Shrewsbury 0 Rotherham 1 - Report and pictures

Millers skipper Richard Wood struck on the stroke of half-time to ensure Paul Hurst’s side were pointless for the second week running on home soil.

Town remain top of the pile in League One, ahead of rivals Wigan and Blackburn who did not play today, but the Latics - just a point behind - now have two games in hand.

Hurst’s men, so imperious at the Meadow in the first half of the season, struggled to calve out many clear-cut chances, with Shaun Whalley and Nathan Thomas chances either side of half-time all the hosts had to shout about.

Shrews have now failed to win in three home league games in a run back to January 1.

Dean Henderson made an uncharacteristic error for the goal that proved the winner. Town’s goalkeeper came to punch a ball through a crowd of at least half-a-dozen players and was easily bustled out of it leaving Wood free to score into an empty net.

Boos rang out at full-time in the direction of referee Carl Boyeson, who ensured that the second period was almost a non-event with an enormous number of whistles that broke up play and meant that neither side created any sort of momentum.

Rotherham netted for the 26th game running to secure their sixth run on the bounce and are now unbeaten in 13. The fourth placed team, having played one more game than Salop, now have just a five point deficit on the top.

Analysis

James Bolton and Ben Godfrey returned to Town’s starting XI having only been on the bench in the midweek win at Fleetwood. They came in for Luke Hendrie and Bryn Morris, who both impressed in the north west.

Hurst’s other change was Tuesday’s match-winner Nathan Thomas coming in for Alex Rodman, who only made the bench with a neural glute injury.

The Town chief, a Millers legend and their all-time record league appearance maker across 15 years, predicted a high intensity display from his former side who have been in flying form under Paul Warne.

Warne, a former team-mate of Hurst’s, has guided his side on a 12-game unbeaten run, winning the last five. One of the league’s in-form side had lifted themselves to fourth and on the cusp of the top three ahead of kick-off - salvaging a season that at one point had them down in 13th.

Town fans were shown just why the Millers had been in such devastating form in the opening exchanges.

Aside from a low Whalley cross inside 20 seconds and a thumping Carlton Morris header over the top, the pressure was all from the rampant visitors, who were getting forward at will.

Town were tested defensively from the off as Rotherham combined well in attack between their little and large pairing of Michael Smith and the skillful David Ball.

Dean Henderson was at his shot-stopping best to keep out Ball while Shrews were fortunate that sizeable defender Semi Ajayi did not have his shooting boots on from several knock downs.

The Millers peppered Shrews’ penalty area with crosses, corners and long throws and while Hurst’s men did enough to see out initial phases of danger for the most but they struggled for an outball as crosses kept coming.

Joe Newell on the left flank was a particular thorn in Town’s opening exchanges.

The hosts seemed to have secured their composure after a frenetic 20 minutes. With Jon Nolan at the heart of it, they attempted to knock it about and calm things down.

It was Nolan’s flick for Whalley midway through the half that sent the winger scampering away but he was unable to execute a finish beyond Marek Rodak who rushed out well.

The Millers’ side continued to impress and Warne’s men were picking up second balls outside the Town’s box and winning 50-50 battles all around the Meadow pitch.

Town, normally so strong and assured in aerial battle, were getting punished and Ajayi should have scored again after wrestling Omar Beckles out of the way before nodding wide.

But the relentless pressure told at the worst possible time as it looked like the home side had got in at the break unscathed.

It is a goal that Henderson will not to see again.

A corner was only cleared so far before Aaron Forde helped it back into the Town box. Despite bringing every body back it was Michael Ihiekwe who nodded down amid a bunch of bodies. Henderson came for the punch but only ran into a bunch of players.

The nod down fell to skipper Wood on the six-yard line who gleefully tapped home.

It was the least that United deserved following an extremely impressive first 45 minutes.

Following a bright start to the second period the game took 10 minutes to recapture its energy levels of the first-half. A number of soft free-kicks awarded by referee Carl Boyeson broke up play making it difficult for either side to build momentum.

But Shrews began to improve and enjoyed more of the ball as they tried to impose their game on the visitors, who had taken their foot off the gas momentarily.

Nolan, Whalley and Thomas were trying their upmost to spark some life into their side with the ball at their feet. Skipper Ogogo had two second half efforts from outside the box, one flew at Rodak and the other wide.

