Millers dumped out of Cup

Rotherham United were stunned this evening at Bootham Crescent as Blue Square Premier side, York City, put three goals past them in thirteen minutes of the second half of this FA Cup replay.

The Millers injury bad luck continued when, during the warm up, in front of the Millers fans, skipper, Ryan Cresswell, broke down holding his back and couldn't start the game, Luke Ashworth being the last minute replacement. The hosts should have gone ahead in the opening minutes when Daniel Parslow got past three Millers defenders but saw his shot blaze over Jamie Annerson's crossbar. A few minutes later the Minstermen got a free-kick but Annerson easily saved Chris Carruthers kick and on seventeen minutes a shot from Michael Rankine was blocked by Nick Fenton while Marcus Marshall was on hand to clear the resulting corner. The Millers started to get into the game and on twenty-five minutes Ryan Taylor headed the ball down for Stephen Brogan who found himself in space in the box but his shot bounced off the post to safety. Minutes later Brogan was guilty of the worst miss of the game when, with the goalmouth gaping he shot curiously wide. On thirty-six minutes Luke Ashworth got to a Brogan corner but his right footed volley was well saved by Michael Ingham in the City goal. Adam Le Fondre was the next guilty one, when through on goal, his shot went over the bar and just before the interval Ryan Taylor had a shot charged down.

The second half, however, was a different game and whatever Ronnie Moore had said to the Millers at half-time didn't work because they were out-run, out-challenged and out-played for the whole forty-eight minutes. Michael Rankine began to take the Millers apart in the first two minutes when he had a shot blocked by Ashworth, followed a minute later with Jonathan Smith rounding Annerson and getting the ball over to Rankine who's shot was blocked by Tom Newey. At the other end, Ryan Taylor took advantage of a defensive mix up but his effort went narrowly wide of the upright. The home side took a deserved lead on sixty-six minutes after a free-kick by Danny Racchi was only partially cleared and fell to Rankine whose cross found the head of Chris Smith who put the ball in the back of the net. Three minutes later, Ashworth tumbled James Fyfield, on for Carruthers, down in the area and Rankine scored from the resulting penalty and they should have had another when a Racchi free-kick rattled the crossbar minutes later. What little energy the Millers had then left them as York completely took over the game and it was of no surprise when goal number three went in from Rankine who placed his shot in the far corner of the net on seventy-eight minutes. As disgruntled Millers fans began to dwindle out of the ground Nick Fenton came close while a Nicky Law shot went well wide of the goal. But, really there was no fight from Ronnie Moore's men and they seemed as thankful as the fans when the referee blew the final whistle.

The Millers missed a number of chances in the first half but there was only one team who came out for the second half wanting to win the tie and that team go to meet Darlington in the next round in
ten days.

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