Millers Climb To Sixth After Win

Rotherham United won their third game on the trot this afternoon as they beat a resilient Plymouth Argyle at the New York Stadium by a Kieran Agard goal on seventy-three minutes.

It was a sunny but cold New York that met the teams this afternoon with Steve Evans having to make a last minute change to his original line-up when Lionel Ainsworth was injured in the pre-match warm-up, meaning Gareth Evans came in making his first start since the loss to Southend. And I think Steve Evans must have kicked a black cat because in the fourth minute of the game Dale Tonge and Paris Cowan Hall went in for the same tackle and Tonge ended up being carried from the pitch to the treatment room and Mark Bradley coming on in his place.

The first shot of the game was on eight minutes when Jake Cole saved from Evans and moments later Lee Frecklington received a good ball from a Kari Arnason throw and hit the ball towards goal only to find Cole there to save again. Ten minutes later Cole kept the visitors in the game again when he first somehow managed to push a Ben Pringle shot round the post and from the resulting corner he palmed away a downwards header from Alex Revell. The Pilgrims first shot of note came on twenty-four minutes from Guy Madjo but his long shot didn't trouble Andy Warrington in the Millers' goal as it sailed wide of the left hand post. Both Evans and Arnason had shots deflected before the Icelander had the ball in the back of the net but the referee blew for …. erm, answers on a postcard please. At the other end Curtis Nelson and Madjo had headers that went over the bar before Cole was in action again to save from Evans, Pringle and Revell.

Argyle's Andres Gurrieri started the second half with a shot that went wide followed by a similar shot from Evans at the other half but the visitors started to play the passing game for which they are famed. The Pilgrims were finding more and more room as the half went on but neither side found their shooting boots although Alex McDonald had a half-shot cleared by skipper Ian Sharps before the former Burnley player blocked a shot from Josh Morris at the other end. It all got a bit scrappy then with tackles flying in and yellow cards being produced by referee Bond but eventually the Millers pressure paid off. A bit of pace from Daniel Nardiello saw him get past former Millers loanee Scott Griffiths and drove in a low ball which saw Kieran Agard, on for Evans just ten minutes earlier saw his chance and nipped in to slip the ball into the net to give the Millers the lead. After the goal the Millers were back on top with Pringle working hard to get the ball towards goal at every opportunity and Agard having another shot blocked and Arnason and Nardiello having shots that cleared the crossbar. In the last minute of the game Nick Chadwick, on for Gurrieri, should have perhaps done better with a header but he put it over which was a relief for the majority of the six thousand nine hundred Millers fans in the ground.

I know I've said it before but I really do hope we aren't going to rue all these missed chances. I also think we've got to perform just as well both halves as I thought, for quite a lot of the first half today too many of our players AWOL. Saying that, a wins a win and it was good to get three points more points on the board again.

I thought Kari Arnason had a good first half but wasn't as lively in the second and I thought Ben Pringle had a couple of ten minute spells. Ian Sharps and Craig Morgan were solid but I think, for an all round performance, my Star Player was Josh Morris

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