Rotherham United 3 Bradford City 0: Fortune at last turns for Revell as Millers sink City

ROTHERHAM set a standard which striker Alex Revell says must be maintained while Bradford City plumbed the depths in performance which manager Phil Parkinson is determined they will not descend to again this season.
Alex RevellAlex Revell
Alex Revell

The Millers were on top form in ensuring the Bantams suffered a third first round exit in the knockouts this season after their cup exploits of last season culminated in a Wembley final appearance.

City were never in it against their fellow promoted club and only the first half heroics of goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin prevented a rout.

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The Millers, on the other hand, won every individual battle and even Revell, his own biggest critic, was positively purring.

The 30-year-old has suffered a confidence-draining time in front of goal but has never hidden and he reaped his reward with his third goal in 19 appearances.

Revell expertly headed down for Kieran Agard to hit the 12th-minute opener from inside the six-yard area and, after McLaughlin had prevented strike partner Matt Tubbs from making it 2-0, he was twice denied by the City goalkeeper.

First, Revell saw McLaughlin fling himself down to his right to beat away a powerful close-range downward header and then had the ball scooped off his toes as he ran through following a wayward attempted back pass from City’s Nathan Doyle.

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Revell reflected: “Sometimes your luck is a bit out and the goalkeeper produced a great save from my header because I had done everything right.

“Then when I went through I had a bit of a dodgy touch, to be honest. I probably got too close to him and he smothered the ball. I came in a bit disheartened at half-time but the gaffer (Steve Evans)was brilliant and said ‘just keep going because you have been outstanding.’

“I did and that’s what happens. I suppose if you keep going, keep persisting and keep working hard in training every day you get yourrewards.”

The reward came in the shape of Rotherham’s 62nd-minute second goal when Revell raced in and stretched out a leg to convert a whipped in free-kick from Michael O’Connor.

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“Everyone is now going to say ‘hopefully you can go on and score a couple more’ but I just want to keep on playing the way I did because I know I played well today and the gaffer obviously thought the same,” continued Revell.

“I have to keep going and keep believing and keep going in to where the chances are. The more I keep getting in there, the more chances I will have to score.

“It was a great delivery for the goal from Micky. We had been working on that during the week and I scored two from that exact position on Friday but with my head. That was the difference –they are a big side and we defended so well from their set pieces.

“It is a great result because we have been unlucky in last few weeks. We have kept going and plugging away and have got our reward.

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“This is the start of a new run, hopefully. We can drive on from here because the squad that we have got is a really good one and we deserve to be up there. I have been saying for weeks now that we would turn up and batter someone. Today we have and it could have been more against a strong side who are sixth in League One.

“We have probably set what I would say is the biggest benchmark, not withstanding the Sheffield Wednesday game (2-1 League Cup win). Now we know what we have to do to win games. That is the most important thing.”

Agard underlined Rotherham’s supremacy with a looping header for the third over McLaughlin, whom Parkinson exonerated from any blame along with 17-year-old debutant Oliver McBurnie.

The youth team striker has scored four hat-tricks and 17 goals in 10 appearances this season and his manager stressed: “He was on the bench because he deserved to be – it wasn’t a token gesture because it was the FA Cup. His performances for the youth team merited it and he has trained well with the first team.”

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Leeds-born McBurnie said of his 82nd-minute introduction: “Individually it was a great day but it was just a shame about the performance.

“I got told on Friday that I would be travelling and then the gaffer pulled me to one side and said ‘you are on the bench today’ and two minutes before I went on he said ‘Olly, get warmed up’ and that was it. There were a lot of nerves but it was mainly excitement and I was really proud.

“I was on a youth experience loan at Man United in the summer and we won the Milk Cup over in Ireland.

“It was really good experience and it’s all added to helping me make my debut for Bradford. I’ll just see how far I can get. I am really grateful the gaffer has given me my chance. It’s so much quicker at this level. I came on for about 10 minutes and I thought I’d been on for 45. I really enjoyed it and I felt all right physically. It’s good to challenge myself against bigger and stronger men.”

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The only blots on a day when there had been an impeccable one minute’s silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday were clashes between fans in an exit tunnel at the City end which required the intervention of police and stewards.

Rotherham United: Collin, Bradley, Morgan, Arnason, Skarz; Agard, Frecklington, O’Connor (Milson 76), Pringle (Tidser 89); Tubbs, Revell. Unused substitutes: Shearer, Brindley, Davis, Mills, Nardiello.

Bradford City: McLaughlin, Darby, McArdle, Bates, Meredith; De Vita (Yeates 63), Doyle (Kennedy 74), Jones, Reid; Hanson, Wells (McBurnie 82). Unused substitutes: Ripley, Thompson, Taylor, McHugh.

Referee: J Adcock (Notts).

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