Rotherham United and Preston North End met in Yorkshire tonight to decide who would face Leyton Orient in the League One playoff final at Wembley on May 25.
With the scores level at 1-1 from the first leg, Paul Gallagher's free kick gave the visitors an aggregate lead 16 minutes into proceedings at the New York Stadium.
Two excellent headed goals, both provided by the deadly left foot of Ben Pringle, from Wes Thomas and Lee Frecklington, saw the hosting Millers turn things around before the break.
United top scorer, Kieran Agard, who was a pre-match fitness doubt, found the bottom corner on 67 minutes, after great work from James Tavernier, to send Rotherham two goals clear.
Preston hit the post twice as they tried to launch a comeback in the latter stages, but the Whites suffered playoff heartbreak again, having now failed to gain promotion from them in all of their nine attempts.
Below, you can read how the action unfolded, courtesy of SM's live coverage.
Evening, all. Leyton Orient have already booked their place at Wembley for the League One playoff final later this month. Will it be Preston North End or Rotherham United who join them there?
The O's beat Peterborough United 2-1 on Tuesday to record a 3-2 aggregate win over Posh. As it was in that tie, the scores are level at 1-1 ahead of Preston's trip to the New York Stadium.
We have already seen the traditional agony and ecstasy of the playoffs this season, and there is sure to be drama tonight. Preston know playoff heartbreak better than anyone after eight failures.
Team news coming your way shortly, starting with the hosts...
ROTHERHAM: Collin; Tavernier, Skarz, Morgan; Arnason, Frecklington, Pringle, Smallwood; Revell, Agard, Thomas
SUBS: Shearer, Davis, O'Connor, Milsom, Vukic, Rowe, Hitchcock
PRESTON: Rudd; Buchanan, Clarke, Wright, Wiseman; King, Welsh, Kilkenny; Gallagher, K Davies, Garner
SUBS: Stuckmann, Keane, Laird, Brownhill, Beavon, Humphrey, Holmes
Lee Frecklington is fit to start for Rotherham in midfield, having limped off in the first leg. Richard Brindley has not made it, though, and so Richard Smallwood is restored following a suspension.
Former Everton youngster Kieran Agard, who is Rotherham's top goalscorer this season with 21, has shaken off a hamstring strain to return to the Millers starting lineup, with Rob Milson dropping out.
Agard will be supported in a three-prong attack by Alex Revell, who netted Rotherham's goal in the first leg, and Wes Thomas as home manager Steve Evans names an attacking side.
Preston boss Simon Grayson also goes with three recognised strikers, with one-time England international frontman Kevin Davies flanked by first-leg hero Joe Garner and Paul Gallagher.
Garner's spectacular volley levelled things up in the match at Deepdale on Saturday. The forward flicked the ball over two opponents before beating Adam Collin with a 25-yard wonderstrike.
Midfield regular Neil Kilkenny missed the match in Lancashire as he was carrying a calf strain, but Grayson recalls him to his starting XI this evening at the expense of Lee Holmes.
Grayson makes two more changes as he reverts to five at the back, a system that he has often used in away games. David Buchanan and Scott Wiseman come in for Scott Laird and Alan Browne.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: The 1-1 draw at Preston on Saturday was the third time that these two sides have drawn this season. There was only one point which separated them in the table after a 46-game League One campaign, and are level in the tie at present. They are certainly evenly matched!
It should be noted that Rotherham have enjoyed just as little success as Preston in the playoffs. They too have never gained promotion in three attempts in the end-of-season lottery.
Where Preston may see a light at the end of their dark playoff tunnel is in manager Grayson's record at taking teams out of this division. He has done it before with Huddersfield Town and Blackpool.
Around 10 minutes until kickoff at the New York Stadium as Rotherham aim for a second successive promotion. The Millers have not played in English football's second tier since 2005.
Preston meanwhile are hoping to end a three-year hiatus from the Championship, having been relegated in 2011. Remember, we will have a result tonight, even if we need extra time and penalties.
PREDICTION: Preston have a pretty good away record and Simon Grayson knows exactly how to get results in these tight playoff situations. I fancy them to go through by winning 2-1 tonight, but they might need extra time to see my prediction through! Kickoff imminent here.
