Millers Shoot down Shots

One goal settled this close contest at the Recreation Ground this afternoon to give the Millers five straight away wins in a row.

Mark Robins named the same side that beat Luton in mid-week while Gary Waddock had to make several changes due to injuries. The visitors started the more positive when Ian Sharps crossed to Reuben Reid on two minutes but the ball just outran him. On eleven minutes, Reid collected a ball and more with what looked like hope than skill he struck the ball from twenty yards out and it swerved past Mikhael Jaimez Ruiz and into the centre of the net to give the Millers the lead. And it should have been doubled minutes later when Drewe Broughton was fouled on the edge of the area and from the resulting free kick Reid shot the ball towards goal and it was deflected just over the bar. On the twenty-second minute, a Broughton header forced Jaimez-Ruiz to make a saving dive. John Grant had a chance to equalise when Jake Robinson found him in the six yard box but he couldn’t quite make contact with the ball and from the clearance Justin Cochrane’s effort was blocked by a Millers’ defender. Dean Howell saw a header drift just wide while Mark Burchill, at the other end, was denied by Jaimez-Ruiz just before half-time.

The Millers were the first to have a shot at goal in the second half when Dale Tonge’s cross was headed just wide of the back post by Burchill. Andy Warrington had to make his first real stop of the game when Danny Hylton, on for Grant, had a header that looked like it was going in until Warrington managed to palm the ball away and a few minutes later a Lewis Chalmers header went just wide. Jaimez-Ruiz then made a good save from Reid before Warrington had to be at his best to parry away a strike from twenty-five yards out from Hylton. A slip from Ricky Newman almost let in Reid again but Anthony Charles got in a good tackle to deny him a shot. In the final minutes of the game the home side were desperately looking for an equiliser and Warrington dived to push away a strike from Anthony Straker while the follow up from Charles was well held on the line by the Millers ‘keeper.

A good three points for the Millers, who were intent on putting one over on Aldershot after being on the end of two defeats from them this season.