A rare scene of jubilation filled the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Monday afternoon following a late triumph over Millwall, securing the Millers their first victory since Boxing Day. They clinched all three points with a 2-1 victory over the Lions in a bank holiday showdown, reigniting any remaining flicker of hope they harboured for the remainder of their campaign.
The hosts sealed the victory with two second-half goals, marking only their fourth triumph this season. Aston Villa loanee Sebastian Revan showcased his expertise with a clinical finish, adding to his senior goal tally, while late substitute Charlie Wykes opened his campaign account with a decisive header, sealing the victory in emphatic fashion.
Neil Harris’ Millwall side journeyed to the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Easter Monday for a pivotal encounter. Their visit to South Yorkshire followed a crucial draw at home against West Bromwich on Good Friday, aiding them in maintaining a slight edge over the bottom three. Despite only enduring a single loss since the return of the esteemed Millwall legend Harris as Head Coach, the Lions find themselves just five points clear of the relegation zone.
Leam Richardson’s side were yet to see a win since December, succumbing to a 3-0 defeat to Preston North End on Good Friday, making it 25 losses in 39 games for the Millers and pushing them 19 points from safety.
Rotherham skipper Richardson made four changes to his starting XI following their recent defeat in Lancashire – Cohen Bramall earning a place back in the lineup, with Hakeem Odoffin also starting for the Millers, alongside the club’s top goal scorer Tom Eaves and defender Femi Seriki. Youngster Ben Hatton was also named on the Rotherham bench.
Millwall Head Coach Harris also implemented two changes to his starting XI, with Murray Wallace and De Norre returning to the squad, and Billy Mitchell making his way to the bench. Notably, Joe Bryan is absent following an injury picked up during Good Friday’s match.
Both teams head into the fixture eager to secure three crucial points, with Rotherham aiming to stave off imminent relegation by securing a victory, while Millwall sought to bolster their hopes of avoiding a plunge into the bottom three alongside the Millers.
The opening moments looked promising for the home side, with the Millers unexpectedly posing the initial threat. Sheffield United loanee Femi Seriki seized advantage of their attacking threat in the 9th minute, with a menacing cross which sought to connect with striker Tom Eaves, but was swiftly intercepted by Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga & retrieved comfortably by Matija Šarkić.
Sam Clucas made another illustrious attempt to put Rotherham in the lead, however, saw his efforts thwarted by the Millwall goalkeeper.
Rotherham continuously sought opportunities to exploit the Millwall defence and gain an upper hand against the Lions early on, however despite their initial threat, they couldn’t seem to convert their early opportunities.
With a goal drought spanning their previous five games, it came as little surprise to the home fans that their initial chances failed to find the back of the net.
Amidst early pressure from the hosts, the visitors swiftly countered, highlighted by a noteworthy free kick from Millwall midfielder George Honeyman, yet the Rotherham backline proved predisposed to deny the Lions’ efforts. George Saville’s subsequent shot sailed over the crossbar, further rendering the Lion’s attempts unfruitful.
An early clash between Murray Wallace and Sam Nombe proved detrimental to the Millwall defender in the later moments of the first half, seeing him forced into an early exit in the 23rd minute, which saw Danny McNamara’s introduction to the game.
Honeyman’s right-footed attempt marked another ambitious endeavour by the Millwall man to propel the Lions into the lead, but saw his shot veer wide of Viktor Johansson’s post. A daring long-range strike by Ryan Leonard followed shortly after, yet his efforts proved feeble at the hands of the Swedish international.
Millwall’s relentless pursuit in search of an opening culminated in a pivotal moment for the Lions. Micheal Obafemi skilfully manoeuvred the ball away from the Rotherham defence, finding the feet of De Norre who set up Millwall top-scorer Zian Flemming, only to see his attempt nudged agonisingly wide at the hands of an outstretched Johansson.
The Lions exhibited their growing dominance just before the stroke of half-time, with Burnley loanee Obafemi cleverly cutting inside to deliver a meticulous cross to pinpoint the head of Cooper, who ultimately steered the ball wide past Johansson’s left side. Duncan Watmore launched a successive effort, yet his cross was deftly diverted into the side-netting.
Heading into the second half, both teams remained steadfast in their pursuit of an opening goal. Rotherham’s Cohen Bramall initiated the tempo, executing a precise cross into the Millwall box however, despite narrowly eluding Eaves, the delivery lacked the definitive finish needed to break the deadlock.
Millwall however regained their attacking momentum with back-to-back opportunities. Dutchman Flemming’s propitious header was aptly met with an expert punch by Johansson, followed by an ensuing header from Leonard easily dealt with by the Millers’ keeper in a parallel fashion.
Flemming persevered in his endeavour to break the deadlock for the Lions with a successive attempt from the heart of the box, only to have his right-footed strike promptly cleared by the Millers’ defence. Danny McNamara then followed up with another promising effort, but his attempt was also hurriedly surmounted by the vigilant Rotherham backline, dousing the Lions’ hopes of carving out a desired breakthrough.
Despite the Lions’ plethora of opportunities, Rotherham gradually took back control of the game. Sam Nombe with a compelling left-footed attempt in the 61st minute claimed comfortably by Šarkić while Watmore’s response was once again dismissed by Johansson. Tottenham loanee Tanganga further tested the Millers’ keeper with a close-range header, but the Swedish international remained unphased by his efforts.
A superb cross from Portuguese midfielder Cafu deflected wide off Odoffin’s head before Rotherham became the team to finally break the deadlock. Seb Revan’s finely executed left-footed finish curled past Šarkić’s outstretched hands in the 71st minute, securing the first senior goal of the campaign for the Villa loanee.
Rotherham sought to preserve their narrow lead, with Revan making another commendable effort to boost his campaign tally, only to be denied by Šarkić, dashing any hopes of doubling the Millers advantage.
Just six minutes later, Tanganga’s pinpoint cross met Cooper in the box, who adeptly fed substitute Ryan Longman. Longman promptly capitalised on the opportunity, flicking the ball into the back of the net to secure the equaliser for the Lions.
Millwall seemed resolute in their bid to double their lead and snatch a significant win on the road, yet the Lions’ belated attempts were quickly rebuffed.
Nevertheless, it appeared that the Lions were destined to leave empty-handed against bottom-of-the-table Rotherham. Goal-scorer Revan delivered a delightful cross into the box, where Wigan-loanee Charlie Wykes impressively nodded the ball into the corner of the net to rescue the Millers a dramatic late winner.
Final frantic efforts from the Lions were ultimately foiled by the Millers’ defence, with the referee’s final whistle marking an unlikely victory for the home side.
The win today keeps the Millers’ faint survival hopes alive, with attention turning to Friday’s game against Plymouth. Meanwhile, Millwall face Huddersfield on Saturday in a must-win game for both sides.
Image Credits: Brian Tonks