Player ratings: Rotherham United 2-0 Blackburn Rovers

An excellent first half performance provided the platform for a much needed win for the Millers against former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers. The visitors who were buoyant after coming back from two goals down at the weekend to draw with Watford were blown away in the first half by the hosts.

The Millers started with pace and purpose and were rewarded after just five minutes. Kari Arnason placed the ball into the bottom right hand corner after Blackburn could only clear Paul Taylor’s corner to the Icelandic international. The Millers pressed Blackburn throughout the game and midway through the first half Ben Pringle proved that hard work does pay off. After losing the ball, Pringle harried midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe who was forced to play the ball back to the Blackburn ‘keeper Jason Steele. Steele’s attempted clearance ricochetted off Luciano Becchio into the net to make it 2-0. As expected Blackburn came out in the second half and threw everything at the Millers. The home side weathered the storm and looked a constant threat on the counter attack throughout the half. Blackburn had chances to get back into the game. Jordan Rhodes miss-hit a shot which went out for a throw-in from close range with the goal gaping and Shane Duffy’s header was cleared off the line by Ben Pringle. The Millers however deserved the victory, their first since a 1-0 win at Millwall on the 23rd of August; and as a result climbed to 17th in the table. Blackburn on the other hand fell to 11th after their fourth defeat of the season.

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Rotherham United

Adam Colin: Returned to the team and was excellent. Made a couple of good saves and was an assuring presence when coming for crosses. 7.0
 Frazer Richardson: Another solid performance from Richardson, defended his flank very well against a tricky Blackburn forward. 6.8
 Kirk BroadfootPicked up an injury after seven minutes so didn’t have much time to make an impact which was a shame because I felt he was outstanding at Ipswich on Saturday. N/A
 Kari Arnason: Outstanding once again. Very well taken goal and he dealt well with Gestede and then Varney. His composure on the ball really is a key asset for the Millers. 7.5
 Joe Skarz: One of Rotherham’s most consistent performers was unsurprisingly solid again. Very good performance against the team he supported as a boy. 7.7
Paul Taylor: Much better than last time out. Offered the Millers a good option down the right with his pace and trickery. 6.6
Lee Frecklington: It’s taken a while, but he’s finally looking back to his best. Offered the relentless energetic performances he’s been known for since joining the club. 6.8
 Paul Green: Very good performance from Green. His energy in the midfield complements Frecklington very well, this has the makings of a good partnership. 6.8
 Ben Pringle: Brilliant performance from Pringle who worked hard both defensively and going forward. Put in some outstanding crosses and also tracked back to help out Joe Skarz. He proved hard work does pay off after he harried Ryan Tunnicliffe, forcing the midfield to make the mistake which led to Becchio’s goal. 7.5
 Luciano Becchio: Knew absolutely nothing about his goal but they all count. Looks much fitter and more mobile. Him and Revell seem to complement each other upfront. 7.0
 Alex Revell: Fantastic performance from Rotherham’s number nine. Worked hard for the team, never stopped running and was unlucky not to score with an ambitious long range effort which was saved by the Blackburn ‘keeper. 8.0

Substitutions

Jordan Bowery: Worked hard for the team that came on. His pace was a key asset for the Millers an offered an outlet after standing up to sustained pressure from Rovers. 6.6
 Anthony Wordsworth: Did well. Should have scored midway through the second half but his header was well saved by the ‘keeper. Did what he was brought on to do though and settled the Rotherham midfield. 6.5
 Craig Morgan: Kept Rhodes very quiet when he came on. Superb performance from the captain who looked determined to win his place back after missing out Saturday’s game with a suspension. 7.0

Blackburn Rovers

Jason Steele: Didn’t do too badly aside from his poor clearance which went in off Becchio, but in truth he was sold desperately short by Tunnicliffe. 6.5
 Ben MarshallLooked much more comfortable when he was pushed up to right midfield looked dangerous and put a few dangerous crosses in. Struggled at right back though. 6.6
Shane Duffy: Didn’t have the best of times against Revell and won very little in the air against him. 6.5
 Grant Hanley: Thought he had a decent game. Hard to believe he’s only 22, plays the game like he’s been around for ages. Strong performance in the air and marshalled his back line reasonably well. 6.7
Marcus Olsson: Did okay defensivley and offered himself going forward. 6.6
 Chris Taylor: Was very quiet and went missing for large periods of the game. 6.4
 Ryan Tunnicliffe: Moment to forget with the poor back pass which probably cost his side the game. Did okay after that and did the defensive side of his midfield role quite well. 6.5
 Corry EvansDidn’t have the best of games. Gave the ball away countless times and didn’t really offer anything to the team. 5.8
 Craig Conway: Disapointing performance from Conway who struggled to get crosses into the box and was dealt with well by the Rotherham right back Fraizer Richardson. 6.5
 Rudy Gestede: Probably Blackburn’s best player before he was forced off with an injury. He was causing the Rotherham defence some problems with his strength and ability in the air. 6.7
 Jordan RhodesMissed a glorious chance when you’d have put money on him scoring. Apart from that he was kept largely quiet. 6.5

Substitutions

Luke Varney: Came on for Gestede and was largely ineffective. 6.2
 Josh King: His pace and direct running was a problem when he came on. Looked like he could make something happen for Rovers. 6.6
Adam Henley: Came on for Taylor with 15 minutes to go to allow Marshall to push forward and did reasonably well. Didn’t have much time to make a real impact. 6.5

Man of the Match

, Player ratings: Rotherham United 2-0 Blackburn Rovers

Alex Revell: There’s been a lot of debate recently amongst Rotherham fans as to whether Revell is good enough for this level. Last night he showed he is. Worked tirelessly as always and gave the Blackburn defence problems. He also brought others into play with his flick ons and some excellent hold up play. The only thing missing from his game last night was a goal, which he was unlucky not to find on the night when Jason Steele made a good save to deny him his first goal since his famous Wembley strike.  8.0
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