Rotherham 0-3 Shrewsbury - Report
Shrewsbury Town ripped leaders Rotherham United to shreds on their own patch for one of their best victories in many a year.
Steve Cotterill's men chalked up the best victory of the manager's tenure as the visitors deservedly took the League One leaders apart with a rampant 3-0 victory.
Rotherham, who played more than a half with 10 men after Angus MacDonald's red card, were torn to pieces with Town goals from Daniel Udoh, Elliott Bennett and Ryan Bowman.
Taking into account they were facing the third tier's best side and deserving leaders, this stunning and scarcely believable 3-0 success in South Yorkshire has to be one of the milestone victories in recent times.
Cotterill's men built on Tuesday's 5-0 demolition of Morecambe in some style and - in truth - Rotherham were fortunate to get away with just a three-goal deficit. Salop were rampant, had all of the game's best chances and it could have finished five or six Town, however, will settle for an aggregate of 8-0 in back-to-back games.
The visitors were already 1-0 up through Udoh's excellent finish after a fine move before MacDonald was shown a red card for violent conduct.
It wasn't quite one-way traffic but Shrewsbury were in total control against both 11 and then 10 men and the second half was another example of improving Town's qualities with Rotherham miles off the pace.
Salop, who move up to 16th with the win, capped off the afternoon with two goals in the final 12 minutes as Bennett tapped in his first league goal for the club before Bowman showed supreme composure to find the corner in stoppage time.
Bowman and Udoh were on target again to make it 12 and 14 goals for the campaign respectively. Town have found their grove at an excellent time and the result underlines how Cotterill's men are looking up the League One table - with just five points separating them and Cheltenham, in 12th.
Cotterill named the same starting XI and same substitutes for the third fixture after an improved run of performances of late and the impressive 5-0 hammering of Morecambe.
Paul Warne's hosts survived a couple of injury scares to name a strong line-up. Key midfield duo Ollie Rathbone and Dan Barlaser were both doubts but passed fit to start.
In total the Millers made four changes from the side that returned to winning ways by seeing out Lincoln 2-1 in South Yorkshire on Tuesday.
Defender Rarmani Edmonds-Green started in the league for the first time since January after hamstring trouble.
Also interesting was the five alterations to Rotherham from the side that started from the off against Salop at the Meadow, where Warne surprisingly left a number of his key starters on the sidelines.
The sun blazed on to the New York Stadium surface as supporters enjoyed some of the better weather conditions of the season so far with spring threatening to arrive - though a chill in the shade led to regret for those not wrapped in enough layers.
The Millers' form had stuttered since that Meadow stalemate. Warne's men lost a top-of-the-table clash at home to 10-man third-placed MK Dons just after before losing points in another goalless draw at Wycombe.
There was no doubting the big-game atmosphere and feeling ahead of kick-off, as Millers legend John Breckin gave the crowd a stirring rally cry to the home faithful, while also thanking them for supporting a Rotherham Hospice fundraising appeal.
The pocket of Shrewsbury fans in the away end responded as the sides emerged, cranking up some excellent noise of their own.
Breckin's words clearly echoed around the home players in a deafening atmosphere early on. Town skipper Ethan Ebanks-Landell had to block well from Josh Kayode inside the box after just 18 seconds while lively right wing-back Jordi Osei-Tutu looked lively.
Cotterill's men settled, however, and a couple of George Nurse long throw-ins from the left touchline caused problems. One deflection appeared to be heading goalwards before it was cleared and another was half-volleyed off target by Town's Josh Vela.
Dangerous United midfielder Rathbone did well to get a strike away with the ball bouncing from a acute right angle but Marko Marosi saw it comfortably wide.
Gown's Nurse had started the game well and managed a crucial block on Osei-Tutu's fierce strike that whistled over Marosi's top right angle of post and crossbar.
But it was down the other end Nurse's long throw-ins were causing a nuisance. Another bounced across the box as Shrews had clearly identified a Millers weakness.
From a recycled throw, Nurse delivered a floated cross that keeper Josh Vickers - so impressive at the Meadow recently - came and spilled amid a sea of bodies, leaving Bowman in space on the edge of the box.
Bowman, with two goals in two games heading into today, took his time to chest the ball before a powerful low strike appeared to be heading in for the opener but for a superb goalline clearance from Rotherham captain Michael Ihiekwe.
Luke Leahy impressed with a busy display once more and his header after a gut-busting run from Bennett's excellent charge and cross flew just inches wide of Vickers' left post in a lucky let-off.
