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Saints without a prayer at Millers: MATCH REPORT AND SLIDESHOW



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Published Date: 24 September 2008
ROTHERHAM UTD 3 v SOUTHAMPTON 1: NO penalties required this time. In fact, in the end it was comfortable, which is a massive statement for a League Two side to carry away with them after a Championship scalp.
A third Championship one, too, so perhaps something for the mantelpiece at Don Valley then.

Three times Southampton have ventured north in cup-ties and three times they've been sent back on the end of a giant-killing.

Their Dutch manager Jan Poortvliet said beforehand that he didn't know where Rotherham was. Rotterdam, yes, Rotherham no.

Well, he still doesn't seeing as they only got as far as Sheffield. But Rotherham, Rotterdam or Sheffield, in fact, anywhere beginning with R or S... or X, Y or Z for that matter and I reckon the Millers would have sorted this one out.

One danger beforehand among the home support was an assumption that as they'd got past much better Championship teams then Southampton, with a poor record, were there to be beaten.

Well, football logic usually works the other way. But once Rotherham got their Carling Cup noses in front, you fancied them to send the Saints marching out.

Of course, anything less than the sort of disciplined, organ-ised and committed sort of performance they'd produced in the previous two rounds and they might well get punished. Particularly, with all the talk of Southampton's much-vaunted quality passing just ready to unzip their cup hopes.

As you'd expect, there was some quality but if a Championship side didn't trouble a League Two side then that really would be a surprise.

But this was undoubtedly Rotherham's night and there was no argument that they fully deserved it.

As against Wednesday and Wolves, they closed ranks effectively, saw out a 15 minute spell before half-time when Saints finally got to grips and then rode out an anxious few minutes after Stern John's wonder goal had brought it back to 2-1 on the hour.

But once Drewe Broughton had made it 3-1 on 69 minutes, Saints heads drooped and there was never a doubt thereafter even though the visitors actually had five attackers on in the closing stages.

Sometimes when a lower league club - Doncaster and Chesterfield spring to mind in this competition in recent seasons - get a "giant-killing" under their belt, they go on and get another.

The feeling was that Saints were there to be taken if Rotherham could recreate that previous Carling Cup form.

They did just that and a bit more - in fact, they showed a degree of increased confidence but particularly after Danny Harrison's quite superb strike made it 2-0 on 56 minutes.

Such wins, plugging a two division gap, are built on the team effort but within Rotherham's there were plenty of notable individual displays.

Dale Tonge, in for his first game of the season at right back, was excellent. Micky Cummins showed his best form in a Millers shirt whilst Drewe Broughton had his best game and was also a handful for the Saints backline.

Elsewhere there were solid contributions and for an hour, until the burly John strolled on, Ian Sharps and Nick Fenton must have been quietly chuckling whenever the Saints keeper launched it high in the direction of front man, David McGoldrick, who was clearly second best to them in the air.

It was the aerial route, through the long throws of Andy Nicholas, which initially unsettled Saints in the opening period. Two early throws, two corners and Ian Sharps pulled a shot just wide from one of them. Saints were getting an introduction to some typical League Two stuff.

When the Championship stuff was passed around in response, Rotherham could not afford anything less than total concentration all round.

They had one or two anxious moments as Saints weaved in and around the area and one Sharps challenge on the talented Andrew Surman surely prevent-ed a goal. Long before then - after 20 minutes - Rotherham had taken the set-piece route to a goal. Alex Rhodes' corner was nodded back by Sharps and Fenton's effort was over the line (the linesman confirmed it at half-time) before being cleared. Broughton then made sure and ran off exultantly but it has gone down, rightly, as Fenton's.

Cummins went close to another following a smart link with Reuben Reid. Then came the breathing space 11 minutes into the second half courtesy of Harrison's superb 20-yard on the swivel that arced into the corner.

We'd just got it down as Don Valley's best goal so far when up popped Stern John to top it four minutes later with a 25 yard strike out of nothing - or rather, out of his challenge for possession in the air with Sharps.

Strange how, at 2-1 down and with a cup-tie to save, some of that backwards, forwards and sideways cultured stuff can get ditched by the needs-must requirement and Saints suddenly found a quicker tempo and more urgency on getting the ball into the danger area.

But on 69 minutes, Pablo Mills clipped a ball into the area for Reid. He looked second favourite as Surman and Chris Perry converged but the Millers wide man showed strength and perseverance to surprise the defenders and slip the ball across for a simple tap in for Broughton.

So, another glory night as the Don Valley Stadium starts to write its own little bit of Millers cup history.

It's only the second time in 25 years that Rotherham - runners-up in the first ever League Cup Final back in 1961 - have reached the last 16, doing so in 2002 and, in 1983, after beating Southampton!

Millers fans will be dreaming of a juicy draw now. I suppose they'd prefer a big one now - anybody except, Arsenal's Under 12s.

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  • Last Updated: 24 September 2008 8:51 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Sheffield
 
 

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