Millers Make It A Good Friday

Rotherham United left it late to get the win against a renascent Wimbledon this afternoon at the New York Stadium.

Lee Frecklington had the first sight of goal in the opening minute after some good work from David Noble and Kari Arnason but the midfielder put the ball wide when he perhaps should have done better. At the other end Johnny Mullins was quick to stop Jack Midson getting a shot away while Daniel Kearns also made a clearance from a Chris Hussey corner. On eight minutes the Millers really should have gone ahead when an inswinging corner from Noble fell to Mullins but the skipper snatched at his shot and it cleared the bar by feet rather than inches. On twenty-five minutes John Sullivan in the visitors goal had to make his first save after a Noble corner was only half cleared by the Wimbledon defence and fell to Claude Davis which Sullivan did well to get down to and clear to safety. The visitors, who had been happy to sit back for the first half-an-hour of the game, started to get forward but they got caught on the break and a Daniel Nardiello ball fell beautifully for Lee Frecklington and just as it looked like his shot was going to creep into the bottom corner Sullivan managed to get down and make a fingertip save. Wimbledon`s only real shot on goal came just before half-time when Mat Mitchel-King`s superb cross found the head of Pim Balkestein but he headed just over the bar with the Millers defence looking on. Another Noble corner in stoppage time found Kari Arnason but the Icelander put his header wide.

The Millers started the second half a little better and Kearns put an effort wide and minutes later Frecklington received a ball from Nardiello but the referee said he`d handled in the area and gave a free-kick to the visitors. At the other end an effort on goal from Harry Pell looked like it might be just going over but Shearer wasn`t taking any chances and palmed over and from the resulting corner Jessie Darco, on for Gary Alexander, made space for himself in the box then fired high and wide. And then the Millers missed the easiest chance of the day when Kearns sent over a cross for Mullins and with an empty net at his mercy he sent his header wide. And just when the seven thousand Rotherham fans thought it wasn`t going to be there day a long corner from Lionel Ainsworth, on for David Noble, found Arnason at the near post who flicked the ball up to Alex Revell and the striker headed the ball over the line to put the home side one-up. And that`s how the game ended although Midson had a shot that didn`t trouble Shearer and Sullivan blocked a shot in the final minute of stoppage time from Kieran Agard who had come on for Daniel Kearns.

All in all a forgettable game on a very cold Good Friday. But three points are three points and the Millers have climbed above Exeter City, who play tomorrow, this evening into sixth place.