Rotherham United (Res) 3-2 Doncaster Rovers (U23s)
Central League
Tuesday 15th October 2019
Despite the scoreline, quite a few positives emerged from this undoubted test for Doncaster Rovers' youngsters against decent (and very familiar) faces.
It's probably fair to say that players from both teams are sick of the sight of one another, given this was already the sixth meeting between the two clubs (including at youth level) this term - three of which have been in the past fortnight alone!
Rotherham picked up maximum points courtesy of goals by Shaun MacDonald, Trevor Clarke and Jacob Gratton, whilst the highly-impressive Max Watters, and then Harrison Myring, were the scorers for Rovers.
It was quite an overcast afternoon at Roundwood Sports Complex with the game played on the Millers' training pitch - and not Parkgate's surface next door where several matches of this nature have took place over the years.
Having survived a mini-goalmouth scramble in the opening minute during which Shane Blaney made a great block on the line, Rovers were victims of some poor officiating shortly afterwards which, if it had occurred in a stadium-environment, would have seen the referee slammed.
Elliott Walker's perfectly-weighted, low through ball down the right put Harrison Myring clean through and the trialist knocked the ball beyond the advancing Rotherham 'keeper, who clattered into him on the edge of the box. Even though Myring immediately got to his feet and tapped home, the referee brought play back to where the offence occurred, cautioned the 'keeper and awarded a free-kick - much to the annoyance of the Rovers players.
Danny Amos' subsequent attempt from the set-piece hit the wall as the danger came to pass.
The lads, perhaps rightly, felt aggrieved, but they soon had the lead when Watters intercepted a sloppy pass just inside the hosts' own half of the pitch and accelerated all the way to the area, where he drilled a low effort into the bottom corner with great composure.
Nevertheless, Rotherham were shading the midfield battle by the quarter-hour mark, and soon hit back when Blaney's headed clearance from a corner-kick fell kindly for MacDonald who unleashed a ferocious 20-yard volley through a sea of bodies and into the net.
Buoyed by the equaliser, the hosts seized the initiative and went ahead on 23 minutes when a long-throw evaded two Rovers defenders, bounced in the six-yard box, and was headed into the top corner by Clarke - with 'keeper Kian Johnson unable to do anything about it.
It was a poor goal to concede and way too easy - no doubt about it!
Things could have then got even worse as a Rotherham player got in-behind right-back Walker and had a clear sight of goal, but ultimately fired over under a last-ditch challenge from Blaney.
Rovers responded well to a tough period under pressure and came within a whisker of an equaliser when Myring broke clear down the right channel and flashed a teasing ball across the area, which was eventually scrambled away.
On the half-hour mark, Johnson made a couple of saves in quick succession - one from a header and one in a one-on-one with Morris - to prevent the lads from slipping further behind.
As the first half progressed, Gary McSheffrey's side started to see more of the ball and dictate things better (to a degree) in the middle.
Watters, in attack, was Rovers' best threat and showed excellent technique throughout proceedings and soon enjoyed two chances in the space of a few minutes - with Laurence Bilboe saving with his feet, then hands, to keep Rotherham in the lead.
On 43 minutes, in what turned out to be the last opportunity before half-time, the Millers went within a whisker of making it 3-1 when Julien Lamy played an inviting ball across the area - just inches beyond the reach of his team-mate who, if he'd been in a better position, would have had a simple tap-in.
Despite Johnson making a fingertip save not long after the break, Rovers continued to pose questions and 'make a mark' in the early minutes of the second period and it led to a leveller when Walker's cleverly floated ball over the top reached Myring who cushioned a first-time volley beyond Bilboe to make it 2-2.
Danny Amos then arrowed a shot into the side-netting under pressure following a clever diagonal switch pass near to the hour mark, as Rovers remained on top.
However, on 61 minutes, the Millers nearly restored their advantage when Johnson fumbled a routine catch close to the edge of his penalty area and Blaney was forced to defend strongly, under pressure, to stop a nearby opponent from stabbing home the loose ball.
The young 'keeper quickly atoned for that mistake though; saving twice in quick succession (with his legs, then a 'palm round the post' from a powerful snap-shot) as Rotherham began to creep back on top and create openings.
Lamy and Gratton were also thwarted by Johnson, though Bilboe had to be alert at the opposite end as the game entered its final quarter, with Rovers substitute Junior Smith breaking clear and forcing a near-post save.
Though Rotherham had enjoyed the more clear-cut openings, Rovers were still loitering with intent and it seemed inevitable that there would be a deciding goal.
It eventually happened (and in the Millers' favour) on 82 minutes when Gratton latched onto a long ball, showed a good first touch, and drilled a powerful shot between Johnson's legs to give the hosts a 3-2 advantage.
There was so nearly a late sting in the tale though when Myring got on the end of Amos' pinpoint left-wing ball towards the back-post, but the trialist's close-range effort agonisingly came back off the upright and out of harms way.
