Rotherham United's reserves were beaten 3-1 by Mansfield Town in Tuesday afternoon's Central League Cup encounter at Roundwood.
The Millers' youthful outfit took the lead through Tyrone Lewthwaite after just four minutes, but a reply from Calum Butcher soon after levelled the scores. Subsequent strikes from Will Atkinson and Otis Khan ensured victory for the visitors on a sunny afternoon at the club's training base.
Ciaran Toner was charged with leading a young reserves’ side into battle against the Stags in the Central League Cup game with a number of first team players kept away from the action due to the high volume of injuries in the senior setup.
The Millers started the game incredibly brightly, so brightly in fact that they were ahead after their first sight of Jake Kean’s goal. Academy forward Lewthwaite needed no second invitation to take his chance as he latched onto a ball in the box before coolly opening up his body to slot the ball beyond the goalkeeper to find the bottom corner and give the hosts the lead.
It was just four minutes before Mansfield levelled though, again, showing a clinical nature to capitalise on one of their only early opportunities. The goal came when Butcher expertly met a delivery from the Stags’ right to turn the ball beyond Laurence Bilboe and make it 1-1.
Lewthwaite had impressed in the early stages and did so again as he almost turned creator for strike partner Jacques Etia on 19 minutes. A burst to the byline saw a stabbed cross follow which took the goalkeeper out of the equation and found the head of Etia in the six yard box, but the retreating Tom Fielding somehow manage to hook his connection off the line when it looked set to ripple the net.
Both sides did settle into the game following the opening two goals and chances became harder to come by before the interval.
Five minutes before the break it was the Stags who threatened to take the lead as Will Atkinson charged towards goal in the box before smashing an effort across the face of goal and inches wide of the far post from the angle of the six yard box.
Half-time | Reserves 1 v 1 Mansfield Town
The second half started in the same vein as the first ended with chances limited but the best of them came to Mansfield and winger Atkinson.
The wide man fired a shot across the bows of his former club as he drove forward and laid a pass wide to Otis Khan, who fired a low cross in which substitute Omari Sterling-James couldn’t quite reach to turn home in front of goal.
Atkinson continued to prove the threat in the visitors’ attack and got his reward on 55 minutes. This time he floated in off the left and drove for the box before unleashing a ferocious strike which Bilboe was able to get a hand to, but the venom in the strike meant he couldn’t prevent it from finding the back of the net.
There was concern for Mansfield goalkeeper Jake Kean after a collision in the box on 57 minutes knocked him unconscious and required members from both club’s medical staff and the on-site paramedic to attend to him. After a lengthy stoppage, the ‘keeper came around and limped off the pitch but was unable to continue, being replaced by an outfield player between the sticks.
There was concern for Mansfield goalkeeper Jake Kean after a collision in the box on 57 minutes knocked him unconscious and required members from both club’s medical staff and the on-site paramedic to attend to him. After a lengthy stoppage, the ‘keeper came around and limped off the pitch but was unable to continue, being replaced by an outfield player between the sticks.
Etia’s performance in the forward line had been relentless all afternoon and he was almost rewarded for his industry on 75 minutes. His solo dart for the Stags’ goal saw him burst in between defenders and into the box, where a touch from a retreating took the ball away from his toe and behind for a corner as he looked to pull the trigger.
The pendulum swung back in favour of the visitors soon after though as Mansfield added a third. Aiden Walker’s dart up the Mansfield right saw him make it all the way to the byline where he pulled it back for the onrushing Khan, who expertly fired beyond Bilboe from just inside the area.
Full-time | Reserves 1 v 3 Mansfield Town
Millers | Bilboe; Hodgkinson, Beeden, Hull, Hinds; Hutchinson, Carlton, Peel-Evans, Gratton; Etia, Lewthwaite.
Subs | Farrar, Spence, Gateshill, Wenham, Diouf.
Mansfield Town | Kean, Blake, Wilder, Mirfin, Gibbens, Smith, Atkinson, Butcher, Graham, Khan, Law.
Subs | Walker, Bircumshaw, Fielding, Anderson, Sterling-James.