Millers fight on......
Rotherham United will live to fight another day in the Sky Bet Championship as they earned just their fourth victory of the season at the expense of Millwall thanks to Seb Revan’s and Charlie Wyke’s first goals in Millers colours.
Leam Richardson’s side went into the Easter Monday clash knowing only a victory would preserve their status in England’s second tier and after Ryan Longman cancelled out Revan’s opener, Wyke popped up with the winner to leave Rotherham’s status hanging by the tiniest of threads with six games to go.
Following their Good Friday defeat at the hands of Preston North End, Richardson made four changes to his starting line-up.
Cohen Bramall made a welcome return to the first eleven following his substitute cameo at Deepdale while Sheffield United loanee Femi Seriki made just his second start in Millers colours.
Andy Rinomhota was recalled to the Millers engine room following his international exploits with Zimbabwe while Tom Eaves led the Rotherham line alongside Sam Nombe.
The Millers had an early sight of goal when Bramall skipped down the byline to drill a low centre into the box but Nombe and Eaves appeared to get in each other’s way, and Nombe was snuffed out by a retreating Lions defender.
There was a nasty looking aerial collision between Nombe and Murray Wallace which left both players needing treatment, before they were passed fit to continue.
The Millers produced a good move when Seriki’s pass presented home skipper Ollie Rathbone with the chance to clip a cross into the box but Japhet Tanganga rose highest to deny Eaves, who looked the likely recipient.
Minutes later, Wallace was penalised for a foul on Seriki, but Sam Clucas’ in-swinging free-kick was straight down the throat of Matija Sarkic, although the Montenegrin ‘keeper had to gather at the second attempt.
In Millwall’s first attack of note, George Saville harmlessly volleyed over.
The Millers had a half-chance when Seriki delivered a tantalising cross into the danger area which evaded Eaves and Lions captain Jake Cooper, and Tanganga, in an attempt to clear the danger, diverted the ball towards his own goal but Sarkic was well-stationed to spare his blushes.
On the half-hour mark, Viktor Johansson was called into action for the first time to smother Ryan Leonard’s long-range effort.
Millwall had upped the tempo following a slow start and they had a couple of chances near the break.
Firstly, Rinomhota was caught in possession on the edge of the box, and Casper De Norre gave Zian Flemming the opportunity to pick his spot, and the Dutch playmaker duly obliged by curling a lovely effort which was heading into the bottom corner, but Rotherham’s Swedish stopper was his equal with a superb tip around the post.
In the next phase of play, Millwall were probing for the opening and it came when Michael Obafemi cut inside to deliver a cross and Cooper rose above his marker to win the aerial duel but his towering header whistled past the far post with Johansson seemingly beaten.
Minutes later, Duncan Watmore sneaked around the back of the Rotherham rearguard but his attempted cross was diverted into the side netting by a backtracking Revan before Tanganga headed over.
Half-time: Rotherham United 0 Millwall 0
Attacking the KCM Waste Management Stand, Rotherham had the first glimpse of goal in the second 45 when Bramall cut inside before delivering a cross with his weaker right-foot – but Eaves, in a wrestling match with Cooper, was unable to make a telling connection.
The Lions had a spell of prolonged pressure when Flemming rose unchallenged at the far stick to meet George Honeyman’s corner but Johansson denied him with a fine save before Saville kept the heat on the hosts with a set-piece from the other side and with Rotherham not clearing the danger, Fleeming hooked the ball towards goal, but despite Johansson being in no position to intervene, Eaves, of all people, hacked clear from near his own line.
The Millers were struggling to clear their heads and sub Danny McNamara’s fizzed effort was bravely diverted away from goal by Odoffin before there was a carbon copy of the first chance when Flemming nodded just wide from Honeyman’s corner.
The home side appeared to have weathered the visiting storm, and they had a chance of their own when Eaves looked to skip down the touchline before Rathbone injected pace into a home move before finding Nombe, who worked a yard of space on his marker, before firing into the grateful hands of Sarkic from the edge of the box.
Minutes later, Tanganga had to be on his toes to prevent Nombe from finding Eaves following a defence splitting pass from Rinomhota.
The Millers – not for the first time were indebted to Johansson for preserving parity – when Honeyman delivered a centre which Tanganga looked to turn goalwards, but the Swedish international produced a top drawer save to keep the ball out against all the odds.
Rotherham punished the Lions to the full for their miss but not before Odoffin headed over from close range following sub Cafu’s corner.
The Londoners failed to heed the warning when Rotherham opened the scoring with 19 minutes to go.
There looked little danger for the Lions when Nombe picked up possession but the Millers striker played the ball back to Revan, who weighed up his options, before firing a fierce left-footed effort from distance which kissed the AESSEAL New York Stadium turf before beating the outstretched hand of Sarkic to nestle in the far corner of the net.
However, Millwall were to fight back, but not before some Johansson heroics.
Flemming planted a ball into the box and Cooper’s flick on fell invitingly for Obafemi, who looked a certain scorer from just yards out, but Johansson produced a miraculous save to shut out the Lions’ striker.
However, Rotherham failed to make the most of Johansson’s brilliance when Millwall equalised with 12 minutes to go.
The Lions kept up the pressure around the Millers box, and sub Brooke Norton-Cuffy – a one-time Millers loanee – made the telling touch and fellow replacement, Ryan Longman finally breached Johansson’s defences, by forcing the ball home from point-blank range, despite the home keeper getting a hand to it.
There was further drama to come though when Rotherham regained the lead - in what proved to be a decisive one - with five minutes to go.
The Millers ventured down the right flank once again and Revan turned from scorer to provider with a lovely cross and Wyke – who was in a tussle with his marker – superbly glanced the ball into the corner of the Lions net.
The Millers were not to be denied this time, and to a man, they put their bodies on the line to hold on and grab their first victory of 2024 and just their second in Richardson’s reign, and give the Millers fans a rare reason to cheer, in a difficult season for all those involved with the club.
Full-time: Rotherham United 2 Millwall 1
Rotherham United 2
Millwall 1
Teams: Rotherham- Johansson, Bramall (Peltier 90+1), Clucas (Lindsay 79), Eaves, Rinomhota, Rathbone (Cafu 63), Odoffin, Humphreys, Revan, Nombe (Wyke 79), Seriki (Ferguson 63). Unused- Peltier, Appiah, Hatton.
Millwall- Sarkic, Wallace (McNamara 24), Cooper, Tanganga, Flemming, Leonard (Norton-Cuffy 74), Watmore (Longman 74), Obafemi, Saville (Esse 87), De Norre, Honeyman (Mayor 74). Unused- Bialkowski, Hutchinson, Mitchell, Leahy.
Referee- A Chilowicz
Attendance- 9803 (919)
