Millers lose to last minute goal

Rotherham United will count themselves very unlucky to have lost this tie against neighbours Sheffield United at Don Valley tonight.

The Millers started the brighter and a Danny Harrison effort from the edge of the area was deflected for the first of three corner in the opening three minutes. But, it was the visitors who, against the run of play, got the first goal on eight minutes. Neil Collins got a header forward and, although Michael Raynes did his best to put him off, Chris Porter slipped the ball past re-called Andy Warrington in the Millers' goal. But the League Two side's heads didn't go down and on nineteen minutes Lewis Grabban's shot stung the hands of Blades' 'keeper George Long while appeals for handball against Nick Montgomery were waved away by referee Sutton. Ten minutes later Raynes did his defensive job well after Matt Lowton found himself in space and putting the ball into the path of the onrushing Richard Cresswell, Raynes deflected the ball away. In the final minutes of the half, Jason Taylor had a good shot at goal from twenty yards out that Long did well to get a hand to and put it out for a corner.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Blades had a shout for a penalty when they thought Tom Newey handled in the area but, like the one in the first half, the referee waved it away. On fifty-four minutes Ched Evans saw a curling shot rebound off the crossbar to Kevin McDonald but his shot went straight to Warrington. At the other end, Grabban avoided two challenges and put in a square-ball for Alex Revell but the Millers' stand-in skipper couldn't quite get to it but it found Ben Pringle who hesitated just enough for Montgomery to get a tackle in. Mark Bradley was then stretchered off with a serious shoulder injury, with both sets off fans standing to applaud the Millers midfielder. On sixty-nine minutes a good ball from Danny Harrison to Taylor eventually found Grabban. The striker's shot struck the post but the rebound found Revell who slammed it into the back of the net for the equaliser. A minute later Raynes again was on hand to stop Cresswell getting a certain goal while Warrington made a magnificent save from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, on for Daniel Philliskirk, who curled a good looking shot in. In the last ten minutes of the game, Pringle had a shot saved and Danny Schofield blazed over the crossbar with the Blades defence and 'keeper beaten. With six minutes injury time, the game was ninety-five plus minutes old when disaster struck for the Millers when Jean-Francois Lescinel brought the ball out of defence and got it to Evans who fired from the edge of the box and saw the ball hit the post and go into the net. A minute later a poor back pass from Newey was intercepted by Evans but Warrington got down well to save with his legs.

Definitely the worst team won tonight with the Millers playing much the better football throughout the game.

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