Shrewsbury had started brilliantly and were on top before an explosive final 10 minutes of the half.
The visitors had frustrated the Millers, who were increasingly agitated after a couple of aerial collisions went against them. But Town's continued ploy to send wide balls into the Rotherham box caused real problems.
Udoh was unable to turn an awkward drilled Flanagan cross on target but Town were about to break through.
And the goal, nine minutes before the break, owed everything to midfielder Tyrese Fornah.
The Nottingham Forest loanee steamed into a 50-50 challenge with big forward Kayode and was strong to win the ball and set his team away.
Nurse broke forward and waited for the perfect time to slip Udoh in through the left side of the box and in on goal.
The angle was widening ever so slightly but Town's top scorer cared not as - while running full tilt - he drilled a superb left-footed strike across Vickers and into the bottom right corner. It was a ferocious finish.
The drama wasn't over there, though, as two minutes later the Millers found themselves a man down.
There appeared little afoot as the sides challenge for a high ball in midfield but - not for the first time in the afternoon - the referee blew for a foul in an aerial collision.
But he swiftly raised a red card towards MacDonald for catching Leahy. There was disbelief among the Rotherham fans next to the press box. Replays made the incident look soft, but there appeared to be contact.
The wind was firmly in Salop sails and Town were comfortably on top for the remainder of the first period as Rotherham rocked.
Town fans sang with glee "top of the league, you're having a laugh" as the hosts struggled to hold on to their one-goal deficit.
And in truth Salop should have had a second a minute before stoppage time, as the Millers once more failed to deal with a ball into the box and defender Matt Pennington's strike from barely four yards out was crisp but straight at Vickers, who made a top stop.
Town's confidence was summed up by a trio of successive corners in stoppage time, the latter of which led to Nurse letting fly from distance after confident build-up.
Another nod to Shrewsbury's impressive first half was Warne's decision to make a double half-time change, in which he introduced speedster Chiedozie Ogbene and veteran skipper Richard Wood, who needs no introduction to Salop.
Cotterill's men were calm and composed to start the second period, with an element of control thanks to their man advantage. The visitors were particularly relentless in midfield through Vela, Leahy and Fornah.
Town restricted their hosts to very little. Some rare home possession led to a set-piece on the hour that eventually saw Wood help Osei-Tutu's cross miles off target.
Salop forced another of the game's clear chances after the hour as keeper Vickers once more showed his quality for a supreme double save.
Bennett raced to the byline and dug out a superb cross to pick out Bowman at the back post. The frontman's downward header - using all his neck muscles - almost flicked in off Udoh and forced Vickers into a sprawling parry.
The ball appeared to drop kindly to Vela in acres of space inside the six-yard box, but the keeper recovered to spread himself as big as possible to make a terrific stop with his midriff.
The atmosphere inside the New York Stadium for the first 20 minutes of the second half was quite something to behold.
Salop, with their man advantage, were under zero pressure from red shirts as they used all the time in the world to pass the ball between Marosi and the back three.
A baying home crowd screamed at their players and manager Warne to close down but Town continued to take their merry time. It took until the 70th minute for midfielder Ben Wiles to chase down a couple of yellow and blue shirts - and the crowd responded.
But Town were not deterred in any way and a delirious away end was rewarded with a memorable second directly in front of them on a brilliant afternoon.
The contest had suddenly cranked up to 100miler-per-hour but it was Salop who kept calm in the final third to dispatch a fine second.
Udoh was sent scampering free down the right - avoiding an offside trap - and the top scorer did brilliantly to work the ball centrally, where yellow and blue shirts had flooded forward.
Leahy was picked out in all kinds of space in the centre of the D and the midfielder had the presence of mind to pick out Bowman in acres of space on the left. Bowman's first-time strike across Vickers stretched the goalkeeper to his left but such was Town's attacking intent that Bennett was left all alone to convert the rebound into an empty net from six yards out.
Cue bedlam in the away end behind that goal. It was some of the craziest scenes a Shrewsbury away end had witnessed for some time.
And it was not over.
Marosi was at his best to keep hold of the clean sheet by saving low from Smith in Millers' best chance, but the contest was long beyond the hosts, who were all over the place.
And Salop made them pay.
Red and white shirts were all over the shop and Bowman, excellent all afternoon, was fed on the left side of the box. He showed supreme composure to cut inside one defender, take another touch to set himself beyond he dispatched into the corner for more wild scenes behind that goal.
It was an afternoon those travelling fans will not forget in some time.
