Millers' Championship stint is over.....

Rotherham United will be playing Sky Bet League One football next season after their inevitable relegation from England’s second tier was officially confirmed following a solitary goal defeat to Plymouth Argyle.

Bali Mumba’s first-half goal settled the televised AESSEAL New York Stadium clash in The Pilgrims favour and condemned the Millers to a loss, which ended their stint in the Sky Bet Championship after just two seasons.

The Millers managed to stave off the threat of the drop on Easter Monday when they defeated Millwall but it proved to be only a temporary reprieve.

Millers Head Coach Leam Richardson made two changes to his starting line-up.

Lee Peltier returned to the defensive ranks following a spell out with injury while Charlie Wyke was rewarded for his match winning cameo against the Lions by leading the Rotherham attack alongside Sam Nombe.

Sheffield United loanee Femi Seriki and Tom Eaves were the players to make way.

The Millers had the first shot in anger when Seb Revan – who got his first senior goal against Millwall – got the better of Adam Randell before taking aim from distance but his rising shot flew into the Argyle fans behind the goal.

Peltier, who had made a statement of intent with a crunching tackle at the other end, launched a long throw into the visitors box, and Sam Clucas emerged from the masse of bodies to nod goalwards, but his effort was blocked at close quarters.

There was a moment of concern in the Rotherham defence when they failed to clear an Argyle corner, and a number of visiting players attempted to bundle the ball towards goal in a goalmouth melee, but Rotherham, and Viktor Johansson, in particular, belatedly snuffed out the danger.

The visitors had a half-chance when a fine flowing move involving Jordan Houghton and Ryan Hardie presented Callum Wright with the chance to strike but Hakeem Odoffin put his body on the line to block his left-footed effort en-route to goal.

Both sides traded chances when Clucas fired a tame effort straight down the throat of Michael Cooper before Wright nodded harmlessly wide from Hardie’s centre at the other end.

There was a lull in the action until Plymouth broke the deadlock just past the half hour mark.

There looked little danger for the Millers until Morgan Whittaker angled a lovely cross field ball which Revan appeared to misjudge in the air, and it was a costly hesitation, as Mumba got the ball under his spell before firing into the heart of the Rotherham goal from point-blank range giving Johansson no chance.

The home side were momentarily at sixes and sevens and Whittaker fired over with his trustee left-foot after cutting inside with menace.

In stoppage time, Rotherham were indebted to Johansson – not for the first time this season – for keeping them in the game when Wright rose highest to meet Whittaker’s centre and guide a downward header goalwards but the Swedish stopper was his equal with a fine, fingertip save.

Half-time: Rotherham United 0 Plymouth Argyle 1

Attacking the KCM Waste Management Stand in the second half, Rotherham had the first sight of goal when Peltier headed over from Clucas’ corner.

The Millers were thankful to Johansson for keeping Plymouth at bay once again when Whittaker tried his luck with a shot from distance and his left-footed effort skimmed across the AESSEAL New York Stadium surface before the home ‘keeper turned the ball around the post with a smart save.

The visitors continued to press and Whittaker had another opportunity but Johansson correctly guessed his intentions when he plucked the ball out of the South Yorkshire sky.

In an attempt to turn the tide of the game, Richardson made a triple substitution with just over half an hour to go when Jamie Lindsay, Tom Eaves and Cafu were introduced into the fray.

However, it was Plymouth, who threatened next, when Houghton drilled a low shot which brought a smothered save from Johansson.

The Millers had a few sights of goal when Clucas flighted a ball to the back post and Cohen Bramall almost sneaked in unnoticed, but he failed to make a telling connection and the chance was lost before Nombe almost took advantage of Cooper’s error, but the Plymouth ‘keeper gathered at the second attempt.

To their credit, the Millers were looking for another stay of execution, and they came close to levelling matters when Revan stung the palms of Cooper with a fierce shot, before Plymouth scrambled the ball to safety.

The Millers had a couple of let offs when Randell tested Johansson with a snap shot while Hardie was denied on the rebound before sub Adam Forshaw curled a lovely effort from distance which grazed the far post.

The Devon side – who were fourth from bottom prior to kick-off - had a scare when Odoffin let fly from distance and Cooper was scrambling across goal, as it fizzed narrowly wide of the target.

There was still time for some more Johansson heroics between the sticks near the end, including a fine reactive stop from sub Ben Waine, before Plymouth showed good game management to run down the clock and give their own survival hopes a timely boost.

Full-time: Rotherham United 0 Plymouth Argyle 1

Rotherham United 0

Plymouth Argyle 1

Teams: Rotherham- Johansson, Bramall (Ferguson 78), Clucas, Rinomhota (Lindsay 56), Wyke (Eaves 56), Rathbone (Cafu 56), Peltier (Appiah 83), Odoffin, Humphreys, Revan, Nombe. Unused- D Phillips, Seriki, Hatton.

Plymouth- Cooper, Mumba (Galloway 87), Houghton, Scarr, Edwards, Hardie (Waine 75), Whittaker (Bundu 87), Wright (Forshaw 62), Gibson, Randell, A Phillips. Unused- Hazard, Sousa, Pleguezuelo, Miller, Sorinola.

Referee- O Langford

Attendance- 9863 (1005)