Scunthorpe United v Rotherham United

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Football League Trophy

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Byrne, Mirfin, Pearce, Williams, Thompson, Sparrow, Wright, Woolford, Hayes, Hooper (Forte 81)
Subs not used:
Slocombe, Crosby, Hurst

Rotherham United :
Warrington, Tonge, Fenton, Sharps, Nicholas, Jason Taylor (Danny Harrison 78), Hudson, Cummins, Green, Reid (Burchill 73), Broughton
Subs not used:
Cann, Joseph, Ryan Taylor

OPPOSITION VIEW

FROM THE SHEFFIELD STAR

THEY'VE been to the Twin Towers but if Millers followers are to be underneath the Arch, it's going to need quite a turn-round.

Not only do they have to claw back a two-goal deficit they also have to close a gap in class that Scunthorpe suggested was considerable in a splendid first leg display in the Northern Area Final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Mark Robins held his hands up and said they were beaten by the better side. Scunthorpe boss Nigel Adkins talked of some "great football" and reckoned they had been "top drawer".

There'll be those among the near 2,500 Millers fans - a massive percentage of the average home crowd - who will perhaps grumble their side didn't do this or do that.

The majority will simply admit what they saw. Whilst it may hurt, the truth is Scunny were considerably superior in many respects but particularly during a second half in which they outplayed and, at times, outclassed Rotherham.

No two goal deficit is insurmountable and it would have been half that but for Ian Sharps' close range miss in stoppage time.

But in this season of all seasons and with some famous cup nights and scalps behind them, this will top the lot if they can pull it off in the second leg on February 17.

The all too-apparent danger will be in going gung-ho, piling forward and leaving themselves exposed against a side with pace, inventiveness and a confidence in their goal threat which has seen them as second top scorers in League One.

Against that they looked unsettled and unnerved at the back at times in the first half during which Rotherham made reasonable opportunities and also stifled Scunny's brisk start well enough to achieve parity and feel satisfied at the halfway point.

Satisfied but in no way underestimating what might happen should Scunny get some momentum when heading towards their own fans in the second half. Exactly that happened right from minute 46.

Robins elected to revert to the 4-5-1 formation which had served them so well in other cup ties.

Personally, I'd no qualms over Robins going that way and it almost certainly offered him the best opportunity of a result on this particular occasion.

Indeed, it was Rotherham who actually had a couple of scoreable early opportunities. Mark Hudson put an 18-yard effort over the top after three minutes and indicated his annoyance as he knew he might have done better.

A lovely ball from Drewe Broughton that got Jamie Green away on the left ended with an effort from Reuben Reid which Joe Murphy saved more easily than he might have expected.

But Scunthorpe had opened sharply. This was now the business end of a competition that may not burn fires in earlier rounds but, with Wembley a sniff away, has players keyed up - witness the shuddering but fair challenge central defender David Mirfin put in on Reid.

Scunthorpe were pacey, lively and threatening - the returning Andy Warrington having to go down at Garry Thompson's feet early on - but Rotherham managed to live with it.

Warrington's 25th minute save with his legs from Matt Sparrow was a good one.

When Sharps thumped in a close range header from a corner it was one of those that thudded straight into a grateful keeper's chest when inches either side would have been a goal.

Hudson almost finished off some good work by Broughton, Mirfin clearing from inside the six yard area with the keeper beaten and, in their more measured way, Rotherham had carved out threats.

But there was no denying the pacier threat, the crisper passing, the more damaging touches of the home side although in the latter stages of the first half they were clearly finding it more difficult to thread a path through Rotherham's defensive organisation and teamwork within their own half.

But half-time signalled a complete change of emphasis. Scunthorpe began to make inroads right from the start of the second-half, their pace and movement was ominous with Hayes and Woolford to the fore and the Millers escaped when right winger Thompson got free and drove his centre right across the goal face.

In the first half, Rotherham had survived when they shed possession inside their own half but not in the 59th minute. Jason Taylor's pass for Micky Cummins was intercepted and moments later Gary Hooper's little pass exposed Rotherham and set up the one-time Frickley Athletic winger Martyn Woolford to sidefoot in.

On 66 minutes Nick Fenton tried to let the ball run out, Hooper pressured him, Thompson got possession and only an unbelievable save by Warrington foiled Andrew Wright.

Unfortunately his heroics came to nothing because, from the ensuing corner, Krystian Pearce powered in a header at the far post.

Dale Tonge's clearance rescued matters when Warrington saved from Matt Sparrow and then Hooper shot inches wide as Scunny threatened to make the second leg academic. Rotherham could barely mount a decent attack.

They did actually fare better in the last 10 minutes and in stoppage time Broughton had a header deflected wide and in the scramble following the corner, Sharps agonisingly put his effort wide.

No shame for the Millers or criticism of their wholehearted efforts - in the second-half, Scunny were simply much too good for them.