Nardiello double spurs Millers

STRIKER Daniel Nardiello struck twice as Rotherham United came from behind to beat Cheltenham Town 4-2 at the New York Stadium this afternoon.

Trailing to Keith Lowe’s opener after only 50 seconds, the Millers powered back to put last week’s five-goal beating at Dagenham behind them and inflict the visitors’ first defeat in six games.

Nardiello’s close-range header from a centre by winger Courtney Cameron, making his debut on loan from Aston Villa, had Rotherham level after only four minutes and they rubber-stamped their early authority on 21 minutes when Ben Pringle flashed an angled left-footer across goalkeeper Scott Brown and into the far corner of the net.

Key defender Craig Morgan was forced to go off injured late in the first half but not before playing in Nardiello to side step his marker and tuck home his second of the game for 3-1 on the half-hour mark.

Three minutes later Chris Zebroski stabbed in to put the match back in the melting pot but the Millers had the upper hand in the second half and Lee Frecklington put gloss on the win when he burst through to score the fourth in stoppage time.

Millers: Warrington, Bradley, Morris, Sharps (capt), Morgan (O’Connor 44), Pringle, Frecklington, Taylor, Cameron (Walker 90), Revell, Nardiello (Odejayi 84)

Cheltenham: Brown, Lowe, Jones, Elliott, Bennett (capt), McGlashan (Deering 80), Penn (Goulding 59), Pack, Carter, Mohamed (Harrad 59), Zebroski

Referee: Darren Sheldrake (Surrey)

Attendance: 6,705 (311 away)