Millers v Cardiff Abandoned

Rotherham United A-A Cardiff City

Rotherham United probably ‘got away with one’ this afternoon as a downpour that flooded both ends of the pitch and the sides ended up with the game being abandoned just after half-time.

Changes for the Millers saw Tyler Blackett get his first start while the ‘injured’ Bailey Wright started with Wes Harding and Leo Hjelde moving to the bench. City started the better and with just five minutes on the clock when Jaden Philogene got the ball in the box and let fly to see the ball go into the back of the net and send the visiting fans wild. Chieo Ogbene won a free-kick which Shane Ferguson sent into the box for Lee Peltier who let fly seeing the ball go out for a corner. Some clever work by Hakeem Odoffin found Jordan Hugill but as the Millers striker was about to shoot the linesman flag went up for offside. Minutes later a shot from Ogbene was blocked going out to Odoffin but again the linesman’s flag went up before a Ferguson corner was punched neatly away by Ryan Allsop in the City goal who threw it up the pitch to a grey shirted player but Conor Coventry was there to block. Cardiff were finding a lot of space around the goal area and just before the half-hour mark Cameron Humphreys did well to stop a shot from Mahlon Romeo and minutes later at the other end a shot from Coventry was scrambled away. In the final minutes of the half Kion Etete received treatment before Perry Ng sent a free-kick into the box the ball hitting the crossbar. It was obvious to anyone in the ground that it wasn’t working and Rotherham brought on Jamie Lindsay for Shane Ferguson before half-time while Kion Etete was subbed for the visitors with Sheyi Ojo. The ball found the head of Lindsay who sent it down for Ogbene his shot going inches past the post before Millers’ ‘keeper Viktor Johansson got down to a shot from Ojo.


At half-time the club decided (in their wisdom(?) to put the sprinklers on the pitch and Rotherham made two changes for the start of the second half With Lee Peltier and Hakeem Odoffin making way for Peter Kioso and Georgie Kelly. Just three minutes into the half referee Langford took the players off as the rain came down in sheets. The referee came out when it had stopped raining and there was water on the pitch, the ball wouldn’t bounce. The Rotherham groundsmen did their best to sweep the water away but it just came back on again. At, what should have been full-time, the club announced that the game was postponed.

Yes, I can feel sorry for the Cardiff fans who’d travelled from Wales today but, the pitch really was only fit to play water polo or to bring on the lifeboats.

There is no word yet of when it will be re-arranged.