Millers defeat means City promoted

A promotion, a penalty, a sending off and a penalty save was the order of the day for the last game of the season which saw Exeter City promoted to League One.

The game started brightly and in the first few minutes, Ryan Taylor found Reuben Reid in the box but the Millers top scorer put his shot over the bar from a tight angle. On thirteen minutes the Millers should have gone in front when Drewe Broughton got himself into space and lifted his shot over Paul Jones in the Grecians goal. The only place the ball was going was in the back of the net and the Millers fans were up and celebrating when Troy Archibald-Henville managed to get back and clear off the line. The visitors then had three chances in as many minutes, the first was from Stuart Fleetwood who mis-hit his shot as nerves seemed to get the better of him. Then Dean Moxey got free of his marker but his header was straight at Andy Warrington and then Fleetwood again fired over from inside the box. As half-time approached, Jones was caught off his line again when Jamie Green nipped down the wing and shot towards goal but the 'keeper managed to back pedal and push the ball onto the bar and over for a corner.

At half-time the Millers were presented with the League 2A Trophy from Sky Sports for finishing top of the teams who started on minus points in August. Stephen Brogan accepted the award.

The second half started a bit tentative and it was Green again who skipped his way past Steve Tulley into the penalty area but his shot curled just over the bar. Two minutes later Reid had a shot deflected which fell to Ryan Taylor but the ball was smothered by Jones before he could get a shot in. But the vital goal for Exeter came on seventy minutes when City got a corner which Matt Gill took. He found Rob Edwards and his pass found the head of Richard Logan who looped the ball over Warrington to the delight of the two thousand five hundred who had made the long trip up to Sheffield. Five minutes later Taylor should have made it two but his header went just wide. Then the home side were reduced to ten men as Dale Tonge brought Craig McAllister down in the penalty area, and, being the last man, referee Paul Taylor brought out the red card straight away. Fleetwood stepped up to take the spot kick, but Andy Warrington pulled off a great save. In the final few minutes the Millers piled on the pressure but to no avail as they fell to a defeat on the final game of the season.

Despite plea's to keep off the pitch and blue and white tape being put up (they might have been better with domestos because that's supposed to stop ninety-nine per cent of everything) fans from both sides ran onto the pitch to confront their hero's as the final whistle blew. Millers fans congratulated Millers players, Grecian fans were wild with delight as their fans and players mingled to celebrate going up and both sets of supporters applauded each other.

In the end, perhaps the better team did win today, but that's not to say that Rotherham didn't try.

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