Millers beat Brewers

Rotherham United survived a late come back by Burton to secure themselves a place in the next round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy this evening at the Pirelli Stadium.

With both Managers taking the opportunity to have different personnel on show, it was the Brewers who almost scored in the opening minute ironically from a move that started with a Rotherham corner. Lewis Young put Garyn Preen through on goal but his effort was saved at the second attempt well by Jamie Annerson in the visitors goal. Shortly afterwards the Millers players seem to stand back and admire Greg Pearson as he ran towards goal but he fired wide. On seventeen minutes Pearson was again clean through on goal but his shot was deflected wide for a corner. The Millers first real sign of pressure came on the half-hour mark when Nicky Law sent Jamie Green down the wing and just before the diminutive defender could have a shot, in stepped the Brewer's Andy Corbett to put him off his stride. A few minutes later Russell Penn put a ball over the top for Pearson to run onto but he shot well over from twenty yards out and shortly afterwards Annerson did very well to get down and turn a Pearson shot round the post.

The Millers came out fighting in the second half when Kevin Ellison latched onto a mistake by Corbett who then brought down the Millers player in the area but the appeals from the Millers was waved away by referee Booth. Jimmy Phillips and Jack Dyer, on for Penn, caused the Rotherham defence a few problems but it was the visitors who broke deadlock on sixty-five minutes when a good lay-off from Green found Mark Bradley who turned and hit a superb ball past the flaying forty-seven year old Kevin Poole in Burton's goal and into the back of the net. Five minutes later, at the other end, Annerson was on hand again to stop a cross from Phillips getting to Dyer. On seventy-nine minutes, the Millers doubled their lead when Ellison was again bundled over in the penalty area and, with ironic cheers from the Millers' supporters, the referee pointed to the spot. With usual penalty taker, Adam Le Fondre, sitting this game out, Ellison himself put the ball down, turned round and struck a perfect penalty right down the middle into the net. And it should have been three just minutes later when a Jason Taylor shot was deflected to Bradley but, under pressure, the Welsh international could only put the ball wide. Then, as often happens, the Millers let their opposition back into the game when a Dyer cross to Paul Boertien eventually found Richard Walker, on for Lewis Young, and he slotted the ball under a diving Annerson. Burton were up for it then but the Millers hung on to the lead that puts them into the next round of the competition.

Not a very exciting game in not a very exciting ground in front of just over thirteen hundred spectators.

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