Lincoln City held Rotherham to a 1-1 draw in the Tuesday night EFL League One tie. The LNER was rocking once again with an attendance of 8,788.
The Imps face a possible injury blow as Conor McGrandles came off early in the first half.
Rotherham made it difficult for Appleton’s side creating many chances, but Josh Griffiths starred in the net to keep the scores level.
Kick off:
Both teams started the tie relatively slowly with Rotherham creating the first dangerous attack in the third minute. The next ten minutes followed a similar pattern as neither side could quite make their mark in the game.
The Millers began to apply pressure in the 14th minute as Imps keeper Josh Griffiths was forced to make an outstanding reaction save from the six-yard-box. Rotherham seemed the most likely to score as they approached the 20 minute mark.
A spanner was then thrown in the works for Michael Appleton with midfielder Conor McGrandles going down injured. Appleton was forced to make an early substitution and replace McGrandles with summer signing Lewis Fiorini.
It went from bad to worse for Appleton’s side as Rotherham’s Michael Smith opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. The Imps became visibly frustrated following the goal, making lazy challenges and misplaced passes.
Lewis Fiorini had his shooting boots on as he aimed to replicate his goal at Cambridge United on Saturday. He came extremely close with a shot from the edge of the box that was tipped round the post by Rotherham keeper Viktor Johansson.
The Imps stepped it up a gear in the closing 10 minutes but couldn’t find a goal to show for it.
HALFTIME: Lincoln City 0-1 Rotherham United
Lincoln started the second half as they finished the first, putting Rotherham under pressure from the outset. Their first chance of the half came from a free-kick on the edge of the box which was cleared away.
Lewis Fiorini injected life into the game when he came on in the first half and he started the second half with a bang. The cool-headed substitute slotted the ball past the Rotherham keeper in the 55th minute to level the scores.
The Imps continued to pile on the pressure in the opening 15 minutes. City winger Anthony Scully shaved the post after a dangerous counter attack which could’ve easily seen Appleton’s side take the lead.
Both managers made changes in the 67th minute with Lincoln’s Hakeeb Adelakun coming on for Chris Maguire. Paul Warne looked to bolster his team’s attack bringing on Will Grigg and Kieran Sadlier.
Rotherham began to lose their composure which led to Joe Mattock receiving a yellow card for a late challenge. They nearly got the goal they desperately needed but Josh Griffiths stole the show yet again with a terrific reaction save.
Appleton’s side kept their foot on the gas as the half progressed with an in-form Scully causing havoc down the wing as usual. He came close with a curled effort from the edge of the box in the 75th but found the keeper’s gloves.
The Millers found their feet heading into the final ten minutes and looked extremely dangerous from set pieces. The away side created chance after chance as the Imps began to struggle.
Josh Griffiths was not letting anything past him during Rotherham’s late onslaught. City’s keeper deservedly earned himself man of the match as he starred in the net to keep the scores tied.
FULL-TIME: Lincoln City 1-1 Rotherham United