Elliot Cooke made a dramatic return to The Millers squad after a five month injury lay off by smashing in a fifteen minute hat-trick after being introduced from the substitutes bench on 73 minutes. Cooke’s return and goals were the icing on the cake for Dave Birch & Mike Norton’s Millers who recorded their biggest win of the season over bottom of the table Rocester who, after competing well for much of the game, fell away towards the end of the contest.

With the squad approaching full strength following the return of several players from injury, Birch & Norton had to make some difficult decisions selection wise, with six players missing out on the match day squad. Recent signing Ollie Parker impressed on his debut at Stockport Georgians and retained his place at right back, with the returning Jake Wright settling for a spot on the substitutes bench. Adam Muir returned from a gluteal injury and took a place alongside Wright, Adam Stuart being perhaps the most unfortunate to be left out of the squad altogether.

The Millers started brightly and were guilty of wasting several early openings before on the quarter hour Teddy Ospitan crossed low from the right and The Hitman Kyle Hawley fired home to give his side the lead. The Millers were to endure more frustration as Charlie Wood in the visitors goal produced a number of fine saves to keep his side in the game. Just before half-time he was finally beaten for the second time as following a corner on the left Manu Omorogbe headed home his second goal of the season from close range.

The Millers were quick out of the blocks in the second half and on 53 minutes Osipitan raced clear on goal and finished well, slipping his shot past Wood from the edge of the area. The Rocester keeper as to produce more excellent stops, as Dylan Forth, his opposite number at the other end was enjoying an afternoon off, before the introduction of Cooke saw the floodgates open.

With thirteen minutes to go, just four minutes after coming on, Cooke converted George Howarth’s cross to make it four, then with ten minutes to go Pa Jenkins curled in from the edge of the area for The Millers fifth goal. On 84 minutes Cooke added his second, tapping in Chris Roger’s cross at the far post, before on 88 minutes he completed his hat-trick cleverly disguising a cross shot that caught Wood off his line before going in off the underside of the bar. There was time for an eighth goal in added time, Howarth registering his second assist as he crossed for Muir to fire past Wood and complete the scoring.