Shrimpers Net Points at Don Valley

No Effort, No Pride, No Passion.

That is how I'd describe the Rotherham United side that lost four-nil at Don Valley this afternoon to Southend United. Two shots in ninety minutes on goal at 'home' is not what we expect from the Millers this season and it definitely isn't promotion form.

The game didn't start brightly but it was the Millers who had the first chance on six minutes when a curling shot from Danny Harrison which was well saved by Glenn Morris in the visitors goal and moments later Dale Tonge saw a shot go over the bar. At the other end Millers' 'keeper, Conrad Logan, did well to keep out a shot from Michael Timlin. However, just two minutes later a Peter Gilbert short corner, although there were many doubts about it actually being a corner, to Timlin was put into the area and, after the Millers failed to clear the ball, it fell to Gilbert who fizzed the ball past a helpless Logan. Minutes later Timlin curled in a shot from twenty yards out that went just past the post but Rotherham should have equalised when a Danny Schofield corner found Alex Revell's head but his header was deflected wide. A minute later another good ball in from Schofield found Lewis Grabban but his header was cleared off the line by Timlin.

The second half was just two minutes old when the visitors doubled their lead when a long throw from Ryan Leonard was only half heartedly cleared by the Millers defence and falling to his feet, Timlin left Logan with no chance as he volleyed home. Tom Newey was on had ten minutes later to make a good tackle to stop Timlin getting the visitors third but, just after the hour mark, the twenty-six year old did score with a thunderous shot from the edge of the box. Four minutes later and the visitors made it four when a back heeled pass from Liam Dickinson found Leonard and his pass left the Millers defence standing still, found Neil Harris who tapped it into the back of the net. Dickinson nearly got on the scores sheet himself but his shot went just past the upright. The only real chance the Millers had was on seventy-two minutes when Chris Holroyd, who had replace Marcus Marshall at half-time, had a shot blocked and the ball fell to Grabban but the ball went over the crossbar without troubling Morris.

An easy win for Southend today with the Millers hardly getting out of the starting blocks. For the first time I actually think Andy Scott got the substitutions wrong today taking off Schofield and Brown who I thought were the two of the better players on the pitch. But, hey ho, it's only September and let's hope today was just a blip.

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