Rotherham United 3 Crewe Alexandra 1: Moore ready to clip his wings to get the Millers flying away

After recording their first double of the season to cement a place in the top three, the Millers manager conceded he had been a touch too attack-minded this season.

Rotherham have claimed only one point from their last five away games and, ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Gillingham, who moved above Crewe into the fourth play-off spot, Moore said:

“Last season we were difficult to beat when we went away. We had two banks of four and said ‘you come and break us down’ and we then got results by counter-atttacking teams.

“This season I’ve been a little more adventurous really in pushing the wingers on more but from now on we will be back to making sure we have two banks of four because we have enough pace in and around the team where we can counter-attack.”

Moore anticipates a tougher challenge tomorrow than the one posed by Crewe, who were without leading strikers Shaun Miller (thigh) and Clayton Donaldson (suspended) and who, after conceding six goals in midweek, were tentative in their approach.

“Crewe are always a pasing side but today they went pass, pass, pass without really doing anything. I thought they played into our hands a little bit though we did press them and made it hard for them,” said Moore, whose own side were somewhat short of confidence following a run of four defeats in five games.

The Millers chief conceded: “It was like a pre-season game early on, we both passed it around without hurting each other. We needed soom oomph and tempo but in the second half it was blowing a gale into our faces.”

What the Millers did not lack, however, was determination and they continually harried Crewe out of their stride while also producing some decent football in rain-lashed conditions.

Captain and centre-back Nick Fenton led from the front, scoring the opener shortly before the break as the Crewe defence failed to clear a low cross from Marcus Marshall.

After going over two years without a goal, Fenton has scored three this year and he said: “They’ve been a long time coming but I’m delighted – I just need to get a few with my head now.

“I was up there for a set piece originally and I came out and then gambled by going back in and it came through a few legs and I just slotted it in – it was a decent finish with the outside of my right foot.

“It was a massive victory for us and we matched Crewe for football and our work-rate was fantastic, closing down with tempo.

“There were doubts when they came back to equalise and we thought ‘here we go again’ but we hope this win can prove a launchpad.

“We needed to get things going because we play everyone about us in the next few weeks. If we can get a good run together it could be massive in our race for promotion.”

The Millers were in danger of letting two points slip as Crewe scored a contentious equaliser in the 62nd minute.

Captain Lee Bell threaded the ball through the middle, the flag stayed down and, although Fenton attempted to provide cover, Ajay Leitch-Smith had enough time and space to slot the ball beyond Andy Warrington.

Danny Shelley sidefooted wide from 12 yards after being set up by Crewe’s scorer in the 83rd minute and the visitors were made to pay.

Adam Le Fondre had been anonymous as Rotherham-born former Millers defender David Artell marshalled the Crewe defence but the arch predator took his one chance in style two minutes later.

Ian Thomas-Moore’s shot was blocked out wide and Fenton pumped it back in for Ryan Taylor to head down. The ball skidded off the surface, giving Le Fondre just that split second to stretch out a foot and knock it over goalkeeper Rhys Taylor for his 19th goal of the season.

Strike partner Ryan Taylor could have set him up again four minutes later but obviously decided he had done all the hard work in racing out wide and retrieving possession so when he cut back inside he lashed a shot which flew past the Crewe goalkeeper and into the far netting for his eighth of the season.

It was a goal which will have further impressed the watching Scunthorpe scout but whether Taylor will want to join what could easily be a fellow League One club when his contract runs out in the summer remains to be seen.

Another Taylor to impress Moore was central midfield man Jason, who returned from suspension at Danny Harrison’s expense to partner Nicky Law as Marshall and Thomas-Moore occupied the flanks, leaving Arsenal loan player Mark Randall to sit on the bench.

“Danny can feel he is hard done by to be fair but Jason has done a good job in there for us and it is hard to keep everyone happy. He’s a mouth and organises and gets stuck in,” said Moore.

“He never gets the credit he deserves because he always does the simple things, breaking things up and making the simple pass. He does the dirty work without anybody seeing it.

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Rotherham United: Warrington, Tonge, Mullins, Fenton, Newey; Marshall (Randall 74), J Taylor, Law, Thomas-Moore; Le Fondre, R Taylor. Unused substitutes: Harrison, Green, Ashworth, Ellison, Bradley, Annerson.

Crewe Alexandra: Taylor, Mitchel-King, Artell, Ada, Tottle; Murphy (Powell 87), Bell, Westwood, Shelley (Sarcevic 87); Moore, Leitch-Smith. Unused substitutes: Phillips, Blanchett, Grant, Mellor, Dugdale.

Referee: D Foster (Tyne and Wear).