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Reuben warms it up for Millers
Rotherham 2 v Scunthorpe 1: A FIRST goal – and what a goal – and a first win at the Don Valley Stadium for the Millers even if it was just a warm-up towards the real thing.
Warm and this stadium might not often appear in the same sentence but whoever wrote about a wind-tossed place spoiling things and freezing everybody must have got the wrong ground!
It was nice and mild, there were even some shirt sleeves around and as the sun set somewhere over, er, Winco bank, it was positively idyllic.
Mark Robins decided to try a few things out in this second friendly and the new 'home' has had nearly as many different formations in two games as good old Millmoor had in 101 years.
He began with 3-5-2, which became 4-3-1-2 and the second half had several player variations within 4-3-3. In the second half they proved considerably better than in the first half and, indeed, played quite well in coming from behind to get a late winner.
Whatever the formation, some individual brilliance can turn things your way and two excellent finishes rounded off the improvement.
It can be premature to 'big up' newcomers, particularly in friendlies, but newcomer Reuben Reid sparked things off for the second time as a second half sub and he certainly has the ability to add something on this initial evidence.
Rotherham were behind to Kenny Milne's seventh minute header from a corner and it would have been doubled but for Peter Winn's fine 25 yarder striking the bar, Steve Cann getting a touch onto the bar from a Gary Hooper header that looked in all the way and Ian Morris blazing a sitter over. For the Millers, Michael Cummins, Ryan Taylor and Danny Harrison had good efforts.
Reid's lively introduction brought an instant set-up from Ryan Taylor's superb pass for Cummins to fire over and Rotherham were on top when they equalised with 18 minutes to go. Cann's long kick saw Taylor's challenge set up a loose ball and Reid adjusted superbly and hooked a left foot finish from around 22 yards high into the far top corner.
Reid, confident in possession, fired narrowly wide after a mazy run and then, two minutes from time, left back Jamie Green did well and his cross dropped to Taylor at the far post. His control and rattling good finish can only boost his confidence that there's more to come on that front.
Boss Robins took another look at striker Drewe Broughton but despite a useful showing has decided not to add him to a striker roster.
ROTHERHAM UTD: Cann; Joseph (Reid 55), Mills (Sharps 82), Coughlan; Tonge (Lynch 77), Cummins, Harrison, Hudson, Green; Taylor, Broughton (Rhodes 68).
SCUNTHORPE: Murphy, Wilcox, Iriekpen, Milne, Williams; Hurst, Wright, Sparrow, Winn; May, Hooper.
What do you think? Post your comments below.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
