Millers beat Stags

Rotherham United took a strong team to take on Mansfield Town this afternoon at the One Call Stadium (Field Mill).

Starting with three up front (Daniel Nardiello, Kayode Odejayi and Kieran Agard) the Millers had the first shot on target after eight minutes when Nardiello saw a shot deflected into the side netting and from the resulting corner Odejayi header went just wide. Minutes later the Millers should have taken the lead when a long throw in from Kari Arneson was fumbled by Stags' 'keeper Alan Marriott and found Jason Taylor but the ball went over the net. At the other end Andy Warrington in the Millers' goal did well to come out and save from Matt Green. A few minutes later Marriott did well to hang onto a shot from Agard but the Millers pressure finally paid off when a lay off from Nardiello found Arnason and Aberdeen's Player of the Season last year smashed the ball into the top corner of the net from around twenty-five yards out. Ten minutes later the visitors went two up when some good work on the ball by David Noble found Arnason who played a good ball back to Nardiello who slotted the ball into the net.

The only Millers change at the start of the second half was Scott Shearer taking over from Warrington in goal and it wasn't long before he was picking the ball out of the net after Lee Stevenson scored for the home side to make it two-one. The game went a bit stale and the referee found his whistle while various substitutions slowed it down. On fifty-two minutes Agard charged into the area but his shot went just past the far post while a low shot from Gareth Evans on for Agard was saved by the feet of Marriott and Taylor had a header saved on the line. On seventy minutes the Millers made it three-one when a long throw from Arnason found its way to Mark Bradley, on for Laurence Wilson, and he slotted it into the net. But the two goal cushion only lasted a minute when the Stags went straight down the other end and Matt Green made it three-two. In the final minutes of the game Steve Evans, who seemed to enjoy the songs from the Millers fans aimed at him all afternoon, gave youth lads Phil Woods and Connor Johnson a run-out. Mansfield came close to an equaliser when former Miller Gary Roberts saw a shot go wide from twenty- yards out and Jake Speight fired over while, in time added on at the other end, Gareth Evans smashed a shot that hit that left the crossbar rattling as he went out to safety.

A good work out for the Millers today and there was a lot of shouting and pointing coming from the bench.

Teams today

Stags

Marriott

Thomspon

Jones

Pilkington

Beevers

Tolley

Howell (Roberts)

Stevenson (Clements)

Dyer

Green (Speight)

Meikle (Wright)

Subs not used - Redmond, Dempster, Briscoe, Rhead, Hand, Poku

Millers

Warrington (Shearer)

Vidal

Sharps (Johnson)

Mullins

Wilson (Bradley)

Noble

Taylor (Woods)

Arnason (Pringle)

Nardiello (Ainsworth)

Odejayi (Revell)

Agard (Evans)

Sub not used - O'Connor

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