Bristol Rovers 2-3 Rotherham United
Sky Bet League One, The Memorial Stadium, Saturday 1 March, 3:00pm
Bristol Rovers conceded in stoppage time to fall to a 3-2 defeat to Rotherham United at The Memorial Stadium in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas were looking for their fourth win in five matches at home and started perfectly when Ruel Sotiriou got onto Chris Martin’s pass to break the deadlock inside five minutes.
However, the Millers responded well and went into the break level through Sam Nombe before going ahead soon after the break thanks to a Zak Jules header.
The hosts pushed to equalise and found it through Sil Swinkels, who nodded Luke Thomas’ cross beyond Dillon Phillips. The game was going towards a draw before Nombe scrambled in a second at the death.
Rovers made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Northampton Town last weekend. Swinkels replaced the injured Connor Taylor and Grant Ward returned to the midfield, with Luke Thomas dropping onto the bench.
It was a sunny Saturday at The Mem, and the Gas got off to the perfect start inside five minutes, with Sotiriou poking in the opener to give the hosts the lead.
The forward moved into the box and played a clever one-two with Martin to get away from his marker before slotting his low shot past Phillips from a tight angle.
Rotherham attempted to turn around their form after four defeats in five outings in the third tier and responded with a few chances to try and get level immediately. Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu's powerful goal-bound blast was blocked by Swinkels before Mallik Wilks dragged his effort wide of the post from inside the area.
The contrast in styles made for interesting viewing in the first half, with the Millers constantly testing Rovers' defence with balls into the box, compared to the Pirates' possession approach. The Gas often challenged the visitors in the final third and caused a threat with Lino Sousa and Jack Hunt offering support on the flanks, but a loose final pass meant there were limited clear-cut opportunities.
Steve Evans' men continued their pressure and levelled less than ten minutes before half-time. Ruddock Mpanzu cleverly got down the right on the byline and caused the ball to bobble around the heart of the box before Nombe turned his shot in from close range.
Sotiriou looked lively in the opening 45 minutes and was almost the architect of Rovers' second just before the break. His close control helped him evade several defenders on his way forward before slotting the ball across to Isaac Hutchinson, but he scuffed his effort.
Rovers’ missed opportunity proved costly, with Rotherham gaining the lead soon into the second half. The visitors had a corner on the left, with Joe Powell whipping a cross towards Jules, who planted his downward header into the bottom corner.
The Millers had all the momentum and went close to doubling their advantage moments later. Nombe was searching for his second and drilled a low strike on target, but Jed Ward got down quickly to push his shot away.
The Gas were struggling in the attack, with Iñigo Calderón deciding to bring on Promise Omochere and Luke Thomas alongside Taylor Moore just past the hour mark to try and change their fortunes.
There was a quick response to the alterations, with Omochere flicking a header wide after latching onto Moore’s cross. The striker then turned provider and played the ball into Sotiriou, who had his shot blocked behind for a corner.
The Pirates were in the ascendancy and were throwing the ball into the box, finding the equaliser with 20 minutes to play. Thomas floated a cross towards Swinkels, who knocked his header across the goal.
The game looked to be heading towards a draw, but Nombe scored again in the final seconds to hand Rotherham all three points. Joshua Kayode's close-range header was pushed away by Jed Ward but onto Nombe, who was in the right place at the right time to score the winner.
Bristol Rovers: J.Ward, Sousa (Moore 61), Wilson, Sinclair (Thomas 61) G.Ward (Omochere 61), Sotiriou, Martin, Hutchinson, Swinkels, Butcher, Hunt
Subs not used: Roberts, Senior, Lindsay, Shaw.
Goals: Sotiriou 5, Swinkels 72
Booked: Martin 48, Butcher 84
Rotherham United: Phillips, James, Powell, Nombe, Clarke-Harris (Kayode 83), Wilks (Holmes 97), Jules, McWilliams (Sibley 93), Odoffin, Humphreys, Ruddock Mpanzu
Subs not used: Dawson, Hugill, Hatton, Hull.
Goals: Nombe 36, 92, Jules 52
Referee: Edward Duckworth
Attendance: 7799 (452 away)