Balls were not quite dropping the way of the leaders with the Millers barely stretched as they carried out their defensive duties.

Hurst and No.2 Chris Doig were becoming more and more animated with referee Carl Boyeson’s consistent whistle-blowing in the second period. The official seemed intent in pulling the game up for every little coming together, while the visitors were more than happy to eat up the minutes.

A big chance did come the way of the hosts. Toto Nsiala slipped a nice pass to fellow defender Omar Beckles who deftly flicked on towards Thomas, but the winger could not beat Rodak, who again rushed out brilliantly to deny Shrews.

Hurst shuffled his options three-quarters through the contest by sending on Stefan Payne for Nolan and Lenell John-Lewis for Morris

Frustration rang around the Meadow as goalscoring opportunities were at a premium. The Millers, as with Warne’s style, worked hard to ensure Town were tested in every moment, at every challenge.

Whalley smashed a volley over late on as the home crowd were furious at the display by the official Mr Boyeson, who was the centre of attention with every decision.

Hurst’s men could not create any more serious or clear-cut efforts and with it came back-to-back home defeats as the hosts stayed at the top of the table, but the onus has shifted back to Wigan and Blackburn who will have the chance to do more damage to Town’s lead when they return to action.

Key moments

1 - Nathan Thomas is inches from connecting to Shaun Whalley’s cross after just 18 seconds.

5 - Clear opening Rotherham. Semi Ajayi flicks on well from a long ball into the path of forward Michael Smith and he can only drag an angled finish across Dean Henderson’s goal.

7 - Powerful header from Carlton Morris as he climbs to meet Whalley’s corner but he sends a bullet effort a foot or so over Marek Rodak’s goal.

14 - Stunning skill from frontman David Ball evades a couple of challenging on the left side of the box and his curled effort is saved superbly by Dean Henderson. Ajayi is off-balance and can only scuff rebound.

15 - Chances keep coming for the relentless visitors. Henderson misses a corner and Abu Ogogo clears from Michael Ihiekwe before Anthony Forde fires high and wide from the edge of the box.

19 - Henderson is busy and this time saves from Joe Newell’s half-volley from outside the area. Hurst’s men then defend a series of balls into the box well.

25 - A Shrewsbury chance. Jon Nolan helps the ball into the path of Whalley who holds of Will Vaulks and beats him for pace but can’t execute a finish beyond the onrushing Marek Rodak.

30 - James Bolton has a couple of bites at the cherry from Toto Nsiala’s knockdown but can’t convert a Whalley corner.

32 - Fantastic tracking back from Nathan Thomas to Richie Towell what would have been an open goal at the back post.

36 - Big chance for big Ajayi again as he beats Omar Beckles to a Forde corner but glances wide when he should score.

39 - Joe Newell has acres of space outside the Shrewsbury box and lines one up but fires off target. He had space to do better.

44 - Goal Rotherham. A corner is cleared but lobbed back in, Henderson comes to claim but is nowhere near it and the ball drops down for skipper Richard Wood to tap home into an open goal. Poor goal to concede by the hosts.

49 - Town captain Abu Ogogo rides a couple of challenges but shoots at Rodak left-footed from the edge of the box.

62 - Big chance Nathan Thomas. Good pass from Toto Nsiala and Omar Beckles flicks it on to the winger who is in on goal 12 yards out but cannot beat the impressive Rodak.

80 - Fine skill by Joe Newell who skins two Town men before crossing low but forward Michael Smith can only flick wide.

Teams

Shrewsbury Town (4-1-4-1):

Henderson; Bolton, Nsiala, Sadler, Beckles; Godfrey; Whalley, Nolan (Payne, 69), Ogogo ©, Thomas (Rodman, 84); C Morris (John-Lewis, 74)

Subs not used: MacGillivray (gk), Lowe, Hendrie, B Morris.

Rotherham United (4-4-2):

Rodak; Emmanuel, Ajayi, Wood ©, Ihiekwe; Newell (Palmer, 90+2), Towell, Vaulks, Forde (Williams, 63); Ball (Lavery, 75), Smith.

Subs not used: Price (gk), Taylor, Yates, Cummings.

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Attendance: 7,007 (1,136 away fans)

Star man - Toto Nsiala. Tried, mostly in vain, to repel Rotherham’s significant attacking prowess.

Position in the table - 1st (64 points rom 32 games)