Rotherham get us underway in front of a packed New York Stadium crowd...
The Millers are clearly right up for this. The crowd are in full voice and the players respond to their enthusiasm with a couple of early crunching tackles, one from Ben Pringle - passed fit after a niggle.
Preston have a chance to throw men forward in the opening stages, with a free-kick over by the right byline. Gallagher's delivery is good, but headed clear and now United threaten to break.
The hosts have their own set piece chance on the left edge of the area, and Tavernier comes across to take it. He whips the ball in towards the six-yard box, and Preston twice clear before the ball is recycled to the Newcastle loanee. He dinks back into the area for Thomas, who could have been one-on-one with Declan Rudd had his poor first touch not allowed Tom Clarke to make an important tackle.
It seems that Garner has inspired his Preston teammates to try the spectacular from range, but John Welsh's 25-yard volley of a high bouncing ball was always rising way over the crossbar.
BOOKING: Bailey Wright, who has named in Australia's provisional 30-man World Cup squad this week, picks up an early booking for a late slide on Agard which caught the winger on his ankle.
From the resultant free-kick, Pringle's deep delivery finds Frecklington at the back post, but he is caught in two minds, whether to head goalwards or back across, and ends up nodding tamely at Rudd.
GOAL! ROTHERHAM 0-1 PRESTON (PAUL GALLAGHER)
Preston take a crucial lead and, considering how the first 15 minutes has unfolded, it is little surprise that the goal has come from a set piece. Paul Gallagher's free kick from the left channel is one of those that is delivered to the back stick and a congested penalty area watches it fly over them, with Jack King's run across goal distracting Collin, who barely moved as the ball drifted inside the post!
SAVE! Rotherham nearly equalise immediately, and again it is a set piece which is a source of the opportunity. Pringle's delivery finds Arnason unmarked, and he powers a header at Rudd which the North End keeper tips over the crossbar. A yard either side and it could have been in.
GOAL! ROTHERHAM 1-1 PRESTON (WES THOMAS)
It's a set-piece shootout at the New York Stadium as Rotherham level things up seven minutes after going behind! Grayson will be furious with Scott Wiseman, whose really soft foul on Revell gifted the Millers a free kick from which Thomas used the angle of Pringle's left-footed delivery to guide a very good header past Rudd and into the far corner. Preston's lead was short lived!
Frecklington feels that he is on the wrong end of a decision, not for the first time tonight, as he is told to get up after being pulled down while threatening to break away through the middle.
CHANCE! The Pringle and Thomas combination nearly reaps dividends again as Thomas stretches to divert a cross from the left winger goalwards, but cannot control his effort which flies over.
A Garner knockdown falls at the feet of Gallagher, whose attempted snapshot is well blocked by Morgan. The Preston goalscorer was similarly thwarted by the same Rotherham defender moments ago.
GOAL! ROTHERHAM 2-1 PRESTON (LEE FRECKLINGTON)
The Millers have turned things around, and it is another excellent header which has seen Preston's early lead wiped out! This time it is Rotherham Player of the Year, Frecklington, who benefits from a superb Pringle cross, arriving late from midfield to guide the ball into the bottom corner! Such was the precision of the effort that Rudd stood no chance, but Pringle was given far too much space.
I must say the standard of the crossing in this match has been outstanding so far. This time it is Preston's Wiseman who knocks the ball into a great area, and although it is just too high for Davies, Garner runs onto it from the back post to stoop low and head narrowly over the crossbar.
This match was expected to be a tight affair, but is has been very open in this first half. A headed clearance falls to Gallagher, whose ambitious volley from 25 yards out lands somewhere near row z.
Rotherham showed why they recovered more points from losing positions than any other side in League One this season with the way that they charged out after the restart, but there are signs that the pace of the game is settling down slightly in this last 10 minutes as we approach the break.
Tavernier easily wriggles free of Buchanan on the right and squares for Agard, who is denied any time on the ball by a crunching tackle from King, who would definitely have conceded a penalty had that tackle not been perfectly timed, such was the ferocity in which he went in for the ball.
