A bitterly cold & wet NYS greeted the teams as they entered the fray in this eagerly anticipated L1 clash this afternoon.
The teams lined up as follows with the hosts employing a 4-3-3 formation with wideman Ogbene coming in for the unlucky Trevor Clarke the only change from the fine win at Portman Road in midweek. The visitors employed a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation.
The high-flying Chairboys started the game on the front foot & forward Scott Kashket was looking lively, earning a corner via a block from Millers full back Billy Jones in the opening minute & having a dangerous cross cleared by Millers Michael Ihiekwe in the next attack. The hosts had hardly had a kick so far so it came as no surprise when the Chairboys went in front with just five minutes on the clock. An innocuous looking ball over the top by CB Anthony Stewart was seized upon by Kashket with the Millers defence looking for an offside flag that never came, keeper Iversen came rushing out then hesitated as the Wycombe forward easily knocked the ball past him to give his team a deserved lead.
Rotherham tried to respond & wide man Matt Olasunde was wide with a headed effort soon after. There was some meaty challenges in the first twenty minutes with the referee yellow carding three players in the games early exchanges. Despite their fine win at Ipswich in midweek the hosts were finding the going much tougher today with the Wanderers back line easily coping with the Millers ventures forward. A horribly miscued Ben Wiles effort & a Michael Smith header wide was the sum total of Rotherham’s first half efforts while a Jacobson free kick that went wide was the only Wycombe attempt of any note in a truly dreadful first half.
HT Millers 0 Chairboys 1
Off came defender Jones to be replaced by winger Jake Hastie as Paul Warne tried to instil some pace & width into his lacklustre side & it could have had an immediate effect but his dangerous first time cross was well cleared by Chairboys defender Grimmer. The Millers were still getting frustrated by a very well drilled Wycombe defensive unit so Warne’s last throw of the dice was to replace Olasunde & the unlucky Richard Wood with Carlton Morris & Clarke but this had very little effect, in fact Wanderers who had been content to sit back & soak up what little pressure the Millers could muster were unlucky not to increase their lead on eighty minutes when in their first second half effort of any note, veteran Bloomfield hit a close range effort which was brilliantly parried by Iversen. Morris, Crooks & the disappointing Ogbene all hit efforts either high or wide as the game meandered to it’s inevitable conclusion. Gareth Ainsworth brought on the evergreen Akinfenwa for the last few minutes to hold the ball up & stop the home side’s attack, a task he did very well.
FT Millers 0 Chairboys 1
The only consistent thing about Paul Warne’s Millers at the moment is their inconsistency. Three defeats & only two home wins in seven games hints that the team are finding the weight of home fans expectation a problem as they have won four times on their travels. Rotherham fans will not accept sub par performances from their favourites & could well start voting with their feet if this situation isn’t quickly addressed.
Gareth Ainsworth’s Chairboys continue to defy the experts & keep on grinding out the results to keep them in a lofty position in the table. Are they good to watch? I’d have to say no but obviously they have a different approach to games away from Adams Park. Can they maintain their superb early season form? Again I have to say I doubt it as the Millers made them look better than they actually are today.
I’d like to say I enjoyed today’s game but I’d be lying. The game itself was frankly awful & whilst Warne will be scratching his head about his inconsistent troops, even Mr Ainsworth can’t be entirely happy over his team’s display even if he did leave with the points. Hoping for better over the Pennines next weekend.
words Ian Bradley, D3D4 Rotherham correspondent