Norwich’s hopes of automatic promotion to the Premier League were dealt a huge blow as Jordan Bowery rescued a late point for Rotherham in a pulsating clash at the New York Stadium , which had implications at both ends of the Sky Bet Championship table.
The Canaries, who had to play for an over an hour with 10 men after Lewis Grabban’s moment of madness looked set to return to the automatic places before Bowery provided a late sting in the tale, which could prove vital for his side in their pursuit of Championship survival. . It was the Canaries who took the lead mid-way through the second half. After the Millers had lost possession, Hooper took the ball off Nathan Redmond, set himself up and sublimely volleyed the ball past Martinez. Rotherham, fired up by their points deduction on Friday rallied and found a deserved equaliser four minutes from time. Adam Hammill’s persistence allowed him a crossing opportunity which duly allowed him to find the head of fellow-substitute Jordan Bowery, who planted his header into the bottom left corner.
The result, coupled with Middlesbrough’s 4-3 defeat at Fulham confirmed Watford’s promotion to the Premier League and left Norwich’s promotion hopes hanging by a thread. The Canaries will be hoping Bournemouth don’t beat Bolton on Monday to give them any chance of avoiding the play-offs. The equation for Rotherham is much more simple, Millwall’s 3-3 draw with Derby means that they remain one point clear of the Lions with a game in hand. If Rotherham win on Tuesday against Reading, they will confirm their place in the Championship for next season, and as a result relegate Wigan and Millwall.
| Emiliano Martinez: Made a good save in the first half and commanded his area well. Like any other ‘keeper he couldn’t have done anything about the Norwich goal. | 6.5 |
| Jack Hunt: Solid as ever, Mr Reliable at right back. | 7.0 |
| Kirk Broadfoot: Not looked back since getting his chance in the first team. Very solid and assured performance. | 7.0 |
| Craig Morgan: Like Broadfoot he was a rock, proper captain’s performance. | 7.5 |
| Danny Lafferty: I like Lafferty, he’s a very accomplished full back. Another solid display. | 6.5 |
| Lee Frecklington: Went missing a little when the team didn’t have the ball, but on the ball his drive and energy was a key asset. Squandered a glorious chance. | 6.5 |
| Kari Arnason: Very classy performance, his calmness on the ball, his vision and his ability to break up the play was essential. | 6.5 |
| Richard Smallwood: Down a notch on recent performances, looked a little bit edgy on the ball and miscued a few passes. He was voted the club’s Player of the Season later that day, so congratulations to him on that. | 6.0 |
| Ben Pringle: Worked hard as always but he was off his game a little. Lucky not to be sent off. | 5.5 |
| Matt Derbyshire: I’m sorry but his miss was unforgivable, but the Millers are in debt to him thanks to his goals in recent games. Worked hard and got into dangerous positions and if he’d have scored it would have been deemed a perfect strikers’ performance. | 6.0 |
| Danny Ward: Looked lively at the start of the game, but then tired. Squandered a couple of big chances. | 6.0 |
Substitutions
| Jordan Bowery: He’d be the first name on my team sheet. Looked lively when he came on and created a goal. Offered everything Newton didn’t and is wasted sat on the bench. | 7.0 |
| Adam Hammill | 6.0 |
Norwich City
| John Ruddy: Made a great save to keep his side in the game and commanded his area impeccably. | 6.5 |
| Russell Martin: Solid enough, offered little going forward though. | 6.5 |
| Sebastien Bassong: Colossal figure at the back, why was he ever loaned out? | 7.0 |
| Ryan Bennett: Looked the weaker of the two centre back, but was still decent. | 6.5 |
| Martin Olsson: Offered a lively outlet and was a danger going forward, a little suspect defensively though. | 7.0 |
| Graham Dorrans: Kept things ticking a long in midfield by breaking up play and spraying the ball about. | 6.5 |
| Bradley Johnson: Offered energy, drive and strength. Has a great shot on him too. | 7.0 |
| Jonny Howson: Thought he was fairly quiet, didn’t offer his usual drive. | 6.0 |
| Nathan Redmond: Offered a lot of pace, but was fairly anonymous. | 6.0 |
| Lewis Grabban: Getting sent off in the manner he did was incredibly stupid and probably cost his side a win. | 1.5 |
| Wes Hoolahan: Subbed off after Grabban’s red card, no real time to make an impact on the game. | N/A |
Substitutions
| Gary Hooper: Scored an absolutely stunning goal and offered a threat throughout the game. | 7.0 |
| Cameron Jerome: Late cameo role, made little impact. | N/A |
Man of the Match
| Craig Morgan: One of the rare occasions where the sponsors actually chose the rightful Man of the Match. Colossal at the back, won everything in the air and provided an assured presence. | 7.5 |
