Rotherham United 1 - West Bromwich Albion 4

Submit your ratings for this game by clicking here:

Ratings submitted so far: 8

Brendan Clegg:

I don’t normally write reports for the early rounds of cup games because it feels like we’ve treated them as low priority training events for so long. Personally I therefore think kicking off the season with round 1 is a great idea and it was pleasing that Mozza went with a very strong side. And so, I thought I’d do some super brief thoughts!

I managed to get up to Peterborough last week and it was pretty much the same apart from Mowatt coming in for Molumby. Not sure if that’s because we knew we’d have so much of the ball or because of rumours of him or his agent trying to get a move or a better contract?

Either way, it didn’t matter as we were utterly dominant and there was much to like despite a bit of rustiness.

The shape, the aggression, the fitness levels and the effort were there carrying on from the back end of last season but I enjoyed how quick we were to attack; we went forward with purpose and there was some lovely one touch stuff and rotations across the forward line. We looked like a team that wants to attack and dominate the ball; I thought a clear sign of this was the 2 or 3 times O’Leary set us going with good very quick long throws out up the pitch, something so rare now in a world where it’s mostly a 10 yard roll out to a centre back and then 30 passes between both CBs and the keeper. Refreshing!

Both halves were similar - we started fast, scored early, had the majority of it, could have scored more than we did but then had a sloppy 5 minutes at the end. In the 2nd half it cost us a cheap goal with Campbell getting caught very square. That will annoy the coaches but it was the only mark against an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable warm up for next week against Norwich - a sterner test in a very difficult opening 3 games that will give us an idea of where we’re at. Welcome back!

• O’Leary - 7 Did everything well and was clearly practicing coming out a lot more to claim things.
• Galves - 6 Looks decent, pretty much as per the scouting. Great going forward, needs coaching the other way but promising.
• Phillips - 7 A couple of sloppy passes but solid
• Campbell - 6 mostly really good but one or two lapses
• Styles - 6 Reliable, kept it well
• Whitwell - 7 As at Peterborough, some lovely touches and looks great on the turn. Nice to get a goal.
• Diakite - 7 Bossed it.
• Mowatt - 7 Passed it really well. Leggy when they got through our press.
• Price - 7 Big season. Can he mature and reduce the carelessness and poor decisions? On this showing, yes it looks like that’s been worked on. He was really good.
• Morgan - 7 Constant threat. I loved the second goal - he’s not afraid to stick his head in there and is decent in the air. Great start.
• Heggebø - 6 All the good work but missed a great chance.

• The Horn - 6 lively and took the goal well
• Stewart - 7 I like him. Nice touches, didn’t waste anything.
• Molumby - 6 ticked us over
• MJ - 6 got at them, good to game him back
• Townsend - 6 Calm and assured.

Kev Buckley:

Only saw some highlights but, whether it was the sunny weather; the "raring to go" fitness of the players, in their first game post the pre-season slog, or the fact that most of the highlights were centered around Albion's attack, I thought we looked a incredibly youthful side: not that those players - mostly defensive players - who didn't feature in the highlights are all that old?

First goal exemplified that, with three of the "new starters", plus a hopefully rejuvenated Heegebo, all combining down the right, with Galves finally teeing up Whitwell, whose shot was only parried into the path of Morgan.

The roles were reversed for the second, which saw Whitwell combining with Morgan, before the former finished off the latter's effort's rebound, to give us the 2-0 HT lead.

Other than the League Cup being treated as games in which to give players a run-out, it wasn't clear why Whitwell was withdrawn for Horn Myhre as early as half time, but the latter became yet another new starter to get on the score-sheet, after Price, cutting in from the right, tested the keeper enough to generate yet another rebound, before Morgan easily found space at the back-post to head home a Styles' delivery.

Campbell went to sleep in allowing the Rotherham striker space to turn on the edge of the box and score a consolation goal for the home side.