The Millers fell to a 3-2 defeat against Dagenham after dominating large periods of today's game at Victoria Road. Goals from Danny Harrison and Alex Revell proved in vain for the Millers as they ended the game with 10 men after Michael Raynes' late sending off.
Andy Scott made four changes to the Millers team after last week's disappointing result at home to Port Vale, with Richard Naylor and Kieron Cadogan making their Millers debuts, and Mark Bradley and Danny Harrison returning to the side. Johnny Mullins missed out through injury, with Dale Tonge and Danny Schofield dropping to the bench and Marcus Marshall moving out on loan to Macclesfield.
After a scrappy opening to the first half, the first chance of the game fell to the Millers. Sam Wood's cross found Lewis Grabban who headed harmlessly over from 12 yards in the sixth minute.
After eight minutes Grabban should have opened the scoring for the Millers but when one on one with Chris Lewington he could only hit the keeper from inside the penalty area. From the resulting corner Jason Taylor found space in a goalmouth scramble but his shot was comfortably saved by Lewington.
The first chance of the game for the hosts came when Rhys Taylor's misjudged clearance found Billy Bingham 25 yards out but his left footed shot flew wide of Taylor's left hand post.
Cadogan then created an excellent chance for the Millers in the 22nd minute with a cross from the right wing, but with Harrison favourite to win the header 10 yards out, Grabban and Harrison collided with the result being that neither player got a clear contact on the ball.
After dominating for long periods the Millers deservedly took the lead in the 28th minute through Harrison. An attempted clearance from a Dagenham defender found its way to Harrison who took his time before unleashing an unstoppable strike in to the top left hand corner from 20 yards.
The Millers almost doubled their lead a minute or so later through Alex Revell's snap shot, but Lewington managed to tip the ball wide for a corner, which came to nothing.
In the 40th minute Cadogan found space to get in a cross on the right hand by-line, but Grabban's goalbound effort was excellently blocked by Micky Spillane.
Half time: Dagenham 0 Millers 1
Dagenham started the second half brightly and equalised in the 50th minute through Jon Nurse's header. The referee awarded a free kick for a foul by Harrison and Nurse nestled his header inside Taylor's left hand post.
The early goal had clearly lifted a previously second best Dagenham team and they almost took the lead after 52 minutes, but half time substitute Josh Scott's weak header left Taylor with a comfortable catch in the Millers goal.
Dagenham then took the lead in the 62nd minute in fortuitous circumstances. Abu Ogogo's tame shot was heading straight for Rhys Taylor before the ball took a wicked deflection off of Mark Bradley's outstretched boot to wrong foot Taylor and find the bottom right hand corner of the goal.
The Millers then equalised straight from the kick off when Scott Griffiths' pinpoint cross found an unmarked Revell in acres of space on the edge of the six yard box and he was left with the simple task of heading in to the roof of the net.
The Millers were inches away from retaking the lead in the 71st minute. Revell's excellent cross found Grabban but a deflection off of a Dagenham defender saw the ball fly just wide of the far post.
Dagenham retook the lead in the 77th minute through Scott Doe. Excellent work on the right hand side by Spillane forced a corner for Dagenham and from the resulting ball in to the box Doe's glancing header beat Taylor.
A minute later Revell had a half chance to equalise for the Millers but his deflected shot left Lewington with a comfortable save.
Millers defender Michael Raynes was sent off after 88 minutes for a second bookable offence for an off the ball incident while waiting for a free kick in the Dagenham area.
The Millers almost equalised with their final chance of the game in the second minute of injury time but Jason Taylor's strike from the edge of the box was deflected just past the far post for a corner.
Full time: Dagenham 3 Rotherham 2
Dagenham: Lewington, Doe, Arber, Nurse, Ogogo, Woodall (Cunnington 80), Bingham, Ilesanmi, Montano, Spillane, Abdulla (Scott HT).
Subs not used: Hogan, Rose, Green.
Millers: R.Taylor; Bradley, Raynes, Naylor, Griffiths, Cadogan, J. Taylor, Harrison, Wood (Williams 86), Revell, Grabban.
Subs not used: Warrington, Tonge, Cresswell, Schofield.
Attendance: 1744 (250)
Words: Chris Forsyth
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