Posh too good for Millers

Rotherham United ran out of steam tonight against Peterborough in the first round of the Carling Cup after going one up inside the first ten minutes.

The home side had four chances in the opening minute as Aaron McLean had a shot deflected wide, Ryan Bennett saw a header just go wide of Andy Warrington`s goal while George Boyd and James Wesolowski had shots saved on the line. So it was a bit against the run of play when Nicky Law shot was only cleared as far as Marcus Marshall and the former Blackburn Rovers player drilled the ball through the legs of Joe Lewis in Peterborough`s goal, to get his first goal for the Millers. The goal gave the visitors more confidence and they were stringing some crosses together, although not having too many shots at goal. Just after the half hour mark, Warrington made a great save with his legs to deny Craig Mackail-Smith before Charlie Lee curled a free-kick just wide of the upright. But Warrington failed to stop the equaliser after a Boyd corner found Ryan Bennett and he headed into the back of the net and a minute later Bennett should have scored again as the Millers back line went into slow motion and stood and watched his header go just wide. But three minutes later Posh did score when the visitors defence couldn`t handle a short corner when Boyd played a one-two with Wesolowski and his shot, from outside the area, went low past Warrington into the net. Just before half-time Jason Taylor got the ball to Nicky Law but the former Sheffield United players` volley went over the bar.

It was all Posh in the second half and on fifty minutes a cross from Boyd nearly went into the net followed by a succession of corners that came to nothing. On fifty-five minutes it looked like Boyd would score again when a neat one-two between him and Mendez-Laing was brilliantly saved by Warrington. But the Millers couldn`t hold out and on the hour mark, Mark Little found McLean and he slammed the ball into the roof of the net. McLean wasn`t to play much more part in this game after he and Danny Harrison both went for a fifty-fifty ball which left the tall striker on the floor in agony and, after medical treatment on the pitch was carried off on a stretcher. Ronnie Moore, who, due to injuries, international duties and having loan players unavailable were only able to name five substitutes this evening, made his only swap of the evening, taking off, much to the puzzlement of the Millers fans, Jason Taylor and replacing him with veteran Paul Warne. Following this were the visitors only two chances of the half came within a minute of each other when Adam Le Fondre, who had quite a lively game, curled the ball just wide of the goal on seventy-seven minutes and a minute later Nicky Law had a shot that went just wide too. Five minutes from time the home side made it four-one when Lee Tomlin, on for McLean, put a low cross into the box and Mackail-Smith prodded home at the back post.

At times, especially in the second half, this game looked like men playing boys with Rotherham never able to get themselves back into the game.