates got the ball out wide to Michael Smith who tried to find Richie Towell but the ball rose high and went over the crossbar. At the other end Michael Ihiekwe did well to get to the ball before Fraizer Campbell before Yates again finds the ball at his feet but his shot come cross went straight into the waiting arms of Tigers’ ‘keeper David Marshall. On twenty-three minutes the hosts doubled their lead when a low cross from Bowen was tapped into the net by Campbell. Minutes later it might have been three when a corner kick found Kamil Grosicki which Marek Rodak in the Millers goal had to hang on to. With seven minutes to go to the interval the first substitution of the evening saw Anthony Forde come on for Jerry Yates. A rocket of a shot from Will Vaulks from some twenty-five yards out was well kept out by Marshall before Semi Ajayi at the other end did well to block a shot from Jackson Irvine.
Rotherham started the second half with Jon Taylor replacing Richard Wood and what a substitution it turned out to be. Just three minutes into the half a good ball from Zak Vyner found the Millers winger in space and when he crossed the ball into the box David Marshall could only parry the ball into the path of Anthony Forde who slipped the ball over the line from close range. Seven minutes the Millers were level when a long throw from Will Vaulks found Taylor who got the ball down and fired at goal with the shot taking a deflection off Robbie McKenzie and rolled over the line to send the travelling Rotherham fans wild. A good ball from Clark Robertson found Taylor who won a throw-in which was taken long again by Vaulks who found the head of Robertson and only a fingertip save over the bar from Marshall stopped the visitors going in front. And Marshall was called into action from the resulting corner when again he palmed a header from Robertson over the crossbar. At the other end it was Marek Rodak’s turn to show what he could do when a superb shot from Kamil Grosicki was palmed over by the Millers’ ‘keeper. A Forde corner found Vaulks but his shot is put out for a throw which found Michael Smith but came to nothing. The hosts brought on Marc Pugh for Kamil Groisicki while Matty Crooks replaced Richie Towell for the Millers. Vyner did enough to put Pugh off with his shot going into the waiting arms of Rodak before Crooks sent Taylor off down the wing but there wasn’t a Millers player in the box to collect his cross. Crooks and Taylor combined again a minute later but it comes to nothing followed by City taking off Evandro and fetching on Manuel Milinkovic. After some lovely work from Crooks found Smith in an offside position the Millers centre-forward did well to retrieve a ball he’d lost, setting Vaulks up for a shot which went just wide of the post. The last substitution of the night saw Fraizer Campbell replaced by Derby loanee Chris Martin. Once again Taylor set off down the wing winning a throw for the visitors which was thrown in long by Vaulks reaching the head of Michael Ihiekwe but the home defence cleared before some nice football from Joe Mattock ended with a lovely ball into the box but no-one was there to get on the end of it. The Millers fans breathed a sigh of relief when a header from Irvine went just wide followed by Semi Ajayi standing tall to put an Eric Lichaj free-kick behind with the resulting corner coming to nothing. In the last minute of four added on the Millers won a corner in front of their own fans which Forde swung in but Hull dealt with easily as referee Scott Duncan blew for full-time.
Well, what can you say about that second half performance. It was as near perfect a forty-five minutes as we’ve seen all season. Whatever was said by whoever to the Millers players at half-time perhaps it should be said before Saturday’s game! After a really poor first half well done you reds on pulling two goals back and getting a point away at Hull.
Crowd – 10,785
Referee – Scott Duncan
