RUFC Reserves beat Forest

Rotherham United Reserves 2 v Nottingham Forest Reserves 0

Rotherham United beat a young Nottingham Forest side this afternoon at Don Valley to remain top of the totesport.com league.

The first half was a pretty even affair although Tom Pope and Paul Warne showed their class with Pope a couple of times pushing his way through the Forest defence like a dose of salts and after a Warne-Pope one-two, Forest 'keeper, Zannetos Mytides, did well to get down and hold onto Pope's shot. Mytides came to Forests rescue again when Stephen Brogan found himself free in front of goal but Mytides was quick to close him down and the ball ended in his arms. A few minutes later Brogan took a super free-kick which found Chris Arthur, but the trialist hit the ball just over the bar. At the other end, loanee, Paul Downing, did well to clear the ball off the line after Darragh Raynor, had rounded Jamie Annerson in the Millers' goal. Downing then went up the other end and shot from twelve yards out but Mytides was equal to it.

Forest should have taken the lead in the opening minutes of the second half when Patrick Bamford skipped past the Millers defence and with Annerson running out to close him down, he put the ball just past the far post. But it was the Millers who took the lead on fifty-six minutes when a Warne cross into the box wasn't dealt with and Tom Elliott pounced to head the ball into the net. Then Bamford should have equalised for the visitors but his glancing header went just over the bar from six yards out. The experience began to show and both Elliott and Warne, who hit the post, could have scored before Rotherham wrapped it up on eighty-eight minutes when Pope dispossessed David Morgan and bustled his way through the Forest defenders before sliding the ball beyond Mytides.

Good win for the Millers and good news that Dale Tonge played the whole ninety minutes, his first game since March because of injuries. Also back from injury was Grant Darley who came off the bench for the last thirty minutes.

Teams
Millers
Annerson
Tonge
Downing
Hall
Green
Warne
Banks (Darley)
Brogan
Arthur (Lammy)
Pope
Elliott
Subs not used - Royles, Hiley, Hancock

Forest
Mytides
Kay (Morgan)
Lascelles
Byrne
Osborn (Andrews)
Artymatas
Gibbons
Meadows
Laifis (Papworth)
Bamford
Raynor
Subs not used - Furlong, Tinsley, Markey

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