ANALYSIS: There's life in the Millers yet

It's the unpredictability of football that makes the game so special and Rotherham United, more than anyone, need it work in their favour between now and May.

No-one saw Saturday's win against Norwich coming, especially after the crushing low of the FA Cup defeat to Oxford.

It's also doubtful whether the Millers have ever been so ill equipped to win a Championship match.

Stripped of their captain Lee Frecklington, their star striker Danny Ward and cut to the bone by player departures, most supporters would have gratefully grabbed at the offer of a point before a ball was kicked.

What they got was a morale-boosting triumph packed with character and emotion.

Jerry Yates, the only fit striker in the club, responded to the death of his grandfather the day before by scoring on his full league debut and then racing to embrace his family when the final whistle sounded.

It was a tearful day for Paul Warne too, so proud to have beaten his home-town club but having to fight back the tears when he spoke of his poorly dad, a big Norwich supporter, in the press room afterwards.

While it was true that Rotherham had the leg-up of playing ten men for 70 minutes thanks to Nelson Oliveira's ludicrous swipe at Kirk Broadfoot, it shouldn't detract from a great day's work.

Packed with Premier League talent, Norwich still have enough about them to test any side in the division. The Millers stayed with them, played to their own strengths and came out the other side with their first win over the Canaries in 36 years.

Yates and Adeyemi typified the team's industry on the day, the latter's precise pull-back setting up his young team-mate for an easy finish and a moment he'll always remember.

TOM ADEYEMI POWERS THROUGH NORWICH'S MIDFIELD

Even after Oliveira was sent off, it took the combined reflexes of goalkeeper Lewis Price and full-back Joe Mattock to preserve the lead before half time.

Warne admitted he knew the visitors would score and his fears were realised when their best player, Wes Hoolahan, picked out substitute Cameron Jerome at the far post just after half time.

Rotherham have a tendency to shrivel when they concede. This time they bounced back off the ropes with Adeyemi's header from Mattock's centre.

They harried, the chased, they closed space and they broke with menace. Richie Smallwood, back from his loan spell at Scunthorpe, was in the teeth of the battle and helped his team keep control. It also took some smart defending to stop Anthony Forde and sub Jon Taylor adding to the lead as Norwich chanced their arm and left spaces and when Steven Naismith threatened late on, Price was equal to him.

Warne's third win in charge was easily the most satisfying and as he said afterwards: "Sometimes adversity brings a group together."