Rotherham United’s courage is rewarded in victory over Preston North End

Matt Crooks: Scored a late winner for Rotherham United against Preston. (Picture: Dean Atkins)Matt Crooks: Scored a late winner for Rotherham United against Preston. (Picture: Dean Atkins)
Matt Crooks: Scored a late winner for Rotherham United against Preston. (Picture: Dean Atkins)
Courage was the key for Rotherham United as they put successive 1-0 defeats behind them to send themselves into the international break with a victory.

Matt Crooks’ late winner earned Rotherham a 2-1 win at home to Preston.

Crooks struck in the 86th minute to end Preston’s run of four straight away wins in the Championship and end the hosts’ two-match losing streak.

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Captain Richard Wood put the Millers in front early in the second half, only for Ryan Ledson to bring Preston level with 10 minutes to play.

Rotherham's Richard Wood scored the first (Picture: Steve Ellis)Rotherham's Richard Wood scored the first (Picture: Steve Ellis)
Rotherham's Richard Wood scored the first (Picture: Steve Ellis)

And it was that resolve that earned high praise from manager Paul Warne.

“The lads weren’t hanging on for a point, they wanted all three,” said Warne.

“They were still courageous enough to go up the other end. I am over the moon that the lads have shown the mental strength to concede late on but go back at them.”

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On the overall performance, he added: “I thought we played well. I was really pleased with the performance and I asked the lads to leave everything out there.

“They had two hours to set us up for the international break.

“We created some decent half-chances in the first half but unfortunately we didn’t take them. I asked the lads to play the same way in the second half.

“Overall to win is great and it allows us to breathe for a few days.

“The changing room is buzzing and it makes me really proud.

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“I am not getting carried away with that performance. I thought today was an uglier game but we definitely created more chances.

“We thought we knew how we could hurt them and overall our performance deserved some points.”

A rampaging 70-yard run from Florian Jozefzoon was finished off coolly by Crooks for the winner. Preston still might have snatched a point, but Stockley’s header struck a post.

Rotherham: Johansson, Olosunde (Angus MacDonald 89), Ihiekwe, Wood, Harding, Lindsay, Barlaser, Wiles, Sadlier (Jozefzoon 23), Ladapo, Vassell (Crooks 67).Unused substitutes: Hirst, Miller, Smith, Vickers.

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Preston North End: Rudd, Fisher (Gallagher 75), Huntington, Storey, Rafferty, Ledson, Johnson, Potts, Browne, Sinclair (Barkhuizen 59), Jakobsen (Stockley 59). Unused substitutes: Earl, Harrop, Maguire, Ripley.

Referee: A Davies (Hampshire).

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