MATCH REPORT: Derby day agony for Millers

Paul Warne’s men again turned in a strong 45 minutes but weren’t able to sustain it over the match and were undone by the only goal of the game midway through the second half from Adam Armstrong.

With Burton winning at QPR, the gap to safety has stretched to 11 points with 18 games to go.

The goal was threatened at both ends in a highly entertaining first half, with Rotherham stitching together some good moves and Barnsley full of pace and threat on the break despite this week’s loss to Aston Villa of Conor Hourihane and James Bree.

Aidy White drove across an open goal and Armstrong, who along with his strike partner Tom Bradshaw was a summer transfer target for the Millers, clipped the outside of the crossbar.

Top scorer Danny Ward was back in the ranks from injury and although he was a handful, it was full-back Joe Mattock who went closest for the hosts in the first period with a long-range drive that kissed the post.

Ward and his striker partner Jerry Yates both worked goalkeeper Adam Davies early in the second half but the match turned when a defence-cutting pass from Ryan Kent set Armstrong free to guide in Barnsley’s opener on 69 minutes.

The goal knocked the stuffing out of Rotherham and it took a finger-tip save from Richard O’Donnell, on his home debut, to stop Marley Watkins doubling the lead.

Interim manager Warne gave a late run-out to Alex Bray, the loan signing from Swansea City, but despite huffing and puffing they never really looked like forcing an equaliser.

Millers: O’Donnell, Fisher (Allan 77), Mattock, Wood, Belaid (Kelly 25), Forde (Bray 85), Smallwood, Vaulks, Taylor, Yates, Ward

Barnsley: Davies, White (Evans 60), McDonald, Roberts, Kent (Hammill 87), Scowen, Watkins, Jones, James, Armstrong (Williams 81), Bradshaw

Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire)

Attendance: 11,050 (2,601 visitors)