Town 0-1 Rotherham - Match Report Saturday, 19th Mar 2016 17:15 Leon Best’s goal a minute before half-time saw Rotherham United to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at Portman Road. The former Irish international scraped home from close range from a Matt Derbyshire cross, the Millers having caught Town on the break after they had lost possession from a freekick in the visitors’ half. Boss Mick McCarthy named the same team which beat Blackburn 2-0 on Tuesday with new loan signing Liam Feeney amongst the subs. Also on the bench were ex-Miller Ben Pringle and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who came in for the injured Luke Varney, while Michael Crowe took the place of the ill Dean Gerken as the sub keeper. Rotherham included former Town loanee Paul Green on their bench, while Paddy Kenny, who was on a short-term deal with the Blues last season without making an appearance, was the Millers’ sub keeper. The Blues created the game’s first opportunity in the fifth minute when skipper Luke Chambers crossed from the right and Freddie Sears, playing on the left of a front three with Daryl Murphy on the right and the more central Brett Pitman dropping deeper, headed over. Town had the better of the opening quarter of an hour but without threatening again until the 16th minute when, after good work down the left from Jonathan Douglas, Pitman teed up Sears, but his shot failed to test Lee Camp in the Rotherham goal. On 21 Lee Frecklington claimed he’d been fouled by Douglas as he broke into the area chasing a pass over the top but the former Peterborough man appeared just to have been out-muscled. A minute later, with the visitors now on top, Richard Smallwood brought the ball in from the left and hit a low shot which Bartosz Bialkowski claimed easily. In the 37th minute, after Bialkowski had been crowded out as a long throw came in from the right, Frecklington looped the loose ball wide. Two minutes later, the Blues carved out an opportunity but Camp confidently dealt with Chambers’s shot, to ironic cheers from a section of the Town support in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand. At the other end, Grant Ward struck a deflected effort from the edge of the box which Bialkowski pushed behind to his left. Rotherham had shaded a not overly engaging half and a minute before the break they went in front. Following a Town freekick in the Millers’ half, Douglas played a loose pass on halfway and Derbyshire broke away down the right before crossing to the unmarked Best, who turned home before Christophe Berra could get back to intercept. There was no time for the Blues to hit back before referee Stephen Martin blew his final whistle, signalling boos from a frustrated Town support. Even before the goal it had been a disappointing half from Town, who after starting positively had allowed the visitors to get on top and on the balance of the half overall they deserved their lead. Unsurprisingly, the Blues made a switch of personnel at the break with new loan signing Feeney handed his debut and Douglas making way. Town began the half brightly and soon after the restart Chambers fed Sears on the right of the area and the former Colchester man hit a low shot which was cleared from inside the six-yard box. The Blues kept up the early pressure, Pitman forcing Camp into a brave save as he sought to latch on to a loose ball in the box. On 53 Feeney whipped over a cross from the right which Jonas Knudsen headed against a defender and out for a corner. From the flag-kick, the ball reached Chambers but the Town captain was unable to make significant contact with his header. Seconds later, as Rotherham looked to break, Knudsen was booked for a foul on Ward. In the 57th minute Feeney battled for the ball with Joe Mattock on the right before sending over a cross which Knudsen headed straight at Camp. As the game moved past the hour, Pitman did well to find Sears on the left as he was fouled by Greg Halford, referee Martin waving play on. Sears took the ball into the area and shot well wide before Halford was yellow-carded for the foul. Town were still less than convincing with the ball being given away cheaply on too many occasions, while cross after cross was claimed by Camp in the air. But on 67 Pitman worked himself a chance on the edge of the area and was fouled by Lloyd Doyley as he hit a shot which was deflected wide. Town’s top scorer took the freekick himself but blazed well over. Three minutes later, ex-Miller Pringle took over from Pitman. On 74 Kevin Bru replaced Hyam for Town and four minutes later Joe Newell came on for Derbyshire for the Millers. The Blues continued to make little headway and on 88 Rotherham created their first chance of the half, Halford cutting back to Ward, who screwed his shot wide. The fourth official’s board indicated an additional four minutes with Town still rarely looking like getting back on terms. Feeney, the Blues’ main second-half threat, broke away on the left and cut the ball across when he might have shot but won a corner from which Town came as close to a goal as they had all match. A loose ball fell to Pringle beyond the far post but he hit his shot from a tight angle across the face of goal and wide with none of his team-mates able to add a final touch. Soon after, the referee blew his whistle signalling boos and chants of ‘What a load of rubbish’ from the home support. Manager Mick McCarthy immediately made his way down the tunnel, unusually not staying on the pitch to shake his players’ hands along with assistant boss Terry Connor. As at Cardiff last week, having gone behind, the Blues were huffed and puffed but - after their post-half-time flurry - were devoid of ideas and were unable to seriously threaten Rotherham’s lead, a couple of Feeney crosses aside. It was as poor a performance as Town have put in at home in what’s generally been a disappointing season at Portman Road. Given the toughness of the Blues’ remaining away games, missing out on three points from what looked on paper to be a very winnable home match is a significant bow to Town’s up and down play-off aspirations. Rotherham, now unbeaten in five, winning four, are out of the bottom three and up to 10th. The result sees the Blues stay eighth but now four points - plus goal difference - from the play-offs ahead of the two-week gap for the international break with Town next in action at Wolves on April 2nd. Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Smith, Berra, Skuse, Hyam (Bru 74), Douglas (Feeney 46), Sears, Murphy, Pitman (Pringle 70). Unused: Crowe, Maitland-Niles, Digby, Foley. Rotherham: Camp, Mattock, Broadfoot (c), Frecklington, Kelly, Halford, G Ward, Derbyshire (Newell 78), Smallwood, Doyley, Best (Clarke-Harris 84). Unused: Kenny, Wood, D Ward, Green, Burke. Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire). Att: 20,318 (Rotherham: 344).
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