Rotherham United 0 Wycombe 0: Millers and Wanderers get that familiar feeling

Rotherham United and Wycombe have been promoted together and relegated alongside each other in the past two seasons, and are now firmly in the hunt to switch divisions once more.

Indeed, Paul Warne’s Millers and Gareth Ainsworth’s Chairboys have become well acquainted over recent campaigns so it was perhaps little surprise to see them cancel one another out at the New York Stadium on Tuesday night.

One would have hoped fifth versus second would create a more entertaining spectacle than the fare that was produced, but Rotherham and Wycombe have not got themselves into these positions by playing free-flowing football.

Certainly not Ainsworth’s side, who even when they scored twice in the opening 15 minutes up the M18 at Doncaster three days earlier, opted to protect what they had rather than go for the exposed jugular that is a vulnerable Doncaster Rovers side these days.

Even Wycombe’s supporters, 244 of them travelling up from Buckinghamshire, were singing about their team’s time-wasting prowess midway through the first half.

Rotherham tried to rise above the negative tactics, Ben Wiles and Dan Barlaser particularly impressive with their thrusting runs, but ultimately did not carve out enough chances to lead anyone to conclude they deserved victory.

It was obvious from the outset that Rotherham’s greater attacking threat would come from dead-ball situations.

Time and again they launched set-pieces to the back post for Michael Smith or Richard Wood to head across goal, but Wycombe had read the script and their defenders Anthony Stewart and Ryan Tafazolli quickly wised up to the routine.

Contrastingly, Wycombe were happy to let them come at them, occasionally trying to get in behind the Millers through the pace of Gareth McCleary and Josh Scowen.

Rotherham needed a new dimension to their play and injury presented the opportunity.

Left-back Joe Mattock, only just back from an Achilles injury, went down early on and never fully recovered, replaced on 26 minutes by Chiedozie Ogbene, the Millers’ international man of the moment after his starring role with the Republic of Ireland last week.

It was Rarmani Edmonds-Green though who finally found a Millers head with a searching cross, the defender finding Smith who could only steer the ball straight at Wycombe goalkeeper David Stockdale, a Rotherham loanee way back in 2008.

Ogbene was clearly on a high from his Irish exploits, choosing to shoot and try to steal the headlines with a 41st-minute chance when the smarter move would have been to play in Wiles who had raced clear through the middle.

Will Grigg was waiting patiently to get in behind and when he finally did in first-half-stoppage time from Barlaser’s incisive pass, Tafazolli was there to cut out his pullback to Wiles.

A set-piece almost offered Wycombe an opener with a curling free-kick from Joe Jacobson shortly after the half-time interval, but the combination of a strong hand from Josh Vickers – making his first league start for the Millers – and the post came to Rotherham’s rescue.

Smith and Grigg then combined to create an opening for the latter but his shot deflected wide.

Rotherham were definitely upping the tempo, Wiles the driving force from midfield.

It was Barlaser’s cross from a short corner that almost brought the opening goal, Stockdale not dealing with the delivery at first and when it fell at the feet of Richard Wood, Stockdale was indebted to his captain Jacobson for throwing his body on the line and keeping his clean sheet intact.

Ollie Rathbone should have done better with an 83rd-minute chance that landed at his feet 18 yards from goal but his strike was not struck firmly enough.

Wycombe by then were content to win the point, a summary that could have been deduced at around 10 to eight.

The highlight of their time-wasting came when Daryl Horgan was substituted on 70 minutes, stopping as he slowly walked off the pitch to remove his shin pads. Classic.

Both teams have enough nous to stay the course in the promotion race and this goalless draw will have hurt neither side’s season. Nor will it live long in the memory.

Rotherham: Vickers, Edmonds-Green, Wood, Mattock (Ogbene 27), Barlaser, Harding, Rathbone, Wiles, Ferguson (Miller 86), Smith, Grigg (Ladapo 63). Unused substitutes: Johansson, Sadlier, Kayode, Odofin.

Wycombe: Stockdale, Stewart, Tafazolli, Jacobson, McCarthy, Gape (Thompson 90), Scowen, Obita, Horgan (KaiKai 71), McCleary (Hanlan 76), Vokes. Unused substitutes: Grimmer, Wheeler, Mehmeti, Przybek.

Referee: R Madley (West Yorkshire).