Millers Gone For A Burton

Ex Millers striker, Deon Burton, returned to Millmoor tonight and helped Sheffield Wednesday to the next round of the Carling Cup, as they beat Rotherham United three-one.

But it could have been so different if the Millers had taken their chances in the first half after more than once getting the better of the visitor`s defence. Former Owl, Graham Coughlan, was in the thick of it from the start, when after five minutes he upended Burton, then was fouled by Glenn Whelan who saw a yellow and fired a shot at goal which was easily saved by 'keeper Lee Grant. Chris O`Grady should have put the Millers in the lead in the twentieth minute when his looping strike sailed over Grant and smacked the crossbar. Then Grant made a magnificent save from Andy Todd`s magnificent volley eighteen yards out. The home team went one up on the thirty-third minute when Stephen Brogan`s free kick found Derek Holmes whose blocked shot found Danny Harrison who fired a low shot home to send the Tivoli into raptures. The Owls had a few attempts at goal but the Millers defence stood solid until a minute into time added on when Whelan collected a pass from Johnson and deflected a low shot past Andy Warrington.

The Owls came out much the livelier team in the second half and scored two goals in six minutes, Burton`s being the first after Warrington had parried a ball from Johnson for it to land at the striker`s feet and Wade Small unleashed a curling effort into the top left hand corner of the net. Warrington came into his own then and saved at point blank range from Johnson before tipping over from Burton and in the dying stages saved from Leon Clarke, who had come on earlier for Tudgay. The home team could have made the score more respectable towards the end of the game when substitute Marc Newsham fired a shot at goal, but Grant held onto the low shot.

I suppose, in the end, tonight we saw the difference between the Championship and the Second Division. If we want to be up their fighting at the end of the season, though, we really have to learn to put away our chances - we have to start to score more goals.

After much deliberation, I think it has to go to goalkeeper ANDY WARRINGTON. Chris O'Grady would have got it if it had been just on first half performances and Ian Sharps and Paul Hurst were in there too.

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