Millers Manager Paul Warne gave his thoughts after seeing his side suffer a late defeat at home to 10-man Shrewsbury Town this afternoon.
“I’m deflated,” said Warne of the 2-1 loss. “I thought my team gave me everything they had against a very good Shrewsbury team. They’re top of the league. It’s probably one of the first games we’ve played at home where we were, possibly, the underdog. We’ve done enough to, at least come away with a point.
“We’ve had more attempts on goal, not that that counts for anything, more possession, more corners, more shots on target, so I’m hugely disappointed.
“I’m very disappointed with the fact we had a corner at one-all in the 93rd minute and the lad clears it, you can see the lads moved is arm towards the ball inside the box so that should have been a penalty for us.
“They go up the other end and to concede like that is hugely disappointing and I’ve got to pick them up for the next game.”
Jon Nolan handed the visitors the lead 16 minutes in before his team-mate Abu Ogogo saw red eight minutes into the second half. But the Millers could have broken the deadlock themselves on 13 minutes had Kieffer Moore’s penalty not been well saved by Dean Henderson.
Richie Towell then restored parity with a neat finish on 76 minutes and the tide seemed to have turned in Rotherham’s favour.
“It just looked like a tackle to me,” he continued. “I don’t know if it’s two-footed, ugly, over-the-top. I can’t comment on that. All our staff didn’t see it. I don’t know if that helped us or not. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. They were really resilient and defended well with 10 men.
“It took a good goal from Richie Towell to get us back in the game. I was hopeful with two up front and trying to get crosses in the box. I felt their ‘keeper was pretty outstanding, in that respect it’s frustrating.”
The winning goal came deep into stoppage-time from Stefan Payne after the striker found the ball at his feet from a corner.
“We were on top. Frecks and Kieffer both go for the ball, the lad who Frecks was marking went into a pocket and the ricochet comes through to him, one touch and finish. We set up right for the corner but it’s just an individual error. It’s hugely frustrating, we were on the back of a last-minute goal last week. Today we leave the stadium feeling pretty low.
“It was a top-of-the-table clash, so to speak. To lose it in the last minute, I don’t think my players deserved that today.”
Speaking on the missed penalty by Moore, Warne said: “I can’t say that every week. If Woody’s goal would have gone in at Donny, the game would have taken a different path. It’s always important to get the first goal.”