Millers record victory over Posh...
Rotherham United’s reserves made it four wins on the spin after a 3-1 success against a strong Peterborough United side in the Central League Cup.
With both sides fielding a number of first-team players, the fans who turned out at Roundwood were treated to a highly-competitive game, which the Millers won thanks to goals from Jake Southern-Cooper, Ben Wiles and Mitchell Carlton.
Matt Hamshaw oversaw the Millers, and the first-team/development coach will no doubt have been buoyed by watching three home grown players find the back of the net, as the Millers maintained their recent winning run.
The early signs suggested the visitors would prove to be a tough nut to crack, with Posh, watched by former Millers assistant Paul Raynor, taking an early lead. Darren Lyon supplied the ammunition for Jason Cummings to coolly finish for a 10th minutes advantage.
The Millers came close to levelling five minutes later when Anthony Forde’s cross picked out Jamie Proctor. The striker teed the ball up nicely for Carlton who drilled a shot over from the edge of the area.
Hamshaw’s side levelled soon after when Forde’s corner to the back post was expertly turned in by Southern-Cooper.
Just over five minutes later, the tables had turned in the cup tie as the hosts edged themselves in front. There looked to be little danger when Wiles, who was skippering the second string, picked up the ball on an unfavourable angle just inside the box, but his ferocious drive was too well-hit for Conor O’Malley to keep out in the Posh goal.
Defender Richard Wood had to be at his best at the other end to prevent Jason Cummings from finding an equaliser shortly before the break and was when he lunged in front of the Scotsman to make a vitally important block on a goalbound shot at the near post.
HT | Reserves 2 v 1 Peterborough United.
The Millers almost added a third following the restart from an unlikely source, when full back Billy Jones’ marauding forward run allowed him room to shoot on the angle of the area, but his effort whistled narrowly over.
With the visitors looking for a way back into the game the Millers’ goal came under pressure but some resolute defending and some top goalkeeping from Lewis Price meant that they were unable to find a way through.
Price’s first save of note in the second period came when Callum Cooke crashed a half volley at goal through a sea of bodies, only to see the former Derby County stopper get down quickly to make a smart save.
Soon after, the efforts of Price and Jones would ensure another effort from a tight angle was hooked off the line by the Millers’ defender after Price had initially slowed the effort down with a good stop.
Posh did have the ball in the back of the net on 81 minutes but the celebrations would be shortlived. Cooke once again unleashed a powerful drive which was met by another impressive stop from Price, before Cummings was on hand to tuck the loose ball home, only to be greeted by the offside flag as it rippled the net.
Matt Palmer threatened the goal of the game as he opened up his body just moments later and curled a sumptuous effort a whisker wide of the top corner, with the odds stacked against him with a row of defenders ahead of him on the edge of the area.
The hosts did find a third a minute from time when a Forde corner dropped kindly for Carlton 20 yards from goal and he obliged with a thunderous low drive which took a deflection off a visiting defender before beating O’Malley in the Posh goal.
FT | Reserves 3 v 1 Peterborough United.
Rotherham: Price; Jones, Southern-Cooper, Wood, Hinds; Forde (Gratton 88), Palmer, Carlton, Wiles, Bray (Hutchinson 80); Proctor (Lewthwaite 88).
Unused: Peel-Evans, Hull.
Peterborough: O’Malley; Lyon, Bassong, Cartwright, Daniel; Cooper, Cooke, O’Hara, Maddison, Walker, Cummings.
Subs: Tyler, Stevens, Buckley-Ricketts.