Millers Ship Five At Coventry

Coventry City 5  Rotherham United 0
Simms 5, 27, 37
 Latibeaudiere 23
Tavares 90+1

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water . . . the Millers pulled off a performance last night that was worse than Saturday’s.

City were on the front foot from the off when Josh Eccles sent a cross over for Kasey Palmer who put his shot just wide followed by Eccles again getting the ball and looking to set Ellis Simms up for a shot which Hakeem Odoffin read got there first to clear. The warning signs weren’t heeded just a minute later and when a rare mistake by Millers’ ‘keeper Viktor Johansson saw him fail to hold onto the ball Simms was there to head in from close range. A Kafu free-kick earned the visitors a corner which saw Christ Tiehi get the ball and send in a low cross which was just inches away from Hakeem Odoffin getting on the end of. The next ten minutes was played in the middle of the pitch with foul after foul before Johansson had to be on his metal to gather a ball in from Eccles before it reached Haji Wright in a good shooting position. Wright won a free-kick some twenty-five yards out which Victor Torp took but straight into the Millers wall before Cafu took the ball forward sending in a low cross for Jordan Hugill but Liam Kitching was there to cut it out. At the other end Peter Kioso did well to block a shot from Wright but only as far as Palmer who set up Liam Kelly his shot put behind by Odoffin. From the Jak Bidwell corner the ball found the head of Joel Latibeaudiere who headed in from close range. From the restart the Millers lost the ball to Kitching who found Eccles who had got the better of his marker and flew into the box letting fly but only to find the side netting. On twenty-seven minutes the hosts went three-up after a quick break from Simms saw him play a one-two ball with Wright before the former Everton man drilled the ball into the net to get his second of the night. Cameron Humphreys did well a few minutes later to clear a pass from Torp meant for Simms who was in acres of space the resulting corner finding Palmer who saw his effort go inches past the upright. The first change of the night saw Shane Ferguson replaced by Seb Revan for the Millers. Ten minutes after his second goal, Simms got his hat-trick after a ball into the box from Bidwell found Wright who sent it on to the running twenty-three year old who sent the ball into the top corner of the net making it four-nil. It might have been five in time added on when a Bobby Thomas cross into the box found the head of Simms but he put the ball over the crossbar.

Rotherham started the second half with  Arvin Appiah replacing Sam Nombe. The Millers got a couple of early free-kicks which came to nothing before Peter Kioso had an opportunity only to see the ball go inches over the cross bar before Ellis Simms took exception to Appiah getting close to him in the other box and pushed him giving the Millers a free-kick. A poor challenge on Joel Latibeaudiere saw Mr Busby issue a yellow card to Jordan Hugill followed by Appiah winning a corner for the visitors which Cafu curled in and City ‘keeper Bradley Collins did well to keep out although the whistle had gone for a foul. There were three changes for the hosts on the hour mark with Matt Godden,  Milan van Ewijk and Callum O’Hare coming on for Haji Wright, Josh Eccles and Kasey Palmer. And it was a fast break between two of those subs – Godden and can Ewijk – that saw the latter head wide a minute after coming on. A Bidwell corner was cleared as far as the third sub, O’Hare, who tried his luck from just outside the box clearing the cross bar. Cafu and Christ Tiehi worked the ball well between them with the Paris born midfielder forcing a save from Collins before  Andy Rinomhota and Jordan Hugill made way for Sam Clucas and Charlie Wyke. A ball in from Wyke found Kioso who saw his shot deflected for a corner which Clucas took aiming for Wyke but a City defender got there first to clear. Another corner for the Millers saw Clucas’ looking for the head of Odoffin but he sent the ball too high. City brought on Fabio Tavares for Ellis Simms while Peter Kioso made way for the Millers and Femi Seriki came on in his place. Viktor Johansson had to be on his toes when a corner came in and he stopped Matt Godden from scoring with O’Hare following-up shot wide. But he could do nothing a minute into two added on when a ball into the box from van Ewijk took a wicked deflection to find Tavares who slotted home to make it five-nil.

We looked defeated as soon as the game started and were probably still reeling from the dismal performance on Saturday but we were woeful in that first half and it looked like men v boys. Did we get better in the second? Yes, a little. But it looks like we have to go back to basics when training and learn how to pass a ball because there was little of that going on last night.

Attendance – 22,092

Referee – John Busby