Match Reports

Smith Goal Gives Millers Win

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Rotherham United 1 Ipswich Town 0
Smith (78)

Rotherham United got back to winning ways this lunch time when a Michael Smith goal was enough to give them all three points at home to Ipswich Town.

The hosts got an early corner thanks to good work from Arsenal loanee Jordi Osei-Tutu with the ball finding Michael Smith who put it across the box for Wes Harding. The Jamaican international saw his shot blocked but came back out to Chieo Ogbene who put it over. At the other end Ollie Rathbone did well to stop Janoi Donacien getting into a good position and from the resulting corner the Millers broke and tried to get Ogbene on the ball with the Millers winning a free-kick through a hand ball which Osei-Tutu took finding Michael Ihiekwe who headed over. On eight minutes the Millers were suddenly under the cosh when Town beat the offside, the ball falling to James Norwood in front of goal but the forward scuffed his shot and sent it flying over the crossbar. Smith and Ogbene were working well together and sent Osei-Tutu off on a run but his cross was too hard and went out. Rotherham were forced into a change on twenty-one minutes after Mickel Miller went down and despite treatment on the pitch limped off with Dan Barlaser taking his place. A Ben Wiles free-kick came back to him from Jamie Lindsay and won a corner which was cleared. Some good pressing from the Millers ended when Donacien took the ball down the pitch with Millers’ ‘keeper Viktor Johansson doing well to get the ball away from Wes Burns who was lurking at the far post. After Burns received the ball in space a good tackle from Ollie Rathbone stopped him finding the dangerous Bersant Celina. A foul on Osei-Tutu saw the midfielder fouled and had to have treatment and straight away was back in action when Barlaser found him with a through ball who got the better of Burns with the Ipswich man tripping him after the ball and getting a yellow card. As the board went up for three extra minutes a good tackle on Celina by Rathbone saw Celina come at the Millers man and push him over. While the Rotherham fans were baying for a red card, the Ipswich players surrounded referee Peter Wright who, after pushing everyone away gave the Kosovo international a yellow card much to the majority of the fans disappointment. The free-kick came to nothing and Mr Wright blew for half-time.

Ipswich started the second half as they finished the first with a yellow card this time to James Norwood for, what looked like an elbow, on Michael Ihiekwe as he went up for the ball with the Millers’ skipper needed treatment. Chieo Ogbene was the next player to end up on the floor after a trip by Tyreeq Bakinson with the resulting free-kick which Dan Barlaser put over the head of Michael Smith in the box. A cross from Jordi Osei-Tutu found Ogbene who saw his shot come back out to Rarmani Edmonds-Green with the defender firing wide. A late challenge on Rathbone resulting in another booking for the visitors this time it went to Luke Woolfenden. The resulting set-piece was taken by Barlaser with Smith getting to it but heading into the side netting. A good challenge by Wes Harding stopped Bakinson in his tracks after he’d got to a loose ball before Edmonds-Green saw yellow for dragging back Norwood who was in a good position. On sixty-five minutes Viktor Johansson was first to a ball in his area with Sone Aluko rushing in and catching the Millers shot-stopper resulting in the Ipswich player getting a yellow card – though most of us Rotherham fans thought it deserved more. While Johansson received treatment Town made two changes fetching Macauley Bonne and Conor Chaplin for James Norwood and Sone Aluko. And minutes after getting back to his feet Johansson did well after Harding originally cleared but the ball fell to Wes Burns whose hard shot was held by the Rotherham ‘keeper. At the other end a Barlaser corner found the head of Smith who saw Ipswich ‘keeper Christian Walton palm away and his defence clear. More pressure from the hosts finally paid dividends when, on seventy-eight minutes a Harding long throw found Jordi Osei-Tutu who saw his shot blocked but only as far as Smith whose low effort flew into the corner of the net for his twenty-fifth goal of the season sending the Millers fans wild. The final change for Ipswich saw Joe Pigott on for Bersant Celina followed a couple of minutes later by a Millers change which saw Richard Wood on for Osei-Tutu who had gone down and limped off. The board went up for nine added minutes and it was the Millers who pressed getting corners and throw-ins with Smith seeing a shot go inches past the post and, from a Ben Wiles cross, headed over. As the clock ticked down Michael Ihiekwe and Johansson had to be on their toes to stop Sam Morsey getting to a cross before the referee blew for full-time.

It was happy Millers who left the New York Stadium after this early kick-off in front of the TV cameras talking about a good performance from their team – and hoping for more to come.

Attendance 9,364 with 1,087 coming from Suffolk

Referee – Peter Wright

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