Rotherham United line-up: Rodak, Mattock, Vaulks, Ajayi, Wood (c), Palmer (Forde, 46), Taylor (Newell, 46), Williams, Smith, Wiles, Raggatt. Subs not used: Price, Yates, Hinds, Southern-Cooper.
PNE line-up: Rudd, Clarke (c), Hughes (Woods, 67), Ledson, Storey, Huntington, Barkhuizen, Johnson, Nmecha, Burke, Gallagher. Subs not used: Crowe, Fisher, Woods, Simpson, Baxter, O’Reilly, Walker.
Attendance: 9,077 (1,141 PNE fans)
Referee: Mr L Probert
This was a game we should have won by half time however missing a shed load of chances in the first half, we conceed on half time, the home side mahe two changes at the break bag a second and hang on for grim death after we reduced the arrears.
Arriving at the ground a full two hours before the start had a wander around the town, lots of closed down shops gave the impression of grimness, although the Town Hall looked a decent old fashioned building.
North End unchanged started well and looked like they had Rotherham for the taking, Barkhuizen twice through missed one and was brought down cynically by Palmer on the edge of the box, Burke mnissed two, too slow on the first occasion and Johnson also got into acres of space but his poor final ball wasted the opportunity. The Millers started to get into the game and Rudd had too make one smart save from Wiles tipping over a goal bound save, but it only seemed a matter of time until a goal arrived sadly for us on the stroke of half time it was the Millers that got it.
Tree kick just outside the penalty area, Rudd lined his wall up, Vaulks blasted the ball past it and Rudd into the net. Rudd should have done better but it went in at such a rate with a bit of late swerve. One down and this season we have not come from behind to win.
Two substitutes from the home side at the break helped them, they closed us down and did not allow us to play, played far better than they did in the first half and generally looked the side more likely to win it.
They doubled the lead when Johnson gave the ball away on the halfway line, Clarke left exposed the home winger bombed down the wing put in a great cross which just said head me in, Smith did just that. Within a couple on minutes we were back in the game as Nmecha pulled a goal back from about five yards.
Then it was a seige on the home goal Nmecha had one cleared off the line and there was nearly a comedy own goal but the home side survived and took the spoils. Disappointing but we were just not clinical enough in front of goal.
Rotherham assistant manager Richie Barker: "It was a vital three points and after looking at other results it was even more important.
"The togetherness was excellent, the organisation was okay in a patched-up team. We had a few square pegs in round holes so we are obviously delighted to get the three points but we are well aware we need to improve things.
"The performance wasn't great but they don't know that they're beat. They dig in when things are not going so well. The character is excellent.
"Our game-management towards the end was not entertaining, but year or so ago we might have lost that game."
Preston manager Alex Neil: "I was extremely frustrated but I couldn't tell my players they hadn't played well because it wasn't true. There was real frustration and disappointment because we spurned opportunities.
"Normally Rotherham are hard to create chances against but we created six by half-time. As a coach you know when your team has played well.
"Their goalkeeper getting man of the match tells you the story of the game. The simple fact is we didn't take the opportunities that we created. They went in knowing that they had not played well. They knew they had something to hang on to."
