Owls through but Millers test mettle

SO, that's one crisis over then. The gloomy uncertainty that had lingered for four days was blown away.

They can create chances and score after all – and the 'keeper has had a blinder!

That's the Millers and their problems taken care of then!

Now on to Wednesday... and they sorted out a tie that became the perilous side of tricky at one stage before easing through with something to spare in the second half.

Just as the defeat at Ipswich doesn't mean all is lost and all ye who enter should abandon hope, nor does last night's eventually convincing sorting out of their League Two neighbours, mean that it's full steam ahead and the water will be millpond-smooth.

Everyone in blue and white knew the sort of response a Carling Cup exit here might provoke.

But, awkward-looking though it may have seemed and fraught with danger, perhaps it was the right one for Wednesday to have in the circumstances.

They'd be aware of local neighbours being up for it whilst the presence of live tv often focuses the mind. A good atmosphere too, and there was the awareness of the need to get Ipswich out of the system.

In a strange way, Rotherham might have preferred Wednesday arriving on the back of a win at Portman Road instead of a bad defeat and hoped for a touch of complacency.

That might even have meant an unchanged team and who knows? Instead, the changes paid off.

Of course, Brian Laws could have given the Ipswich XI a chance of redemption en bloc. However, he made the sort of changes Rotherham probably feared – and Laws found his judgement near enough spot on.

Steve Watson, dropping back to centre defence, and fit-again Deon Burton, proved pivotal figures as Wednesday finally tamed a Millers display that, before half-time, earned considerable and well-merited credit.

Had Lee Grant not pulled off a save Mark Robins described as "world class", Rotherham would have been 2-0 up not long before the break and, whilst certainly not out of it, the Owls would surely have found things a tad more difficult.

A pulsating first half had the ground throbbing as the near misses, escapes and chances mounted at both ends.

Burton hit Andy Warrington's legs, Derek Holmes got away behind Richard Wood but lacked the pace to go clear before Marcus Tudgay fired just over following a corner – and we'd only played five minutes!

Watson made a vital interception from the lively Chris O'Grady and then both sides struck the woodwork.

Tudgay's effort seemed sure to go in but rolled on to a post and Rotherham somehow scrambled it away before O'Grady rattled the Owls' bar with a thunderous effort.

When Wade Small – playing on the left – put Burton through, the opener was on only for Warrington to save with his legs.

But Rotherham were far from overawed and capped a good spell by forcing Grant into a superb save from Stephen Brogan's 20 yarder before taking a 33rd minute lead.

It was an intelligently worked free-kick that freed up Danny Harrison for a blocked header that came back for him to drill home.

Suddenly, Wednesday had a shaky spell and twice might have been punished before arguably the highlight of the night. Rotherham peeled off a lovely move ending with a Dale Tonge centre nodded back by Derek Holmes into the path of Andy Todd but a great reflex save by Grant deflected the ball over.

When, a couple of minutes later, Watson fired a close range chance over, Rotherham were anticipating a half-time lead. But as the clocked ticked into stoppage time, a bout of sharp passing ended with Jermaine Johnson laying the ball back for Glenn Whelan to rifle in a shot that got a deflection on its way.

It was probably the defining moment. It settled Wednesday enabling them to impose themselves again and undoubtedly it hit the Millers who took a real hammer blow four minutes into the second half.

Warrington went full length to turn out a fierce 22-yarder from Johnson and Burton pounced to make it 2-1.

Wednesday never looked back from that moment and when Small got lucky with an intended centre that flew high beyond Warrington 10 minutes into the second half, the outcome was never in doubt.

It took the sting out of Rotherham and the edge off the game. Wednesday eased into control, finding their men comfortably and now emphasising the two-division gulf although the Millers never gave it up.

Johnson and Burton had efforts saved and Watson headed narrowly wide whilst Warrington somehow denied Leon Clarke at point blank range.

When Richard Wood slipped to let in Marc Newsham, Grant saved the day and Rotherham's last chance of salvaging anything was gone, although O'Grady might have finished off a chance he made himself with 10 minutes left.

In the last minute, Wednesday had a great chance for a 4-1 away win of their own when Clarke went clean through but Warrington again got his advance right and the big striker could only beat his hands together in frustration.

Robin's view

It was an opportunity for a new team here to show a lot of people what they can do and I think, by and large, we did that.

I'm disappointed with the end result but I'm not going to complain too much.

Wednesday created a lot of chances and in the end stretched us with their quality and they have some phenomenal pace. But we created a lot of chances too and that's against a Championship side and that's encouraging.

It could have been a little bit different but for their 'keeper making that save – it's the best I've seen for a long, long, time – it was a world class save, in fact.

Law's view

It was tough and, first of all, credit to Rotherham. They had the adrenaline pumping and really got at us in the first half. And that's what you do. I've been in that situation myself and I thought they were excellent in the first half.

But we responded after their goal, held our nerve, got a well-worked equaliser and, come the second half, we took total control of the game and ran out comfortable winners.

But our goalkeeper had to make two outstanding saves in the first half and that will probably eradicate his disappointment at missing the one at Ipswich that he'd save a thousand times in his sleep.

We moved the ball about, got the movement and made Rotherham chase and stamped our authority on the game.