Rotherham are up and
running under Neil Redfearn as they produced a spirited comeback to earn a
point against Reading.
It was a showing of
two halves as a disappointing first period was completely outdone by a superb
showing after the break and it was enough to seal the draw and end Reading's
four-match winning streak.
Here's five things we
learned from the game
Redfearn's half-time team-talks are inspired
Whatever Redfearn is
saying to his side at the half-time break seems to be working a treat as in
both of his first two games in charge, the Millers have come out after the
restart and scored both goals within a couple of minutes. The hosts were a
completely different animal in the second half against the Royals, playing with
much more intent, intensity and urgency. It paid immediate dividends as Danny Collins
rammed home from the corner just 124 seconds into the half. It proved not to be
a flash in the pan, either, as Jonson Clarke-Harris should have scored soon after and,
although they ended up hanging on for a point, they managed to sustain that
level for much of the second 45 minutes. It shows that the players are
responding to what Redfearn is saying and that can only be a good thing.
The Millers need help in attack
For all their
endeavour and intent, particularly after the break, it's clear the Millers need
some fresh blood in attack as they look short on goalscoring options. After a
particular unthreatening first half the only way that you could see the Millers
scoring was through a world class strike, as with their last two goals, or a
defensive error. In the end it was the latter that allowed the Millers to get
back on level terms as Collins was allowed the freedom of the area to convert
from the corner. Apart from Clarke-Harris' golden chance and the odd moment of
danger from a set-piece, there was very little in the way of genuine threat in
attack. Matt Derbyshire and Clarke-Harris are the only two real candidates for a
place up front, with Jordan Bowery only just coming back into the reckoning and
Danny Ward constantly unfit. Redfearn spoke of how his former boss Joe Royle
always used to like having plenty of strikers to choose from and that
department is one that he is almost certain to target.
Youth can prosper under Redfearn
The former Leeds
manager came to New York Stadium with a reputation of being a man who will
develop the younger players and on the evidence of last night he has plenty to go
at with the Millers. Although three of them are not their players, with Harry
Toffolo, Grant Ward and Farrend Rawson all on loan, the five men under 22 in
their side were the shining lights against Reading, with Tom Thorpe the
stand-out performer in a defensive midfield slot. Redfearn has spoken about how
he wants his Millers side to be vibrant and have energy and they showed that in
abundance against the Royals, particularly in the second half. It was arguably
Ward's best performance while Toffolo was more than competent, Rawson was his
dependable self and Clarke-Harris showed in the second half his growing
potential. These five could prove to be the nucleus of the side over the next
few weeks and it's exciting.
Harry Toffolo will be a good addition
Despite only meeting his team-mates just over 24 hours
before kick-off and having one training session with them, Toffolo
excelled on his debut at left-back. His quality shone through as he was strong
defensively and excellent going forward. He also showed determination as he
hobbled through the last 20 minutes after cramping up, but still managed to get
up and down the flank with distinction. Initially he’s only here for a month
from Norwich, but if he keeps playing like that the Millers would be mad not to
try and extend it.
The spirit is there and that bodes well for the derby
After what was a difficult first half,
where although looking a lot more solid at the back, the Millers were a virtual
non-entity going forward, the spirit in the camp shone through after the restart
and it helped them produce one of their best halves of the season. There was
real desire and energy within the team to battle back and then keep hold of the
point when it came under threat in the final 10 minutes. With such a massive
game on Friday, where revenge is definitely the order of the day, that
togetherness can only stand them in good stead.
