Rotherham 1-0 Wolverhampton: Match Report

16 August 2014 16:31
Rotherham 1-0 Wolverhampton: Match Report - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game as it happened.


Hall hands Millers first win

An inventive and brave goal from substitute Ryan Hall ensured Rotherham United edged out fellow Sky Bet Championship newcomers Wolves 1-0.

The first ever Championship fixture at the New York Stadium started out as an open affair but it took until the final 15 minutes for the decisive goal to arrive.

When it did Hall reacted quickest to a rebound from Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme to bundle home to send the Millers fans into raptures.

Rotherham debutant Paul Taylor fired over the first shot of the game after being teed up by Ben Pringle.

But it was not all one-way traffic and keeper Adam Collin had to be alert as Bakary Sako swung an early corner goalwards.

Warmed up, Collin then pulled off a miraculous double save from Sako as the ball fell kindly in the box to him twice.

With the entire goal to aim for Sako looked on in disbelief as his efforts were twice kept out by the acrobatic Collin.

The teams, who both earned promotion from League One last season, were both creating chances and Taylor was to strike the bar after skilfully carving out an opportunity for himself just inside the box.

Ipswich loanee Taylor smartly moved the ball onto his right foot but his effort over Ikeme rattled safely away off the woodwork.

Collin was almost caught out by Nouha Dicko who charged down his clearance before laying on a cross for Rajiv van La Parra. Defender Kari Arnason reacted quickly to divert his shot away from a corner.

A bad tempered spell before half time resulted in Kirk Broadfoot and Scott Golbourne joining respective captains Danny Batth and Craig Morgan in the book.

Wolves probably should have gone into the break ahead when Dicko snuck by Arnason and chipped his effort over Collin but just wide of the post from around 25 yards out.

The second half began with neither side assuming control but Paul Green set up a half chance for Alex Revell before the striker was crowded out by the Wolves defence.

Arnason put in a brave challenge to divert Matt Doherty's shot over the bar after Collin had spilled a Golbourne cross from the left.

The game had been crying out for a bit of quality but Sako failed to produce after twice missing the target while in good dead-ball situations.

Rotherham had introduced Matt Derbyshire and Hall from the bench in an effort to notch their first points of the season and the move paid off in the 75th minute.

Morgan's header from Pringle's corner was kept out well by Ikeme but the ball fell into the path of Hall who managed to unorthodoxly divert it in.

Hall received treatment after the goal and was replaced by Kieran Agard as Rotherham saw off a late charge from Wolves who came close to a late equaliser through substitute James Henry.


Source: PA