ROTHERHAM   0

STANLEY     0

A NUMBER of clubs have been keen to take pot shots at Accrington Stanley’s ground - but watching football at the Don Valley Stadium is a whole new experience.

Okay, as chairman Eric Whalley has said, the facilities at the Fraser Eagle Stadium aren’t the best but it does represent a homely ground where you are close to the action and still stand up in traditional football style.

The Don Valley Stadium - the Millers’ Sheffield home while they find a new site in Rotherham - is a running track turned into a football ground making for an odd atmosphere with the players dots in the distance.

Add to that the rainy and windy conditions on Saturday and the fact the ground is exposed to the elements with only one side covered and filled and the other three sides open and empty and it doesn’t seem quite right.

However, despite the surroundings, both sets of fans would have expected to see an all-action game on the pitch as the match had a big billing.

It was a clash of two in-form teams, both bosses’s were battling for Manager of the Month awards and both sides were on unbeaten runs which they wanted to keep hold of.

And when matches get such a pre-match spin - you could bet it would turn out to be a goalless bore draw.

Not that either side could help it with the swirling wind making it impossible to get the ball down and play and both side’s struggling with their shooting and defences were on top.

Still Reds manager John Coleman wasn’t complaining as Stanley made it six games without defeat - and 14 points out of the last 18.

"It was a hard earned point," said Coleman. "We had to battle really well.

"Rotherham put us under pressure in the second half but a draw was a fair result. Chances were at a premium because of the swirling conditions and I think both teams defended well.

"Everyone stuck to the task and I think coming to places like this earlier in the season, we may not have seen it out but now we have a bit of steely determination among the lads.

"It is just a pity the season doesn’t start in March or else we would fancy our chances!"

There was limited opportunities throughout the game. Millers top scorer Reuben Reid forced Kenny Arthur into a superb two-handed save after he made space on the edge of the area and unleashed a fierce shot.

Rotherham frontman Ryan Taylor had two clear cut chances - firing wide after bursting clean through with the home fans around the press box asking "how did he miss that?"

Then, at the death, frontman Ryan got into a good position and rifled a shot across goal which Arthur just got his finger tips too to push wide of the post.

Stanley had the same number of chances - and, like the Millers, couldn’t take theirs.

Reds new boy Michael Symes almost got off the mark with a diving header from a John Miles free kick with Millers keeper Andy Warrington this time performing the heroics.

Then Craig Lindfield got the ball unmarked eight yards out and had all the goal to shoot at but amazingly fired wide, holding his head in his hands immediately after as he so much wanted to increase his two-goal tally for Stanley.

And a Miles corner wasn’t properly cleared by Ian Sharps and the ball fell to Symes at the far post but Warrington dashed out of his goal to block the effort.

That was it really as both sides struggled to get going and, after all the pre-match billing, it fell pretty flat.

However, Coleman was pleased with his teams effort as they kept out Rotherham who, but for their 17 point deduction at the start of the season, would be in a play-off spot.

"One another day we could have nicked it and they could have too so we can’t have many complaints," said Coleman.

"Everyone played well. Craig Lindfield never stopped working and Michael Symes was the same and when you have two forwards who do that - and Paul Mullin does as well - then that’s where you build your foundations from.

"Craig is disappointed he hasn’t scored and, if he had hit the target, it would have gone in.

"Kenny made a world class save and defensively we have tightened up.

"And John Miles, a lot of the time people see him as easy on the eye, but he worked really hard defensively and made several important interventions.

"When you have players who are prepared to go out of their comfort zone to earn a result, it shows you are moving in the right direction."

He continued: "We have also not had to make a substitution so that is two games on the trot that the same players have played from start to finish and that is testament to their desire and determination to do well.

"That’s back to back clean sheets and we now need to build on that.

"When you look at Wycombe’s place in the league and ours - they have defended better to get where they are as they haven’t scored many more goals than us so we know if take on board that, and keep a settled defence until the end of the season and add one or two more next season, then the signs are encouraging."

And whatever the surroundings, clean sheets are what Coley and co want.