MATCHDAY CENTRE: Green shoots of recovery in Jackett's first game

Players lacking in confidence after six straight defeats, fans turning up hoping another embarrassing performance didn’t ensue and a board who clearly felt the time for change was upon them, there’s a lot of work to be done by the new man.

But although the Millers fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Reading on Saturday, there was enough grit, effort and organisation in the team to suggest that better times are ahead.

The tangible buzz around the AESSEAL New York Stadium prior to kick off turned into a vociferous welcome to new boss Jackett – who replaced sacked manager Alan Stubbs on Friday – as he clapped the home faithful moments before the action began.

And overall, he will have been quietly pleased with what he saw from his side, taking into account he had only one session on the training ground with the team before his first game in the dugout.

There was a clear slant towards opting for experience in his first team selection which mirrored the avenue Neil Warnock went down when he was appointed at the back end of last season, and we all know how that story played out.

READING GOALKEEPER ALI AL-HABSI WAS IN FINE FORM

But Kenny Jackett is his own man and won’t want to be too closely linked to the Millers’ ‘messiah’, although I’m sure he’d snap your hand off for a similar 11 game unbeaten run.

Exiled centre back Richard Wood was restored to the starting XI and reminded everyone what they had been missing with a man of the match performance.

Joe Mattock returned at left back, Greg Halford plugged the gaps in centre midfield and there was a first start for seasoned Championship front man Dexter Blackstock. 

The formation was switched back to the relatively simple 4-4-2 and Jackett deployed round pegs in round holes.

What the Millers do when they have possession is still an issue. Far too often there wasn’t a forward pass available and the stats reflect that, but for the amount of ball Reading had, they rarely looked like breaching the Football League’s shakiest defence.

When they did it was through Rotherham’s own doing.

Young defender Dael Fry dangled a leg and was punished for clipping Joey Van Den Berg in the area on the hour. Gareth McCleary’s resulting spot kick was well saved by the flailing leg of goalkeeper Lee Camp.

It took until the 86th minute for Jaap Stam’s men to break through thanks to Paul McShane’s prod home at the back post. Camp may feel as though he could have done better when clawing away an initial effort from under the bar before the ball fell kindly at McShane’s feet just yards out.

Before that, Jackett’s men could have taken the lead themselves.

Joe Newell’s looping early effort was clawed away by the impressive Ali Al-Habsi, Wood planted a header that was repelled by Reading’s No.1 and Danny Ward was thwarted when one-on-one by the Oman international ‘keeper.

And late on, when sub Anthony Forde raced in on goal, Rotherham’s enemy for the day once again came out on top, to preserve his own clean sheet.

Despite the Millers falling to their seventh successive loss – the first time that has happened since the 61/62 campaign – and their failure to keep another clean sheet, the future certainly looks brighter.

The performance level was raised, the atmosphere in the ground was positive and Jackett said all the right words in his post-match press conference.

Chairman Tony Stewart spoke just weeks before Stubbs' sacking about the "green shoots of recovery."

With 32 games remaining and a new boss at the helm, it now seems as though those shoots are there for all to see.