Rotherham Report
By Aston
April 6 2005
Ipswich Town leapfrogged Wigan into second place in the championship after a nervous 4-3 win over now relegated Rotherham.
Two goals from Darren Bent and one each from Ian Westlake and Jim Magilton were just enough to see off a some what lucky Rotherham side.
Town opened the scoring after just 6 minutes when Ian Westlake headed home Darren Currie’s cross to score his 8th goal of the campaign and get Ipswich on there way to what should have been an easy win.
Darren Bent should of made it 2-0 after 14 minutes when Shefki Kuqi linked up well with the England Under 21 international who turned his marker only to send the ball wide when one on one with Rotherham ’keeper Mark Pollitt.
9 minutes later Bent made up for his earlier error when he scored Town’s second after volleying in Tommy Miller’s header.
Less than a minute later Rotherham had a goal back when Tony Thorpe made the most of a Jason De Vos error and sent the ball past Kelvin Davis into the back of the net to make it 2-1 and give the Millers a chance of something from the game.
De Vos tried to make up for his error earlier on in the game when his cross found Shefki Kuqi only for the Flying Fin to head against the bar. Kuqi again went close just before the break after he somehow managed to get a shot away while lying on his back.
Rotherham started the second half the better team with both John Mullin and Campbell-Ryce going close for the visitors before Town appeared to hammer the final nails into the Rotherham coffin.
Firstly Ian Westlake set up Darren Bent who scored his second of the night simply tapping in Westlake’s pass to make it 3-1. On the hour mark Jim Magilton’s 2nd goal in 2 games made it 4-1.
Rotherham were down but certainly not out of the game as they got a bit of luck of managed to score two goals in the final 30 minutes and set up a nervous finish for the home fans.
First Kelvin Davis failed to hold on to a Campbell-Ryce shot allowing Martin Butler to tap in the lose ball. Butler was also involved in the second goal as he was brought down by David Unsworth on the edge of the Town box for the free kick which McIntosh hit into the wall but with such power it went up off the Town defender over the wall and in to the net with 11 minutes to go.
Rotherham may well of gone to get a 4th goal if it was not for the intervention of De Vos who made a last stitch tackle to deny Shaun Barker.
Town move up to second place 5 points behind Sunderland who beat Wigan 1-0 at the JJB.
Ipswich Town Squad: Kelvin Davis, Fabian Wilnis, Jason De Vos, Richard
Naylor, David Unsworth, Tommy Miller, Jim Magilton, Ian Westlake, Darren Currie,
Darren Bent, Shefki Kuqi
Subs: Lewis Price, Matt Richards, Pablo Couñago,
Kevin Horlock, James Scowcroft
Rotherham Squad: M Pollitt, P Hurst, M McIntosh, C Swailes, R Scott, J
Campbell-Ryce , M Keane, P McLaren, J Mullin, T Thorpe, M Butler
Subs: G
Montgomery, P Warne, W Hoskins, P Vernazza, S Barker
| Ipswich Town 4 | Rotherham 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow Cards | ||
| Red Cards | Goals | Bent (25, 57) Magilton (60) | Butler (67) McIntosh (79) |
| Substitutions | Currie replaced by Horlock (87) | Campbell-Ryce replaced by Vernazza (69) |
| Possession | ||
| Shots | | |
| Corners | ||
| Fouls | ||
| Attendance: 26,017 |
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