CLOSE! Rotherham goalkeeper Collin breathes a huge sigh of relief after a fairly weak Welsh shot, slicing away from him, gets through his gloves and loops inches wide of the post.
CHANCE! Collins's mistake still affords Preston the opportunity of a corner, and Garner rises highest to glance what is another great delivery a few yards wide of the far stick.
HALF-TIME: ROTHERHAM 2-1 PRESTON
This is not turning out to be the tight, tense affair that many had anticipated, with Rotherham leaving the field with a 2-1 lead [3-2 on aggregate] and in pole position for a Wembley playoff final.
Paul Gallagher's free kick travelled all the way from the middle of the Rotherham half into the back of the net without anyone touching it, sneaking inside the post to give Preston a 16th-minute lead.
That had been cancelled out by the 34th minute as two great headers saw the Millers turn things around. Wes Thomas cleverly guided in Ben Pringle's free kick on 23 minutes, and once Pringle popped, he couldn't stop, supplying Frecklington for a powerful but precise second into the bottom corner.
STATS: Preston have edged possession with 54% and had more shots [9] than Rotherham [7], although the Millers' have found the target on three occasions compared to North End's two. There have been five corners split between the sides, and the pattern of the match so far suggests they may be important in the second period, which is just a minute or so from getting underway in Yorkshire.
Preston resume the action at the New York Stadium, with both sides unchanged...
It takes Kevin Davies all of 40 seconds of the second half to land himself in referee Keith Stroud's notebook, with a yellow card being shown for his late lunge on full-back Joe Skarz.
WOODWORK! Pringle's left foot is on fire tonight and so nearly puts Rotherham two clear. Arnason's long throw is headed clear, but only to the edge of the box, where Pringle strikes across the ball beautifully with a left-footed volley which has Rudd beaten but comes back off the bar!
CLOSE! This time it is Rotherham who are nearly punished for a poor clearing header, which Buchanan controls inside the box only to drag a weak right-footed shot narrowly wide.
SUBSTITUTION: Grayson wastes little time in trying to change things this second period, bringing on pacey wide man Chris Humphrey for Wiseman. The substitute may come in at right wing-back, or be pushed further forward and Clarke shift across to make up a Preston back four.
CHANCE! Gallagher has a free role and pops up on the right flank. He knocks the ball deep, where Garner has peeled away from his marker, but cannot keep a tricky left-footed volley down.
BLOCK! Tavernier skips past Buchanan with ease again and has the delivery to match his run, picking out the run of Thomas at the back post, but his header is crucially blocked by Clarke.
CLOSE! Rotherham are sensing that a vital third goal could be on the cards here, and Revell comes close when his looping header on the backpedal from a corner lands on the roof of the net.
Skarz launches the ball forward from the left-back position, and Revell wins the knockdown for Agard, who should really have got a shot away first time, but eventually settles for a corner.
This has been a thrilling start to the second half. Rotherham are threatening to kill the game off, but have had some nervy moments in their own box. As ever at 2-1, the next goal is absolutely massive.
CHANCE! Big chance for Preston, as Humphrey stands a ball up which Gallagher nods across goal but a couple of yards wide. Rotherham will be relieved that chance did not fall to Davies...
Davies is back in his own box to clear an Arnason long throw. The ball comes back into the danger area and Agard is poised to run onto it before Rudd rushes off his line to gather.
GOAL! ROTHERHAM 3-1 PRESTON (KIERAN AGARD)
Rotherham appear to be on their way to Wembley and it is pre-match fitness doubt Kieran Agard that has struck to give them a two-goal cushion! It's his 22nd of the season, but he owes it all to Tavernier, who twisted and turned his way free of Buchanan and then got his head up to square for Agard to squeeze the ball into the bottom corner. Millers boss Steve Evans goes wild on the touchline!
SUBSTITUTION: Grayson reacts immediately by bringing on former Manchester United youngster Josh Brownhill on in place of Welsh, who played four times for Liverpool, in midfield.
