Go West (In The Open Air)

As Exeter on a Tuesday night is too difficult to get to or from on public
transport from London - come to think of it, most places - this London
Millers blog is brought to you by Bro of London Miller who more conveniently
lives in the West, well Cheltenham, and also doesn¹t have to rely solely on
public transport.

I¹d had a good drive down to Exeter with only one minor hold up on the M5
where some inconsiderate person had decided to break down in the middle of
the roadworks on the Avonmouth Bridge. I was actually relieved that Q had
decided not to take up my offer of a lift; nothing personal, but it saved me
having to fight my way into Bristol where an even more inconsiderate lorry
had decided to shed a load of bricks on the M4/M32 junction. A minor detour
to a Tesco in Exeter to top up with cheap petrol (thanks to Coldwell
Maximus¹ discount vouchers) and then Tom Tom led me straight to the ground.
Nice to see the Rotherham team bus was already there, not so good to see
there was nowhere to park around the ground. So it was a swift drive back to
a car park I¹d passed half a mile down the road. Some good news here as it
was after 6 p.m. so the parking was free (you can take the boy out of
Yorkshire, as they say!). Still an hour to kick off so there¹s time for a
swift pint. Taking advice from the ŒFootball Ground Guide¹ and ŒGood Beer
Guide¹ I find myself in The Brook Green Tavern, just round the corner from
the away end. The pub is surprisingly quiet to say there is a match on but
it turns out to be a cracking pub. There is a happy mix of Exeter fans and
Millers, pool table, jukebox, Sky Sports News and beer wise there was a
choice of two real ales. (Two of which are Cornish!). What more could you
want? I plump for the Otter bitter due to the fact that a) I¹m driving and
it¹s the least alcoholic and b) it¹s the most local of the brews.

Pint over it¹s time to head back in to the cold and over to the ground. A
handful of Millers fans are making their way through the turnstiles and
parting with the very reasonable £13 for the night¹s entertainment. This is
my first visit to St James¹ Park and forget those distant days of
Championship football with its all-seater stadia this is what we really
want: a proper ground - uncovered narrow terracing with a real proximity to
the action. There is a display of cheerleading in progress. Oh, dear, they
like forming pyramids but rarely get above two high. Fortunately it¹s soon
over and the teams are out.

Before kick-off there is a well observed minute applause for two recently
deceased ex-Exeter players.

It¹s a lively start and Stockdale pulls off a superb save from a twenty-yard
volley after about five minutes. Surely not time to start blowing this early
on.

Rotherham are wearing their yellow away strip which gets a chorus of ŒAre
you Torquay in disguise¹ from the Exeter fans one of the few things we hear
from them apart from what must be the cheer leaders who are now in the
stands and give out high pitched yelps when ever Exeter attack. Someone has
brought a drum into the away end but fails really to get any sort of rhythm
going, a bit like the team, and after about 15 minutes it is handed over to
one of the ball boys. A group have also decided that even though the weather
is freezing they should take their shirts off. Obviously think they¹ve gone
to the other St James¹ Park.

The Millers have lots of possession but no end product. Green, Tonge and
Joseph all look threatening but fail to get decent crosses in. Then just as
we approach half time the Bobby¹s come as my father would say. Firstly there
is a low cross from the right which none of the Rotherham defence manage to
deal with but somehow the unmarked Exeter forward (Moxey) manages to miss
from two yards out but a minute or so later Rotherham fail to learn their
lesson. Another low cross comes in and this time it¹s one-nil.

Half-time comes and it¹s time to sample the catering. A Cornish pasty (we
are in Devon though, aren¹t we?) is very pleasant. After Liz¹s recent
exploits at Dagenham I end up having to kick the ball back to the warming up
Rotherham subs. Hopefully no spec on the Preening Lovely and fortunately I
don¹t drop my pasty in the process.

Second half starts with lots of Rotherham pressure. Dale Tonge forcing a
fine save with a twenty-yard volley but it¹s Exeter who should have doubled
their lead. Against the run of play there is a nothing challenge on the edge
of the Rotherham penalty area and the ref (who¹d had a reasonable game till
then) is pointing to the spot. Reuben Reid is warming up on the touchline
and his protests earn him a yellow card. Certainly the first time I¹ve seen
a player booked before he¹s taken the field but I am assured that a similar
thing happened to Alan Lee at Norwich. Stockdale pulls off a fantastic save
from the penalty and justice is done.

After the superb penalty save normal service is almost resumed when
Stockdale drops a cross but somehow Exeter pull off another fine miss and
the Rotherham defence manage to scramble the ball away for a corner.

The referee makes up for his first penalty when he the awards one to
Rotherham after Richie Barker, who was through on goal, is sandwiched
between defender and keeper and brought down. Reid, who is now on the field,
steps up to take the penalty and even though the keeper gets a hand to it
sheer power sees the ball into the back of the net.

It¹s then twenty minutes of blowing with the game capable of going either
way. When the fourth official holds up five minutes of additional time,
mostly for an injury to Exeter¹s Marcus Stewart that had seen him
stretchered off after a harmless challenge (serves him right for scoring
twice at Millmoor in his Sunderland days), the blowing increases but
Rotherham actually look the more likely to score but in the end the game
ends in draw and to be honest I¹d have settled for the point before the
game.

The toilets are right by the players¹ tunnel so I wander over to a) use the
facilities and b) clap the team off. It is a good job you can¹t get this
close to the exiting players and officials at Gillingham but that¹s another
story.

The toilets themselves are very reminiscent of old Millmoor but I don¹t
remember even those having ivy growing up the walls. A bottle of Diet Coke
falls out of my coat pocket into the trough and I decide against getting it
back to salvage the remaining drink (sometimes you can take the Yorkshire
out of the boy!)

It¹s a quick stroll back to the car park and the warmth of the car. The car
park is now is now full mostly of people who¹ve been to the match and all
want to leave but the queues aren¹t as bad as at those out of town grounds
like Northampton, Chester or Yeovil and soon I¹m heading back to the
motorway and home with Danny Baker on 606 for company.

A good trip but hopefully next season the Football League computer will do
the sensible thing and put this fixture on a Saturday when more that 106
people will make it to support Rotherham, including a few more from London.