Millers win first pre-season friendly

Rotherham United played their first pre-season friendly this afternoon when they took on Grimsby Town at Blundell Park and won three-one with goals from Cresswell, Grabban and Holroyd.

The Millers had a host of new players in the starting line-up - Conrad Logan in goal, Ben Pringle, Luke Foster, Gareth Evans and Lewis Grabban - while the Mariners started with new signings Craig Disley, Anthony Church and Damien Spencer.

The home side won the first corner of the match which Robert Eagle took but was easily headed away by a Millers defender. On fifteen minutes, Gareth Evans had a shot from twenty yards out, which sliced across goal and went out for a throw-in. Six minutes later the visitors went one up when skipper Ryan Cresswell, finding himself unmarked, brought the ball down in the centre of goal and beat Grimsby 'keeper Kenny Arthur with a neat finish. Five minutes later it looked like the Millers would make it two after Danny Harrison had a shot but it was deflected behind for a corner. With both sides seeing quite a lot of the ball, it was five minutes before half-time before Grimsby troubled the Millers loanee 'keeper, Conrad Logan, when a half-cleared corner found Charlie l'Anson twenty yards out and he shot only to see Logan make a good save. With a minute to go before half-time, the Millers doubled their lead when Lewis Grabban easily beat Scott Garner and put the ball in the back of the net from twelve yards out.

Both sides made a number of changes for the start of the second half and it didn't seem to do either any good as it was a bit of a scrappy start. It was on the hour mark that the Millers began to play football again with a good move down the left enabling Grabban to get the ball and have a shot, which, unfortunately for the Millers, went wide. At the other end the defenders did well to head away a Frankie Artus corner at the near post and, a few minutes later, Artus found Liam Hearn with a long ball, but he was no match for Dale Tonge, who out-muscled him on the edge of the area. On seventy-three minutes, the home side thought they'd pulled a goal back when the ball found the back of the net from a corner, but the referee disallowed it for a push on Jamie Annerson. The Millers then got a third when a low cross from Danny Schofield found Chris Holroyd at the near post who flicked the ball into the net. A minute later, the lead was cut back again when Hearn hit a good ball towards goal which came back off the post but found Rob Duffy lurking and he tapped the ball into the net to make it three-one. In the dying minutes of the game some good solo work from Marcus Marshall when he broke free and got the ball to Holroyd on the edge of the area. The former Brighton player shot at goal only to see his shot come back off the post and go to safety.

Good first work out for Andy Scott's lads today

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