BOOKINGS: Three yellow cards to tell you about, with Thomas cautioned for delaying the restart and goalkeeper Collin for taking his time over a goal kick. Gallagher also enters the book for Preston after diving into a tackle on Newcastle United loanee Tavernier, who has been outstanding at right-back.
CLOSE! Pringle nearly caps his fine individual performance with a Wembley-sealing fourth, flooring Gallagher with a clever first touch which set up a left-footed shot which bent just wide.
WOODWORK! The post denies Preston a goal and a potential route back into the match, as King's speculative 35-yard drive flicks Morgan on its way through, wrong foots Collin and bounces back of the bottom of the post, with Morgan on hand to sweep clear before Garner can pounce.
Less than 15 minutes to go, and Preston are facing another playoff heartbreak. A silver lining for them, though, they came from two goals down to draw with Rotherham in the regular League One season.
SUBSTITUTION: Final roll of the dice from Grayson, who sacrifices Gallagher to bring on an extra out-and-out frontman in the shape of Stuart Beavon, who has scored three time this term.
Arnason is forced to leave the field briefly after taking an elbow to the face from Davies. That looked to be deliberate to me. Only Davies knows, but he had a little look behind before leaving his arm in.
WOODWORK! This is not going to be Preston's night. For the second time, the post keeps them out, although huge credit must also go to Collin in this instance, who is at full stretch to tip a Garner shot, which had all its pace taken out of it via a deflection, onto the frame of the goal.
Only seven minutes plus added time are between Rotherham and Wembley, but they could have made their playoff final berth secure already, with Arnason and Agard missing decent headed chances.
Preston knock the ball long, but Davies is penalised for handball while attempting to control it.
SUBSTITUTION: Evans turns to his bench for the first time, replacing Thomas, the scorer of that vital equaliser, for Newcastle loanee Haris Vukic, who will provide an extra midfield body.
We saw in the Peterborough versus Leyton Orient game on Tuesday that a late goal can cause huge anxiety in the final few minutes. Can Preston find the net to put some pressure on Rotherham here? Not with efforts like that, as a defeated-looking skipper Wright blazes over from long range.
Preston are given the boost of SIX minutes of stoppage time, and now have a free kick 22 yards out following Pringle's foul on Kilkenny. Substitute Brownhill smashes it horribly high.
SUBSTITUTION: A time-wasting change from Evans as he brings off another of his goalscorers, Frecklington, and introduces Robert Milsom to wind some more precious seconds down.
Skarz gets above Wright to head away a Kilkenny free kick. Beavon's beautifully-hit 20-yard volley, which appeared to be goal bound is inadvertently blocked by his own teammate Garner.
SAVE! Rudd makes an excellent save diving low to his right to prevent Revell adding a fourth for Rotherham, while Clarke's quick reaction denied Agard a simple tap in.
SUBSTITUTION: Agard leaves the pitch to a standing ovation, with Michael O'Connor coming on, alongside 50 or so Rotherham supporters who storm the field prematurely much to the frustration of the players and an incensed Evans. Be patient, it won't be long until the whistle Millers fans!
FULL-TIME: ROTHERHAM 3-1 PRESTON (ROTHERHAM WIN 4-2 ON AGGREGATE)
The New York Stadium crowd invade the pitch to celebrate Rotherham reaching the League One playoff final at Wembley on May 25, where they will face Leyton Orient for a place in the Championship.
The Millers had the better of a first leg that ended 1-1 and were deserving winners tonight, so this is the right result over the two matches. It is more playoff heartbreak for Preston, though, who have failed to gain promotion from them for a ninth time. They can still look back on their season with pride.
This evening, it was Preston who took the lead through Paul Gallagher's free kick, which travelled through a congested penalty area and snuck inside the post. Rotherham had turned things around before the break courtesy of headers from Wes Thomas and Lee Frecklington, both of which were superbly provided by Ben Pringle. After great work from James Tavernier, 22-goal top scorer Kieran Agard gave United a two-goal cushion which was twice maintained by the post. A really enjoyable, open game.
That's it from me. Thanks for joining Sports Mole tonight and be sure to return for live coverage of the final between Orient and Rotherham a week on Sunday. Until next time...
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
