Happy New Year as Millers go Second

Rotherham United pushed their way into second place in League Two this evening after thumping a sorry looking Port Vale at Don Valley by five goals to nil.

The Millers dominated the game from the start and Johnny Mullins had the ball in the net as early as the third minute but while the Millers` fans were jumping to their feet applauding, referee Graham Salisbury, who, in my opinion actually spoiled the game today, was giving a goal kick for either off side or a push, no one seems clear which.
But, after ten minutes they did take the lead after Ryan Taylor headed the ball down to Will Atkinson and he in turn found Nicky Law who smashed the ball into the back of the net from fifteen yards out. A few minutes later Vale 'keeper, Stuart Tomlinson did well to keep out a shot from Marcus Marshall but he couldn`t do anything five minutes later when Danny Coid picked out Ryan Taylor and put a powerful header into the net past Tomlinson. The visitors first shot came on thirty minutes but Andy Warrington was equal to the deflected shot off Justin Richards and a minute later it went really pear shaped for Vale when Tomlinson was shown a red card after a poor challenge on Marshall just outside the area. In the final minutes of the half, with Coid of the field injured, Lee Collins put in a good cross for Marc Richards but he fired way over the bar.

Just thirty seconds into the second half and the Millers went three up. Law put a super, low ball into the area and with a muddle of players all around, stand in 'keeper, Chris Martin just stood and watched as Atkinson flicked the ball past him and into the net. Five minutes later Martin did well to push the ball over the bar from an Adam Le Fondre shot but the fourth goal did come on sixty eight minutes when the Vale defence partially cleared a Tom Newey cross which fell to Ryan Taylor who hooked the ball over his shoulder and over Martin into the top corner of the net. A minute later Marshall put in a good cross to Fenton but the stand-in skipper only managed to find the arms of Martin. On sixty four minutes Mark Randall came on for Nicky Law and didn`t waste any time getting on the ball from a Mullins throw-in and smashing just under the crossbar into the back of the net to make it five-nil. In the dying minutes, but for a brilliant save from Andy Warrington, Vale would have got a consolation when Marc Richards tried a left-footed volley.

What a great start to 2011! It was a good team effort today and if any of the goals scored by Law, Taylor or Randall had been by Premiership players they would have been shown over and over again on TV. Well done, Millers!

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