Rotherham United were forced to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic at The Valley, despite having claims for a ‘stonewall’ penalty turned down.
At least that’s the view of controversial boss Steve Evans, who believes his side should have had a chance to add to a stunning second-half strike from Liam Kelly.
The first half saw The Millers struggle to impose themselves, with Charlton enjoying the better of the chances. The home side’s first real opportunity came when Gassan Ahadme fired over from close range after Luke Berry teed him up in the box. Rotherham’s defence stood firm, but the Millers found it difficult to create anything going forward.
Their first real sight of goal came in the 21st minute when Sam Nombe cut in from the wing and fired a shot that was well saved by Charlton keeper Will Mannion. As the half wore on, the Millers continued to soak up pressure, with Thierry Small curling an effort just wide for the hosts.
However, it was Rotherham who broke the deadlock just after the hour mark. Liam Kelly picked up the ball from 25 yards out and unleashed a thunderous shot into the top corner, giving Mannion no chance and putting the Millers 1-0 up.
Charlton responded by making a triple substitution, and it paid off as they piled on the pressure. In the 72nd minute, Allan Campbell fed Chuks Aneke on the edge of the box, and the forward curled a brilliant effort into the top corner, levelling the score at 1-1.
Rotherham had a late chance to snatch all three points when substitute Jordan Hugill flashed a shot wide, but neither side could find a winner in the final moments of an end-to-end encounter.
The result leaves Rotherham frustrated, having taken the lead but unable to hold on for all three points, something Evans believes wouldn’t have been the case, had the game not been in London.
“We get ourselves in front with a great goal,” said the former Leeds United boss. “There is a fortunate part to their goal, it richochets off one of my own players and Chuks does what Chuks can do.
“I remember a Neil Warnock quote: “You don’t get penalties in London unless you’re from London”. How that is not a penalty is beyond me. We didn’t get it. That was the Neil Warnock quote…before someone at the FA gets excited.
“It’s a clear and obvious penalty. There is no attempt to play the ball – so my comments to the referee coming off is that not only has he missed a penalty but it is also a red card. It is at a big time in the game.
“Neil Warnock is a friend of mine and he’ll chuckle that I’ve said it. But he’s right – you come from the north and you don’t get penalties in London.”
The result leaves the Millers 15th in the early table, with five points from their opening five fixtures. Their opponents, Charlton, climb one space to fifth, by virtue of Lincoln City not being in action.
Writer’s View
Evans complaining about not getting a penalty? In other news, water is wet, fire is hot, and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
It’s all a bit boring now, isn’t it? We’ve had the same rhetoric rolled out week after week, year after year, for almost two decades. The sad thing is, his Rotherham side wasn’t too bad; they absolutely deserved a point, if not three, but once again, it’s the manager’s sour grapes that dominate the headlines.
Be the first to comment