MATCH REPORT: Wood the hero as Millers book a return ticket to the Championship

CAPTAIN fantastic Richard Wood fired Rotherham United back to the Championship in a memorable League One play-off final triumph at Wembley.

The team’s oldest player scored twice as the Millers beat Shrewsbury Town 2-1 after extra time to seal a return to the second tier at the first time of asking.

It was a deserved win for Paul  Warne’s super fit side, who shrugged off an early penalty miss from David Ball to boss large chunks of the contest against tiring opponents.

Wood put the Millers in front on 32 minutes and although Alex Rodman levelled before the hour, the inspired man of the match struck the winner towards the end of the first period of extra time to settle it.

Warne had been bold in his starting selection, making three changes and recalling Ball to partner Michael Smith up front in a 4-4-2. It succeeded in wrong-footing the opposition and their manager Paul Hurst, Warne’s former Millmoor team-mate.

Richard Wood turns in the Millers' second goal. Pictures: TREVOR PRICE

Led out by injured striker Jamie Proctor, the Millers started the better should have been in front after nine minutes. Omar Beckles dragged Wood down in the penalty area, leading to a spot kick right in front of the massed ranks of Rotherham fans at the West End. Ball struck it cleanly enough but at saveable height and Dean Henderson guessed the right way to keep out the effort.

It was a blow to Rotherham but it only drove them to up their efforts even more. Getting in Shrewsbury’s faces, they wouldn’t let them find any sort of rhythm and broke on them with pace, the man in possession so often having lots of options inside and out wide. The deserved reward came on 32 minutes and in the simplest fashion. Joe Newell swung in a corner and Wood steamed in to plant a header into the ground and passed the flailing Henderson.

Richie Towell also had Henderson scrambling from distance and Shrewsbury, who had finished the regular season eight points better off, went into the break probably relieved to be only a goal down.

The atmosphere around the stadium changed when Shrewsbury conjured an equaliser 13 minutes into the second half. A superbly worked short free-kick, straight off the training ground, caught Rotherham on the hop and the ball was threaded through for Rodman to apply the finishing touch.

The goal lifted the Shrews but it was the Millers who continued to create openings. Will Vaulks had an effort parried and Caolan Lavery missed a great chance to write his name in lights. Sprung through by Vaulks and with the goal opening up, he planted the ball wide of the far post. The substitute also forced Henderson  into another save as the match entered some nervy latter stages.

Rotherham continued to find gaps, looking much the fresher, and there was more frustration in the red and white ranks when the ball got stuck under Smith’s feet just as he shaped to round Henderson.

Shaun Whalley put an effort straight at Marek Rodak but the Shrews were tired and clinging on and it took a terrific save from Henderson to make sure his team earned extra time, going full length to keep out a wicked angled drive from lively sub Ryan Williams.

Even though the opening exchanges of extra time were cagey, Rotherham had the upper hand and it was another set piece that regained them the lead on 103 minutes. Newell was again the provider, whipping in a long, raking free-kick, and Wood surged in behind a flat defence to poke in off the far post and race away in delight.

It was first brace of the 32-year-old long career’s and what a place to claim it.

Rotherham saw out of the match with precious few scrares and then celebrated with their fans in the London sunshine as Shrewsbury, who have done so well this term, swallowed defeat.

It has been some turn-around for the Millers after the horrors of last season, a reward for hard work, persistence and smart thinking, and now they can look forward to games against Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Leeds United and the rest in the second tier.

Millers: Rodak; Emmanuel, Wood, Ajayi, Mattock; Vaulks, Taylor (Williams 74), Towell, Newell; Ball (Lavery 70), Smith

Shrewsbury: Henderson; Bolton (Riley 72), Sadler, Nsiala, Beckles; Godfrey; Whalley, B. Morris  (Payne 56), Nolan, Rodman; Morris (John-Lewis 66)

Referee: Rob Jones

Attendance: 26,218