Millers shoot down Seagulls

ROTHERHAM United notched a third straight home win at the expense of promotion-seeking Brighton to move clear of the Championship relegation zone.

A goal in each half from Danny Ward and Matt Derbyshire capped a 2-0 victory and condemned the faltering Seagulls to a fourth straight defeat.

Brighton saw plenty of the ball in the first half but it was Rotherham who carried more threat.  Derbyshire was busy on his return to the starting line-up, curling wide of the far post and then being foiled by a deflection when slipped through expertly by Danny Ward.

Half time was beckoning when the breakthrough came. Joe Mattock’s cross wasn’t dealt with and Ward met the falling ball with a smart first-time shot that flashed inside the near post.

Brighton hadn’t scored in five matches but tried hard to end their drought in the second half. Dale Stephens couldn’t take advantage of a one-on-one and Jamie Murphy and debutant Antony Knockaert both tested Lee Camp.

 Bobby Zamora should have punished the Millers with a close-range header before the killer second goal arrived seven minutes from time.

Bruno Saltor’s pass-back fell straight to Derbyshire and the grateful striker prodded in.

The visitors’ misery was complete when Stephens saw his header come back off the post in stoppage time.

Millers: Camp, Facey (Richardson 75), Mattock, Broadfoot, Belaid, Grant Ward, Green, Smallwood, Newell, Danny Ward (Clarke-Harris 75), Derbyshire

Brighton: Stockdale, Saltor, Ridgewell, Gree6 (Crofts 83), Dunk, Knockaert, Stephens, Kayal, Murphy (Lua Lua 72),  Hemed, Wilson (Zamora 63)

Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands)

Attendance: 9,269 (375 visitors)