Rotherham United won their first game under Neil Redfearn this afternoon when he took the Millers back to his former club, Leeds United, in a game that saw one goal, a couple of debuts and a sending off for each side.
Before the game there was a rendition of La Marseillaise to remember those who sadly lost their lives in Paris before the crowd fell silent for a minute.
It was a tentative start to the game with Leeds having the first sight of goal after new boy Stephen Kelly was adjudged to have pulled over Mirco Antenucci but it was Jonson Clarke-Harris who rose highest to head away Alex Mowatt`s free-kick. At the other end the other Millers debutant Leon Best got a superb ball from Joe Newell but saw his shot at goal go over the crossbar. On ten minutes Grant Ward won a free-kick which was taken by Newell and although Leeds` ‘keeper Marco Silvestri missed the ball it was also just a little wide for the lurking Best. On the quarter of an hour mark Chris Wood eased past Kelly but Kirk Broadfoot got in an excellent tackle to stop his cross going into the area before Grant Ward gets the visitors first corner of the game which Leeds easily cleared. A parried save from Millers ‘keeper Lee Camp fell to Stuart Dallas but the flag was raised as he put the ball into the net. The first yellow of the game went to Joe Mattock for a late challenge on Mirko Antenucci before some good defending from Best stopped Giuseppe Bellusci get into the box. On twenty-five minutes only some excellent goalkeeper from Camp stopped Mowatt opening the scoring when he got his fingertips to guide the ball round the post. Minutes later Broadfoot deflected a ball out for a corner before Best is back in defence when he gets a throw-in from a Leeds attack. Camp has to be on his toes again when he manages to tip a shot from Antenucci over the crossbar and a minute later saves well from Bellusci. On the half-hour mark the Millers win a free-kick and after much argy-bargy from the hosts players Richie Smallwood takes the kick and it crashes against the post only for referee Keith Stroud to demand the kick is re-taken and after showing a yellow card to Antenucci for encroachment Smallwood`s next effort hits the wall. With the half drawing to a close Dallas upended Newell but Grant Ward`s delivery from the resulting free-kick is collected by Silvestri before the Millers win a corner in time added on but it comes to nothing.
In the opening seconds of the second half Leeds almost open the scoring when Mirko Antenucci found himself with plenty of space and saw his shot go inches wide of the post with Lee Camp looking on. Some poor defending by the hosts which saw Giuseppe Bellusci slip and present the ball to Leon Best saw the ball hacked away before some lovely football from Chris Wood saw his shot just too heavy for Antenucci to get his toe on the end of. Stephen Kelly did well a minute later to get to the ball before Antenucci with the resulting corner seeing Camp catch amongst a host of bodies in the area. Then Rotherham stunned the Leeds faithful when they don`t clear a ball and it fell to Harry Toffolo, on for Mattock, who found Richie Smallwood whose pin-point cross found Joe Newell who headed the ball in off the post to give the Millers the lead. With the hosts still in shock Lee Frecklington was the next to try his luck but saw his shot deflected wide. Kirk Broadfoot was shown a yellow for dissent before a superb tackle from Toffolo denied Luke Murphy. Just after the hour mark the Millers could have made it two when Jonson Clarke-Harris turned the defender and shot at goal only to see Marco Silvestri get down well to save. A late tackle on Frecklington saw Murphy the next to be booked before Antenucci really should have equalised when he got the ball in the box but put his shot wide while Frecklington put the ball wide after a good corner in from Grant Ward at the other end. On seventy-two minutes a coming together of Best and Gaetano Berardi saw the Leeds man take umbrage to the Millers` striker`s aerial challenge which saw Best get a straight red followed by a red for Berardi for his reaction to the challenge. Lewis Cook should have done better with a shot from twenty yards out but blazed over before a silly challenge on Alex Mowatt by Newell saw the Miller get a yellow. With ten minutes to go the Millers found themselves a bit under the cosh and only some cool defending from Toffolo stopped Leeds equalising. Danny Ward, on for Clarke-Harris, and Bellusci square up to one another both seeing yellow for their trouble before Frecklington earns a free-kick which Newell takes and Leeds get away running down the other end only for Camp to come out and punch the ball to safety. As the board went up for an extra six minutes Wood really should have equalised after some good word from Jordan Botaka, on for Dallas, found the New Zealander`s head but he put the ball straight into the waiting arms of Camp. Botaka and Antenucci both have shots that went over bothering no-one except the Leeds fans behind the net before some neat work from Grant Ward saw him have a shot at goal which Silvestri could only turn behind for a corner which was the last action of the game.
At last a win for Neil Redfearn but more importantly three points on the board which sees the Millers rise above Bolton this evening.
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