Evans: We have to do better with our chances

By Mark Richards

ROTHERHAM U 1

James 45

ROTHERHAM: Phillips 6, James 7, Humphreys 6, Odoffin 7, Rafferty 6, Powell 7 (Sibley 88), Kelly 7, McWilliams 7 (Ogunfaolu-Kayode 76, 6), Mpanzu 6, Nombe 6, Wilks 6. Subs not used: Clarke-Harris, Dawson, Duncan, Green, Holmes.

EXETER CITY 1

Hartridge 56

EXETER: Whitworth 7, Hartridge 8, MacDonald 6, Turns 7, Colwill 7 (Aitchison 79, 6), Francis 6 (Watts 64,6), Trevitt 6, McMillan 7, Mitchell 7 (Yogane 64, 7), Magennis 7, Jones 7 (Niskanen 64, 6). Subs not used: Cole, Cox, Woods.

Att: 8,438 Rating: ★★★★★ Ref: Martin Coy 7/10

STEVE EVANS was frustrated his Rotherham United side were held to a draw by Exeter City.

Reece James and Alex Hartridge struck either side of the break and though Rotherham pushed hardest for the winner, a point apiece was probably a fair result.

Evans felt his side should have put the result to bed by the break.

He said: “They’re hard to break down. For League One level you cannot miss the chances we did in the first 15 minutes.

“They are not hard chances, they are gilt edged ones. At half-time the frustrating thing is that it’s only 1-0.

“You know they’re going to be dangerous at set-pieces, they’re a big strong side and they put quality into the box and put goalkeepers and defenders under pressure, but the goal’s a shambles really. “He’s got an allocated marker, I’m not naming him, but he’s five yards away. He’s said sorry afterwards. Then it was a test of character, because they try to keep hold of the ball, but we still made four or five good chances in the second half.

Exeter started the game well and forged a couple of opportunities. The best one came from a well-worked move down the right with Jack McMillan finding Ryan Trevitt and his goal-bound effort was blocked by Hakeem Odoffin.

Rotherham could have gone ahead too, but Sam Nombe took too much time in rounding goalkeeper Joe Whitworth and was eventually crowded out.

The Millers’ goal came on the stroke of half-time when Mallik Wilks’s drive was palmed into the path of James who stroked home.

Exeter got on terms in the 56th minute thanks to Hartridge who was unmarked at the backpost to finish beyond Dillon Phillips following Ed Francis’s free-kick.

The goal sparked Rotherham into life and they had two good chanc-es with Shaun McWilliams’s header cleared off the line and then Pelly Mpanzu fired over after Wilks was denied again by Whitworth.

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell said: “Whenever you’re away from home at this level and against a team who were in the Championship last season with a big budget, it’s a well-earned point.

“To go in a goal behind was a big disappointment.

“We created moments in the final third. There were little things we could have been better at. “It was a great goal to get us back in the game.”