Paul Warne wants life ban for supporter after Rotherham United crowd incident

The Millers returned to the top of League One by beating the Railwaymen 2-0, but the afternoon was marred by the incident that led to the official complaining of a headache and having to be replaced.

"I'm embarrassed by it," Warne said. "Out of 1,093 fans who turned up, one person's behaviour spoils it for everybody.

"I have no sympathy for the perpetrator. I hope they get caught and they get a life ban. It's just not acceptable.

"I appreciate that officials plus players get a little bit of abuse, but physical abuse is a step too far."

Captain Richard went over to the away contingent to speak to supporters during the second-half stoppage at Gresty Road while after the match Rotherham issued a condemnatory statement.

The controversy, which came only a fortnight after trouble at Fleetwood Town, prompted the club to write on their website: "We will investigate the matter with the help of our colleagues at Crewe and will look to identify and punish the individual in question."

Warne apologised to all our match officials in person after the encounter settled by Michael Smith's 20th and 21st goals of the season.

"It's not something that I want the lads and 99.9 per cent of our fans to be connected to," he said.

The boss revealed that the assistant referee thought he had been hit by a coin, although some Millers supporters claimed on social media that it was chewing gum.