Scunthorpe and Rotherham played out a 2-2 first leg draw
Late goal from McGeehan puts semi-final on knife-edge
NICK Daws admitted he would more than likely be shedding a few tears in the hours after Scunthorpe’s draw with Rotherham in an entertaining and open play-off semi-final first leg.
But any crying from the interim Iron boss will not have been associated with football, given Cameron McGeehan’s 89th-minute equaliser means there is everything to play for going into Wednesday’s second leg.
In two spells in caretaker charge of Scunthorpe, Daws – who guided the Iron into the play-offs after being put in temporary charge following a New Year wobble that saw Graham Alexander axed – has lost just once in 19 matches.
He was calmness personified on the touchline as Rotherham twice established a grip on the game, without being able to take a lead back to the New York Stadium with them.
“I’m pleased we’re in the position we’re in and I’m pleased that I’ve been able to justify the chairman’s faith in me and (assistant Andy Dawson) to grab this opportunity and take us to where we’ve got to,” said Daws.
“I told the players that while they showed an immense amount of character, they know they are capable of performing better than they did.
“Rotherham threw everything at us and we handled it pretty well. It could have been better, but we’re still in the tie and we know what to expect from the second leg.
“I’ll go home and spend some time with my family, chill, watch Britain’s Got Talent and probably shed a few tears at the show, which is natural for everyone with a human side!
“I’ll wake up in the morning proud at what we’ve achieved so far but with a hope and belief that we’ll finish the job.”
If Wednesday’s second leg follows the pattern of the first, it will difficult to determine a winner.
Rotherham matched power with assurance and their direct style of play unsettled a Scunthorpe side who displayed plenty of character to twice get themselves back in the game.
In an electric opening 20 minutes, the Millers drew first blood when Jon Taylor drilled his side in front having latched on to Richie Towell’s ball over the top of the home defence.
The smoke was still clearing from a flare lit at the end of the ground which contained 1,600 noisy South Yorkshire visitors when the Iron levelled.
Hakeeb Adelakun’s perfectlyweighted pass sent Duane Holmes clear and though his effort lifted over advancing keeper Marek Rodak looked to be heading wide, defender Michael Ihiekwe made a hash of his attempted clearance by skewing it into the top corner.
Only the woodwork prevented Rory McArdle from giving the hosts the lead before the break and in a second half in which they were much more of a threat, the Scunthorpe skipper headed an Adelakun cross straight into the hands of Rodak.
The Millers went back in front in the 64th minute, in what was a tale of two substitutes.
When Josh Emmanuel’s cross from the right ran through to the far side of the penalty area, Joe Newell – 58 seconds after replacing Taylor – showed good composure to fire it across the box and into the far corner.
It meant the first contribution of substitute Scunthorpe keeper Rory Watson, introduced seconds earlier than the scorer after firstchoice stopper Matt Gilks had been injured, was picking the ball out of the back of the net.
Rodak prevented another immediate Iron equaliser by pushing away a drive from Holmes and then getting up quickly to deny Ivan Toney from the rebound.
But the Slovakian was caught out by McGeehan’s persistence and strength as the on-loan Barnsley midfielder forced his way on to the end of Toney’s flick-on to restore parity for a second time.
Rotherham boss Paul Warne said: “To come away from here 2-1 up would have been a great result, but we can’t be greedy.
“The players were disappointed afterwards, but if I’d have offered them a 2-2 draw before the game they’d have taken it and if back in June I’d have offered them a onenight-only game against Scunny to get to Wembley for a play-off final, they’d have taken that too.
“Hopefully we can get the job done by winning on Wednesday.”