Ronnie rues missed chance

James O'Shea's 20-yard volley just after half time sentenced the Millers to a 1-0 defeat and gave Vale revenge for their 5-0 thrashing at Don Valley Stadium just after Christmas.

It also slashed the gap between the two sides to a single point.

A disappointed Moore said: "Had we won we would have been seven points clear of them. Even if we had drawn we would have been four points clear. That's the disappointing thing and it frustrates me when you come off and here how other results have gone."

Crewe's 6-2 thrashing at Northampton means the Millers hang onto third spot but Moore still wasn't happy with the performance against a Vale side who went into the game with seven defeats from their last eight games.

"We huffed and puffed without really punching," he said. "We did alright defensively but going forward is normally our strength and we didn't get enough from our attacking players.

"Alfie (Adam Le Fondre) missed a great chance at 0-0; the best of the game. If that had gone in then that would have settled us down."

The defeat was the Millers' third straight away loss—all without scoring.

They now face two more top-end battles in the next week, with Saturday's home date against Crewe followed by a trip to Gillingham next Tuesday.