Leeds fall to Yorkshire rivals

Rotherham 1 Leeds 0

Martin McIntosh finally brought an end to Rotherham’s season-long humiliation as Leeds were embarrassed by a side who had previously failed to win a Coca-Cola Championship game this season.

There have been a number of low spots in Leeds’ recent history, but this defeat against their Yorkshire rivals who came into the match nine points adrift at the foot of the table and without a victory from their opening 20 games, will surely rank high among those.

In the end, Leeds paid the highest price for failing to make their overwhelming early superiority count against a team who still appear relegation certainties, but who had centre-back McIntosh in the right place at the right time to poach a 77th-minute winner.

The Leeds players arrived at Millmoor to fresh news that Sebastien Sainsbury is preparing a renewed takeover bid – although that was dismissed as ’Mickey Mouse’ by Leeds chairman Gerald Krasner.

The travelling Leeds fans will wonder how they failed to administer the kind of punishment which was dished out to Preston and QPR in recent outings.

In particular, in the opening eight minutes, Leeds could – and perhaps should - have scored five goals, only to be denied by a combination of outstanding goalkeeping from Millers’ number one Mike Pollitt and the woodwork.

The unlucky Clarke Carlisle struck the frame of the goal three times before limping out with an injury to his left ankle after landing awkwardly on his final attempt.

Pollitt was first called into the fray to tip over a searing David Healy 20-yard drive, and from Jermaine Wright’s corner, Carlisle delivered the first of his headers into the turf, with Pollitt pushing the ball onto the crossbar.

John Oster, in his penultimate game of a month’s loan from Sunderland, was then the provider, initially from the right wing for Carlisle to again power in a header which crashed against the underside of the bar.

Oster soon switched sides in his bid to confuse the Millers, this time delivering from the left into the path of Wright who struck a first-time shot that again brought out the best from Pollitt.

In pushing the ball away for another corner, a repeat performance of an earlier chance involving Wright and Carlisle followed, with the latter’s header hitting the left-hand post before sustaining the injury that forced him to withdraw five minutes later despite treatment.

Rotherham eventually saw out the storm, but for the remainder of the half did nothing to suggest they had the attacking nous to trouble Leeds, who had further chances, albeit with Pollitt making more routine stops to twice deny teenager Simon Walton.

After failing to produce a single chance in the opening 45 minutes, Rotherham should perhaps have taken the lead inside the opening 45 seconds of the second half in front of a Millmoor crowd of 8,860 – a best of the season so far by almost 2,000.

Shaun Barker’s long throw was flicked on by Chris Swailes, and after McIntosh had made a complete hash of an overhead kick, the loose ball fell to Michael Proctor, only to launch a first-time shot high over the bar.

But it served notice of Rotherham’s intent, with Moore’s battlers eventually coming good 13 minutes from time after Leeds had failed to clear a Paul McLaren corner.

Barker eventually delivered a hopeful backheel which found its way to the far post where McIntosh sidefooted home from close range, sparking wild celebrations among the Rotherham faithful, who then erupted with joy at the final whistle.