Not such a Good Friday for Millers

Rotherham United let a two goal lead slip last night against a Northampton Town side who are looking to stave off relegation.

Rotherham started the game the more lively and, in the opening, minutes, Nicky Law, who started on the right, got in a good shot from the edge of the area but saw his shot rise and go just over the crossbar. But, two minutes later he had got the ball in the net when he ran down the left and got passed defenders into the area and shot a low drive into the net which hit Paul Rodgers on the way in. On fifteen minutes the Cobblers started to hit back and only a good save from Jamie Annerson, in the Millers` goal, stopped Michael Jacobs from scoring and a three minutes later the same player hit a shot that thudded back off the bottom of the upright. At the other end both Danny Harrison and Mark Bradley tried shots that went over and on twenty-seven minutes a Tom Newey free-kick was much too high for Ryan Cresswell to get his head to. On the half-hour mark a Cobblers` free-kick found Byron Webster unmarked and with an open goal at his mercy the defender hesitated just that second too long and the ball hit the upright and went out. Eight minutes later, a Tom Newey curling free-kick, which seemed to surprise everyone including Newey himself, was tipped round the post by 'keeper Steven Collis. On the stroke of half-time the Millers doubled their lead when Cresswell sent a free-kick into the area and found an advancing Ryan Taylor who stuck the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Dale Tonge tried a long range shot that was well saved by Collis and, at the other end, Harrad blasted the ball high over the bar. Newey tried his luck from another free-kick but Collis easily saved. On sixty-seven minutes the home side were awarded a free-kick and Michael Uwezu, on for Paul Rogers, hit the foot of the post and in the scramble that followed, Leon McKenzie, on for Webster, toe poked the ball over the line. After that it was the Cobblers who showed more urgency and the Millers could feel themselves lucky to see a shot from Jacobs sail just wide of the post while Tonge did well to clear off the line from a Jacobs`s corner while Josh Walker hit a shot just over the crossbar. In the dying minutes of the game all the action was centred around the Annerson`s goal and Andrew Holt, on for Uwezu, had a shot headed off the line and an effort from Harrad went just wide. When it was announced that there would be four minutes of time added on, the Millers fans hearts sunk a little and on the ninety-third minute, Liam Davis smashed the ball into the back of the net for the equaliser. The home fans went wild and a mini pitch invasion took place which bizarrely included a fan in a wheelchair!

A point may not be enough for what either team really need but it was the Cobblers fans who went home the happier last night.
A word about the officials last night - the referee, as refs do, got some things wrong but he was letting some very 'meaty' tackles go which although he wasn`t helped by a linesman who made an error in the opening minutes of the match and got worse as the game went on, only seeming to give decisions when the crowd demanded it.
I think Andy Scott will have learned one thing from last night and that`s don`t try and defend a lead until we are four goals up.

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