Sorry Millers Soundly Beaten

Rotherham United lost their second league game of the season at the New York Stadium this afternoon when they were outplayed by visiting Southend.

The visitors had two corners in the opening minute, one that was well tipped over by Scott Shearer and the second which found Michael Timlin just outside the area but who shot wide. Five minutes later Ian Sharps was on hand to clear a Sean Clohessy shot and he was at the other end a few minutes later to get on the end of a Michael O'Connor corner that just missed the target. The first real effort for the Millers was from O'Connor who found himself in space but instead of going for goal himself tried to get the ball through to Ben Pringle who wasn't expecting it and it went out for a goal kick followed by a shot at goal by Gareth Evans which didn't really cause Paul Smith in the Southend goal a problem. Then Nicky Hunt had the ball taken off him by David Martin who ran towards the Rotherham goal only to find Sharps in his way who stopped the threat. Kayode Odejayi and former Miller Ryan Cresswell had a tussle for the ball with the Millers striker managing to get the ball to Ainsworth but he put his shot just wide from twenty yards out. The visitors thought they`d gone in front on the half-hour mark when Cresswell headed towards goal but it touched Britt Assombalonga on its way in as he stood in an off-side position. Bob Harris, on loan from Blackpool, had a shot at goal which just missed while Jason Taylor did well to get a block in from a Kevan Hurst corner.

The Millers looked quite lively in the opening minutes of the second half and Evans and O'Connor saw shots go just over but the half was only five minutes old when Southend opened the scoring. A good cross from Martin found Assombalonga who nodded the ball in from under the bar. Minutes later Ryan Leonard put a long range shot wide but on sixty-four minutes the Shrimpers were two up when a Sean Clohessy cross fell superbly for Assombalonga twelve yards up and the Zaire born midfielder, who is on loan from Watford, looked up and shot the ball into the right hand corner of the net. He could have had his hat-trick moments later when he received the ball from Hurst but he put it just wide. But two minutes later it was three after Shearer had turned an Assombalonga shot onto the bar only to see it fall to David Martin on the line who headed the ball into the back of the net. On seventy-five minutes Assolmbalonga, still looking for his hat-trick, mis-hit the ball but it fell to Tomlin who fired the ball inches wide. The Millers had a couple of chances towards the end of the game but they came to nothing and, frankly, nothing is what they probably deserved.

Only one team out there had any enthusiasm today and they weren't wearing red and white.

Kayode Odejayi tried while he was on (why was he taken off??) but I think I will give it to BOB 'Rolf' HARRIS - although, I do think the best Rotherham man on the pitch was Ryan Cresswell

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