Rotherham United 0 Accrington Stanley 1

9:23am Monday 3rd March 2008

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A moment of Millmoor magic from Ian Craney lit up the drabbest of games and made Accrington Stanley's anxiety disappear.

The midfielder's 63rd minute strike was the difference between the sides in terms of both scoreline and quality as the Reds overcame Rotherham United.

Stanley boss John Coleman made one change from the side which defeated Brentford in midweek with new signing Darran Kempson coming straight into the side at the expense of Sean Webb.

On a blustery afternoon at Millmoor both sides struggled to get to grips with the conditions, though the home side created the first chance of the game when Ryan Taylor fired an effort wide of Kenny Arthur's post.

With the two teams sizing each other up like boxers in opposing corners the real pugilism began after just nine minutes. Debutant full back Joe Widdowson lunged in on Leam Richardson and failed to touch the ball, leaving the Stanley number three crumpled in a heap. Jay Harris was immediately on the scene, and was booked for venting his frustration. Widdowson saw the same colour, and could think himself extremely fortunate.

The Reds caused confusion in the penalty box moments later when Ian Craney's right-wing free-kick narrowly missed a posse of visiting players including Paul Mullin and Andy Mangan.

But the general momentum was towards Arthur's goal, with Taylor continuing to squander half chances. First, the forward beat the offside trap to reach the dead ball line on the right after 26 minutes only to dwell for too long and be dispossessed, before breaking through again four minutes later and dragging his effort wide.

Arthur's only meaningful save came from one of his own defenders on 33 minutes as Mark Roberts headed back towards his goalkeeper, but found his radar to be a little out and left the Scot at full stretch to turn the ball wide for a corner.

The game was disjointed and neither side could really get into their stride, with the home team and particularly their top scorer Derek Holmes very frustrated by debutant Kempson's stubborn defending.

The Millers did create more before the break, but Pablo Mills floated his 36th minute shot over before good work from Taylor and Danny Harrison presented Chris O'Grady with a chance on the right side on the box, but his effort was wide of the left hand post.

In the dying stages of the first period Stanley took the initiative, with Mullin seizing on a mistake from defender Ian Sharps to fire a floating effort wide before Kempson, Roberts and Aswad Thomas all went forward to cause chaos from a corner, though the Reds couldn't test Andy Warrington.

The quality of play didn't improve much after the break, and there was little for either goalkeeper to do in the early stages, though Mullin twice saw left wing crosses cleared from the six-yard-box and at the other end Roberts had to be alert to head an Ian Ross centre behind.

As the hour mark came and went it seemed that stalemate was the only solution, but Craney had other ideas. With 18 second half minutes played Stanley conjured up the best move of the game as Mullin held up a forward ball from the right 30 yards out, and Stanley's record signing ran across him to take it. The number 23 took a touch before unleashing a left foot rocket into the top right corner, that left Warrington grasping at thin air.

As Craney celebrated his fifth goal of the season at the corner flag the home contingent looked on in a mixture if wonder and disbelief.

The expected Millers fightback never really materialised, though O'Grady hit a shot straight at Arthur before the keeper had to be quickly off his line to deny Harrison. But the fight had drained from the home side, and Stanley might have had a second two minutes from time when substitute Shaun Whalley scuffed Mullin's knock down straight at Warrington.

Rotherham did put on some late pressure, but their only real opportunity in the excessive five minutes of stoppage time fell to Widdowson, with the youngster only able to find the gloves of Arthur.

The final whistle sounded to confirm that the Reds had "won ugly"; courtesy of a beautiful goal