Rotherham
suffered their first defeat at New York Stadium since January 1 after they were
taught a harsh lesson of life in the Championship by Watford on Tuesday night.
The
Millers dominated the opening hour and wasted several opportunities to take the
lead before being picked off by two goals in the final 17 minutes.
It
was tough to take, but painfully obvious what was going to happen as a string of chances went begging.
Here's
five things we learned from a match that was promising and frustrating in equal measure.
You
have to score when you're on top
This
one applies to every game, of course, but it was especially pertinent for the
Millers. The first 60 minutes was an indication that Steve Evans' men will be
able to hack it in the Championship as they outplayed a Watford side tipped for
promotion. They pressed hard, passed the ball nicely and created three or four
clear-cut chances, none of which were taken and that ultimately cost them. Paul
Taylor wasted three good opportunities, Lee Frecklington was only denied by a fine
save and Craig Morgan headed over. There has been a book written about the Millers' promotion last season which contained several match reports telling
the story of how they were frustrated at home for a period of time where they
were unable to take their chances. They eventually found a way around that problem and they will need to again, otherwise it could be a long season.
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| Paul Taylor looks like being an exciting addition to the Millers squad |
Paul
Taylor will be a fine asset
The
Ipswich loanee made his second appearance for the Millers and he showed he has
the potential to be a fine player this season. Despite lacking the fitness
required to match his team-mates at the moment, Taylor showed he has got
mobility, strength, a fine touch, the ability to run with the ball and an eye
for a pass. The only thing that is eluding him so far, along with his fitness,
is his shooting boots. Taylor, who hit the bar against Wolves at the weekend,
spurned several chances to put the Millers ahead, one a glaring opportunity
just seconds after the restart, and if any of those had gone in it would have
been a different story. Hopefully that sharpness in front of goal will come with time.
The
Millers need Frazer Richardson fit
The
failure to capture James Tavernier on a permanent deal and Frazer Richardson's
pre-season injury has meant that Kirk Broadfoot has been handed the task of
starting the season at right-back. Although looking completely solid in
defence, the Scotland international's forays into attack against the Hornets
gave a glaring reminder of what the Millers are missing. Broadfoot got into
some excellent positions on the right wing but was not able to make use of
them, with several deliveries being particularly wayward, seeing moves break
down and opportunities missed. Richardson, currently close to a return from a
foot injury, will provide a more natural attacking option on the right, while
maintaining a defensive solidity.
Alex
Revell is the new Alan Lee
Remember
when the Millers were in the Championship last time and it appeared as if
referees had an agenda against Alan Lee, where they gave fouls against him when
he didn't even challenge and hardly ever penalised defenders who were all over
him? Well something similar could be developing this time around with Alex
Revell getting a thoroughly hard time of it from referee David Webb. There were
a number of times where the Millers Number 9 was man-handled, climbed on,
pushed and barged by some streetwise Watford defenders yet they went unpunished
by the match official. With Revell being so integral to the way Rotherham play,
they need him to be protected by referees.
Craig
Morgan enjoys rugby
Being
a Welshman it's probably a given that the Millers skipper is a fan of rugby and
with some of his challenges against the Hornets, it looked like he was playing
the Welsh national sport. Anyone who remembers his attempt to stop
James Henry breaking away in the 3-3 draw with Wolves last season (see above from 1:50 if you can't) will know he
is not afraid to bring out the rugby tackle if necessary and he was at it again
against Watford with a couple of cynical hand-offs and blocks. First he
completely blocked off Troy Deeney when the highly-rated striker and got away
down the left, taking one for the team, as he went into the referee's book. And
then he got away with another one on Deeney later on when the Hornets were denied
a clear penalty. Deeney cut inside Morgan, but the skipper stuck his left arm
out and body-checked the striker in what looked a blatant foul. It was so
obvious that even boss Steve Evans conceded it should have been a penalty. Maybe
he'll get a call-up to the Six Nations.
The match in numbers
14
- The number of games between Millers defeats at New York, from January 1 to
August 19. Castle sacked.
15
- The number of shots the Millers fired in at Watford's goal, without reward. Wasteful.
3
- The number of yellow cards for Craig Morgan this season, coming in four
games. Fine.
