AJAYI POUNCES TO MAKE THE IRON BEND TO MILLERS’ WILL
ON AN afternoon which Scunthorpe had dedicated to honouring sponsors British Steel, it was inform Rotherham who again showed their cast-iron mettle.
Goals in each half from Joe Newell and Semi Ajayi earned the Millers a fourth straight win and extended their unbeaten run to 11 matches.
At this rate, they are going to take some stopping.
“We just set up to try to win every game,” said modest Millers manager Paul Warne, when asked how far their current form can take them.
“But obviously, this run is going to end sooner rather than later, so we’ve got to enjoy it while we can.
“It’s a lovely feeling as a professional footballer, when you walk on the pitch and think you’ve won before you even kick a ball.
“They believe in that dressing room. It’s a real good group and the staff work harder than the average bear.
“We’re really pleased with what the team are doing. It’s a joy to work with them.
“I thought it was a really good game between two in-form teams. I knew if we could get up and compete around Scunthorpe, we’re taking good strides.”
While it has largely been as a result of their attacking prowess that Rotherham have fired themselves firmly into promotion contention, at Glanford Park they turned in a brilliant all-round display.
Pressing as a unit from the front in the opening stages, they forced the hosts into mistakes.
And when the Iron did begin to get a grip on the game midway through the first period, they allowed the hosts possession out wide before showing defensive steel to repel almost everything that was thrown at them.
The visitors had always looked the likeliest team to open the scoring, with Newell’s hooked shot nestling neatly into the top corner in the 31st minute after Scunthorpe had failed to clear a long throw into the penalty area.
Although the hosts grew into the game, they were largely limited to half-chances, with Rory McArdle well off-target with one such opening inside the box.
The Iron dominated after the break, but were caught chasing the game from a corner, which saw powerful centre-back Ajayi loop home a header after a spell of head tennis.
When Scunthorpe did respond via substitute Lee Novak’s tidy finish in the box – two minutes after Rotherham’s second – there was at least the hint of a fightback.
But the Millers managed the game brilliantly to claim all three points and move within one point of their hosts, typified by the fact that during eight whole minutes of stoppage time, Scunthorpe struggled to get out of their defensive third.
Describing the final scoreline as harsh, Iron boss Graham Alexander could not hide his frustration at seeing a penalty decision go against his side just before the break.
Scunthorpe looked to have a good shout when Ivan Toney seemed to be bundled to the floor by keeper Marek Rodak but referee Graham Salisbury waved the appeals away.
Alexander fumed: “I heard two different explanations in ten seconds when speaking to the officials at half-time.
“They’re making it up and that’s the second time we’ve had that with this referee in the space of five or six weeks. It’s not right.
“If we get it, hopefully we score it and it’s 1-1 at half-time. That settles us down and allows us to play with more composure in the second half, rather than having to chase the game.
“Games between very good teams are decided by fine lines, which is why you need people who make the right decisions.”