Ultimately, the Millers held on for the win but it had been a closely-fought contest, enjoyable, exciting and with positives to be had.
The three Rovers players who were particularly impressive, in my view, were Kian Johnson, Shane Blaney and Max Watters.
For a first-year scholar - not long out of school, Johnson portrayed a ridiculous level of confidence between the sticks, which takes courage, and made at least half-a-dozen decent saves. Okay, he fumbled a cross and 'got away with it' because Blaney was covering on one particular occasion - and some critics may point an accusing finger given the final goal went through his legs, but mistakes happen at every level. The errors are almost irrelevant as he's got loads of time to develop, improve and become better as a goalkeeper.
The most impressive aspect in his display was his communication; frequently talking to the defence ahead of him - discussing, organising, etc, and it just breeds belief and trust. It's not always easy for a young lad to have the confidence to step up and speak up (and I can think of various examples over the years of older lads who have been as a quiet as a mouse in the same scenario) yet there was none of that and he what he had to, admirably.
Blaney had his best performance out of all three matches with Rotherham over the past fortnight and looked every bit 'a leader' at the back - winning most aerial duels, looking comfortable with the ball at his feet, calm, composed and he wasn't flustered by anything. He picked up a yellow card for a challenge late on though delivered a mature performance on the whole.
I don't know quite what happened with the Millers' second goal and, as touched upon, it was too easy for them to score. But on the whole, he had a decent game!
Watters won praise from some of Rotherham's fringe players who were stood next to me - mainly due to his movement, technique and general all-round play. He showed pace at times to accelerate away from defenders, composure when through on goal, demonstrated a damn good first touch - especially in one attack where he nonchalantly laid the ball off (on the volley) straight from a goal-kick to the centre circle, and he got the vast majority of his shots on target.
It was a very eye-catching display - certainly the lads stood next to me believed he was ridiculously good and wished they could play alongside him. If he can now replicate this performance (or similar) over a sustained period, he'll get plenty of plaudits.
Throughout the rest of the team, Elliott Walker played a number of creative balls down the flank, which caused Rotherham problems, during his hour-or-so on the pitch. However, on a couple of occasions, he got caught in-behind as well - but it's all a good learning curve for him, given he's still in the youth team. Meanwhile, Danny Amos, had a 'steady' though not spectacular game - firing into the side-netting in one instance and putting the ball into relatively dangerous areas on other occasions.
Rian McLean began at centre-back then switched to right-back after an hour (when Walker was substituted). He could have possibly done better in the build-up to Rotherham's early equaliser when he didn't effectively clear his lines and Rotherham subsequently got possession as a result before winning the corner which resulted in the goal. That said, it wasn't a bad display, individually, by any means.
Cody Prior came into proceedings more as it progressed and, sitting in front of the back four, showed some alright touches. AJ Greaves, who seemingly
loves a challenge, also grew into things and switched the ball out wide with quick effect a few times - notably in one instance with a half-volley which released Amos wide on the left channel.
Will McGowan had a good second half where his positional play improved and he helped the lads' defensive shape, showed good off-the-ball work a few times, and committed a necessary 'take one for the team' challenge to prevent Rotherham from springing a quick counter-attack late on. He wasn't able to massively impact things through his passing ability (which he definitely has) but there's no doubt there will be games in the coming months where his 'one-two' balls and passing technique tear a few opposing sides to bits.
Trialist Harrison Myring looked decent, lively, and showed some 'neat and tidy' touches and posed a nuisance. With a different referee, he would have had two goals and it was certainly his best display in a game since he first appeared for the club last month.
Out of the substitutes who featured, Junior Smith forced a save in his half-hour cameo - carrying a bigger threat than the trialist (Townsend) who he replaced. In another instance, he had a brilliant run where he demonstrated good, clever footwork to beat two or three players with skill and get in a good position before frustratingly giving the ball away. So he remains a 'work in progress' though he definitely has ability and an unpredictable nature, which makes him a threat.
Striker Jack Watson did alright but probably needed longer to make a bigger impact in his position, whilst centre-back Nathan Dimou also featured off the bench.
On the whole, given Rotherham had a more experienced line-up (including some first-team players) and fielded players who were generally a year or two older, the end result isn't a surprise.
The result, although annoying, is insignificant in many ways though given the only way that the lads will become better is through testing themselves against better players. It was a good workout, with positives and nobody disgraced themselves.
There's every reason to be optimistic and I'm glad I made the trip - even if my nostrils were filled with a somewhat 'agricultural' smell of horse manure every time I walked past the gated entrance to the sidelines.
Team: Kian Johnson, Elliott Walker (Nathan Dimou), Shane Blaney, Danny Amos, Cody Prior (Jack Watson), AJ Greaves, Will McGowan, Taylor Townsend (Junior Smith), Max Watters, Harrison Myring.
Unused Subs: Ben Blythe, Marius Conradi.
