Vickers makes sure

JON CULLEY

Rotherham United 0 Middlesbrough 1 (Middlesbrough win 3-1 on agg)

The Premiership newcomers, looking increasingly at home with their elevated status, avoided a potential banana skin at Millmoor, where a second-half goal by their defender, Steve Vickers, confirmed their passage to the third round of the Coca-Cola Cup at the expense of Second Division Rotherham, who had a man sent off after 30 minutes.

Middlesbrough's fifth straight win took place in the absence of their manager, Bryan Robson, who was reported to have flown to Brazil to renew his pursuit of Juninho, the brilliant playmaker of Sao Paulo, whom he has been tracking for several months and whose addition to the Premiership roll call would be a mouth-watering prospect.

Last night's performance did not touch the heights of the weekend victory over Blackburn and it took 50 minutes for the possibility of an upset to be quashed as Rotherham overcame their loss with a spirited display. The red card, shown to midfielder Neil Richardson, seemed a harsh punishment, the result of two clumsy fouls on Jamie Pollock in the space of five minutes, but referee Paul Danson reckoned both to be worth a yellow card and had no option but to upgrade the second.

Numerically disadvantaged, Rotherham never had enough weapons with which to threaten Middlesbrough, who put increasing pressure on the home goal in the lead-up to half-time, Craig Hignett twice testing goalkeeper Matthew Clarke with shots from distance and missing the target narrowly with two others.

The pace of Shaun Goater kept Middlesbrough's defence alert but it was not until his side were behind that the Bermudan striker was able to bring a save from Gary Walsh with a rising drive, pushed over the bar. By then, a firm diagonal header by Vickers from Hignett's corner had cushioned Middlesbrough against any late response.

Rotherham United (5-3-2): Clarke; Wilder, Blades, Monington, Bretkin, Bowyer; Goodwin, Richardson, Roscoe; Jeffrey, Goater. Substitutes not used: Hayward, Hurst, Farrelly (gk).

Middlesbrough (4-3-2-1): Walsh; Cox (Liddell, 70), Pearson, Vickers, Whyte; Whelan, Pollock, Mustoe; Hignett, Barmby; Fjortoft. Substitutes not used: Hendrie, Moore.

Referee: P Danson (Leicester).