Rotherham put in an impressive display in their League One play-off semi-final first leg at Preston on Saturday and were only denied a vital win by missed chances and a once-in-a-lifetime goal from Joe Garner.
The 1-1 draw sets up an intriguing second leg on Thursday, where both sides will fancy their chances of progressing to Wembley.Here's five things we learned from the game.
Rotherham can handle the big stage
After
the poor performance at Sheffield United, where the Millers turned up to
arguably their biggest game of the season at the time with a huge billing and
expectation and were rubbish, questions were asked whether they could hack it
on the big stage. The incredible game at Wolves went some way to atoning for
that Bramall Lane no-show, but the display at Preston on Saturday proved beyond
doubt that the Millers know how to handle the big occasion. In a high-pressure
environment, they were the better side for the majority of the game, were
rarely threatened at the back and had the better chances to have won it. Nobody
froze or had a bad game, this was a fine display and one that
boss Steve Evans was right to be proud of.
Alex Revell can run forward with the ball
There
has been times when it has seemed that Alex Revell has been the modern-day Richie Barker, albeit
with a lot more mobility. It's fair to say Revell's best work is with his back
to goal and he has provided a superb presence in attack all season, often
getting battered from opposition defences. Yet, he showed a different facet to
his game at Deepdale with his fine solo goal, which has gone without deserved
praise owing to the magnifence of Joe Garner's goal for Preston. The manner of
his control from Ben Pringle's ball was superb and nothing new, but the way he
raced away from the defender, closed in on goal and then coolly finished was
something that we would not always associate with the big man. After suffering
confidence issues
earlier in the season, which saw him shy away from shooting in such positions,
it was great to see him tuck the ball away with such ease and his
uncontrollable joy after it hit the back of net was enjoyed by everyone.
It could be a long night on Thursday
Although
the Millers have home advantage in the second leg and could be favourites to progress, it is extremely unlikely that either side is going to win it by a
landslide. Rotherham had the better of things at Deepdale and still could not
get a win and the fact that three meetings with Simon Grayson's men this season have all
ended in draws suggests it is safe to assume that the New York clash will be a
similarly tight affair with not much separating the two sides. With no away goals, extra-time
and penalties could well be on the cards on Thursday. The Millers have had first-hand experience of penalty shootout despair in the play-off semi-finals and it is
not an enjoyable one. It could be worth practising penalties in the next few
days, but even then there may still be a cruel twist that leaves one player who
has had a brilliant season as the new Andy Roscoe. Bring your fingernails, you
might need them.
The depth of squad is the best ever
This
is hardly a ground-breaking revelation, given it is the quality of the squad
that has got Rotherham to where they are, but the players who came into the
side on Saturday showed exactly what sort of options Steve Evans has at his disposal.
With top scorer Kieran Agard pulling up lame the day before the game, Wes
Thomas, who has not always been impressive, came in and provided a superb foil
for Revell in attack. Rob Milsom made light of Richie Smallwood's absence with
a fine holdling display, while Michael O'Connor came on after Richard
Brindley's injury and did a more than competent job on the right of midfield.
There was plenty left on the bench as Claude Davis, who has barely played in
the final few weeks of the season, was called on after Lee Frecklington was
injury and kept a dangerous Preston front line quiet, while striker Haris
Vuckic almost snuck a last-gasp winner. Evans is good at directing attention to
other club's resources, but this is arguably the best squad Rotherham have ever
had.
Steve Evans needs some new material
The
Millers boss is probably one of the most quotable managers in the English game.
He loves a comedic throwaway line, never minces his words and there is no finer
name-dropper around. But his effort in yesterday's post-match press gathering
shows that he has exhausted all of his best lines. Asked about the quality of
Garner's goal, Evans riposte was to say: "If there's a better goal in the
play-offs then I'll wake up a chicken". Any ideas?
