Millers Run Halted

Two goals for Rochdale in the first seven minutes should have given out warning signals to the Millers in today`s home loss, which saw their seven match undefeated run come to an end.

It was the home side that started the brighter with shots from Derek Holmes and Chris O`Grady just shading the post before Gary Jones got a perfect ball from Adam Le Fondre and scored from just outside the area after four minutes and then went two up three minutes later when Glen Murray flicked the ball to Le Fondre who lifted the ball over Andy Warrington into the back of the net. But the Millers weren`t ready to roll over and die and they had pulled one back five minutes later when a Peter Holmes corner found Pablo Mills` head and the ball looked like it was going in before Ian Sharps made sure. The home team levelled two on sixteen minutes when a Mark Hudson pass fell at the feet of Derek Holmes whose well placed shot went wide of Sam Russell in Dale`s net. The home team should have gone ahead before half time when Nathan Stanton and Simon Ramsden blocked in the penalty area and Russell made a brilliant save from Graham Coughlan.

Straight from the start of the second half there was only one team in the game and it didn`t take long for Glenn Murray to head the visitors back in the lead from a Kallum Higginbotham corner. Sharps had the best effort of the second half for the Millers but once again Russell got his fingertips to the header to send it over the bar. Marc Newsham, on for Derek Holmes, perhaps should have done better as he put his shot wide when it would have been easier to score. But in truth it was a poor half for Rotherham and Lee McEvilly put the icing of the cake for Rochdale when he scored well into time added on to make it four-two.

I thought the Millers would have come out and taken the game to Rochdale in the second half but that didn`t happen. Some of the passing was woeful, although the swirling rain perhaps played some part in that. We really need to come out at Bradford next Saturday and be forceful.