The game could well have changed on a second half substitution at Glanford Park yesterday afternoon when Paul Warne brought on Joe Newell for Jon Taylor just after the hour mark. The game was balanced at one-one and Newell’s first touch of the ball was to get it off a peculiar overhead kick from Richie Towell and stick it in the net. It gave the Millers the lead for the second time in the game, the first goal coming in the first half from Taylor.
Scunthorpe’s goalkeeper Matt Gilks had to be replaced after a bit of a bizarre injury which he did to himself. He collected the ball and went to launch it to an outfield player but seemed to go head-over-heels falling to the ground holding his knee. After treatment he tried to carry on but after a few minutes Jon Taylor and Gilks went for the same ball with the Iron ‘keeper coming off the worst and was replaced by Rory Watson whose first touch of the ball was to get it out of the net after Newell’s goal.
Unfortunately for the Millers they couldn’t hold on and, for the second time in the match, Scunthorpe drew level with a bit of a scrappy goal to give away. Their first equaliser was given as an og but, to be honest, it was on it’s way into the back of the net before it took a deflection off Michael Ihiekwe.
As the Millers Boss said in his post-match interview it was a good game for any neutral to watch – it was definitely a nail biting game for us Millers fans to watch and, I’m guessing, for the Iron fans too.
After it was reported in the Scunthorpe Telegraph earlier in the week that Millers winger Ryan Williams thought that Rotherham were better than Scunthorpe, the Australian came in for a bit of stick, one tackle in the first half being well worthy of a yellow but referee Tim Robinson did nothing, although did book visiting midfielder Matty Palmer for a handball which he couldn’t have done much about.
After the game the visiting fans were all mumbling that the Millers should have won it, should have been out of sight in the first half – well, I didn’t quite see it like that. Yes, we could have had more goals but then so could Scunthorpe.
So, on to Wednesday night when it’s part two, this time with the Millers having home advantage – and it’s a game one team will have to win.
Glanford Park
League One Play-Off Semi-Final First Leg
11/05/0018 1:30 pm
Attendance: 6591
Referee: Tim Robinson
| Scunthorpe United | Rotherham United | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ihiekwe (og), (18), McGeehan (88) | Taylor (17), Newell (64) | ||||||
| Gilks (Watson 62) | Rodak | ||||||
| Clarke | Emmanuel | ||||||
| Townsend | Mattock | ||||||
| McArdle | Ihiekwe | ||||||
| Wallace | Wood | ||||||
| Yates | Vaulks | ||||||
| Adelakun (McGeehan 75) | Palmer | ||||||
| Ojo | Towell (Ajayi 72) | ||||||
| Morris | Taylor (Newell 63) | ||||||
| Toney (Hopper 90+4) | Williams (Forde 90+6) | ||||||
| Holmes | Smith | ||||||
Substitutes |
|||||||
| Watson | Price | ||||||
| Burgess | Ajayi | ||||||
| Vermijl | Purrington | ||||||
| Bishop | Forde | ||||||
| McGeehan | Newell | ||||||
| Hopper | Ball | ||||||
| Novak | Lavery | ||||||
Game Statistics |
||
| 18 | Goal attempts | 13 |
| 5 | On Target | 3 |
| 9 | Corners | 3 |
| 14 | Fouls | 22 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 53 | % | 47 |