Poor Weather And Equally Poor Game Sees Another Home Loss For Millers

Rotherham United 0 Wycombe Wanderers 1
                                            Kashnet (5)

Rotherham United’s second home defeat in a week left Millers fans scratching their head this afternoon wondering why the team seem to be able to perform away from the New York Stadium much better than at home.

It wasn’t the best game as just under eight a half thousand wet and dripping fans made their way into the ground but it was the visiting five hundred who were cheering on five minutes when Anthony Stewart saw Scott Kashnet get clear of his marker sending him a long ball which he slotted into the bottom corner of the net to give them an early lead. A foul on Jamie Lindsay saw referee Neil Hair show the first yellow of the game to Rolando Aarons with the free-kick coming to nothing. Matthew Olosunde did well to round a few Wycombe defenders but his cross wasn’t the best with the same player rising above everyone minutes later to reach a Ben Wiles ball but his header was an easy catch for Ryan Allsop in the visitors goal. Michael Smith was booked after clipping the heels of Joe Jacobson and when Chiedozie Ogbene chased a poor back pass Stewart saw yellow for fetching him down and two minutes later Billy Jones was booked for what looked like a coming together between him and David Wheeler. On twenty-five minutes Ogbene got himself free and running down the left sent a ball into the area for Smith but the centre-forward saw his header go wide before he had to help out at the other end to stop Aarons getting a shot away. Some good work from Smith saw his shot blocked and after a number of corners Wiles sends one in towards Smith but Allsop first punched away then went down and was given a free-kick. In time added on at the end of the first half the Millers had Daniel Iversen to thank for diving across his goal to keep a shot from Kashnet out and stop the visitors doubling their lead.

The second half saw a change for each side with Jake Hastie on for Billy Jones for Rotherham and the visitors replacing Dominic Gape, who had a knock before half-time, with Alex Pattison. Matthew Olosunde did well to stop Rolando Aarons getting a header towards goal before a Wiles corner up the other end hit a Wycombe head and went just wide with the following corner being dropped by Ryan Allsop before his defence cleared. A poor challenge on Jamie Lindsay resulted in a yellow card for Alex Pattison although as much as poor a foul on Ogbene by Mat Bloomfield got nothing. Hastie, lively since coming on at half-time, was getting set-pieces into the box with no joy and when he had a go himself Allsop was there to save. Richard Wood, who had a head injury in the first half, was replaced by Trevor Clarke which was followed by Matt Crooks taking too long to shoot from just outside the box and the ball was taken off him. Paul Warne’s last throw of the dice saw him take Matthew Olosunde off and fetching on Carlton Morris. Some good defending from Stewart stopped a low cross from Ogbene causing problems before some good work from Clarke saw him get the ball towards the feet of Smith only for a Wycombe defender to put it behind for a corner. The actual biggest cheer of the afternoon went to the linesman on the Family Stand side who had been getting flak from the fans there all afternoon (and really needs to learn the off-side rule) who slipped over on the wet turf. Matt Crooks was the latest to be booked for a foul on Jacobson which was followed by the visitors fetching on Adebayo Akinfenwa replacing Rolando Aarons. With ten minutes to go an acrobatic save from Iversen saw him save from Bloomfield. The visitors last change saw Nnamdi Ofoborh on for goalscorer Scott Kashket. A superb pass from Clarke got the ball to Smith who looked like getting the equaliser until Curtis Thompson stopped him in his tracks followed by a shot from distance by Crooks which was way off target. With three minutes to go Carlton Morris saw yellow although he appeared to get the ball from Jacobson. In the final moments of time added on a headed pass from Hastie found the head of Lindsay but the ball was blocked and put to safety.

A bad day at the office I suppose you’d call it. Or, as I think, too many players having an off day. (I seem to be repeating myself a bit of late).

Referee – Neil Hair

Attendance – 8,337 (512 Wycombe fans)