The snow, the Barlaser blow, the brilliant first half and why only the title will satisfy the Millers ... the story of Coventry City 1 Rotherham United 1

Songs were being played in Coventry City's inner sanctum after a titanic battle between League One's top two sides.

In Rotherham's there was nothing, until the murmur of Paul Warne's voice as the manager took his players to task over their second-half performance.

The table-topping Millers have the mindset of title-winners. They want the League One crown. Second spot isn't enough. Drawing against the team in second spot wasn't enough.

Warne was demanding more.

"I do not think our key players had really good games and that is what disappointed me," he said. "If we'd been at our best, we would have won and it would have been a really good win.

"I went around the dressing room and gave them some home-truths."

In the snow and sleet at St Andrew's, two good sides had collided. Neither had conquered, neither had collapsed in a compelling contest worthy of the division's two leading teams.

Rotherham pinned back the Sky Blues before the break on Tuesday night with a thrilling blend of pressing, pace and passion and led through Freddie Ladapo's 16th goal of the season.

The home side hit back, Matt Godden equalising two minutes after the interval, and had the visitors hanging on in the second half.

Coventry, behind only on goal difference, are the best side Rotherham have played this season and the Millers are the best City have faced.

Rotherham have the third tier's best away record and have lost just once in their last 14 league outings while the Sky Blues have yet to taste defeat in 2020.

"Mixed feelings is probably the best way to put it," said perfectionist Warne. "In the first half, we were excellent. We were in the ascendancy, moved the ball quite quickly and caused a lot of two-v-ones out wide, which was our game-plan.

We came here playing 4-4-2 and Mark (City boss Robins) changed his system, which was a compliment to our team. I don't think they contained us in the first half. We took the lead and could have scored another.

"We stopped them playing out from the back, which not many teams have done. We said to the lads at half-time, we had done nothing yet and need another 45 minutes of a similar intensity.

"I thought we were frustrating them so to concede that goal from a quick free-kick and a cross in was hugely disappointing. I thought, in the end, Coventry thoroughly deserved a draw and they were better than us in the second half."

The boss was being as tough on his players as they had been on the opposition in those opening 45 minutes of superiority.

Rotherham have accumulated 33 points on their  travels - already  two more than in the whole of their promotion campaign two years ago - and this one was the hardest-earned of them all.

THE MATCH

The wintry weather had abated when the Millers were caught cold.

Only two minutes of the second period had elapsed when a quickly-taken free-kick set up Fankaty Dabo to deliver the ball to Godden and a deft header from the former Millers transfer target's did the rest.

Rotherham had taken a 23rd-minute lead when Ladapo, as he so often does, found himself in the right place at the right time a yard from the net after Matt Crooks' presence had helped Marko Marosi spill Dan Barlaser's corner.

After three goals in four substitute appearances, the club's top marksman was back in the starting line-up and Warne said: "I don't like changing a winning team if I can help it but sometimes you just get a gut feeling and Freddie keeps scoring."

Ladapo had seen a snap-shot saved before his opener and, following the breakthrough, only a spectacular flying stop from Marosi denied him a second as a quickfire turn made a mockery of Coventry's marking and an 18-yard drive was heading into the top corner.

Then came the Godden squad. Matt did his stuff and Coventry - renting a home from Birmingham City because of a dispute over their own Richo Arena - set about Rotherham.

The Millers were on the back foot but didn't break.

Godden's stoppage-time header went a whisker wide, leaving Warne to turn up the volume on his discontent.

"I could hear Coventry's dressing room because the music was going and everything," he said. "It wasn't like that in ours.

"The lads are disappointed. I think they feel they can play much better than that. As coaches, we are performance-drivers. Results look after themselves. Our performance in the second half wasn't enough to win a football game.

"A few of the lads just weren't at their best. They know that. That has to go down to Coventry as well. They're not joint top because they're mugs. They're a really good team. Maybe us drawing was down to the fact the opposition were so strong."

Rotherham didn't lose the game but they did lose Barlaser as the key midfielder and the man behind all of their set-pieces, was stretchered off with an ankle injury in the second half.

The 22-year-old was texting his mum after the match to say he was okay but a Wednesday scan was due to deliver the verdict, with 11 games left, on how much of the final push he will miss.

A stretcher is required for Dan Barlaser

"Dan going off didn't help as our set-pieces after that were mediocre, which is the nicest way to put it," Warne said. "That was a big threat taken off us.

"I don't remember us having a chance in the second half and that is my disappointment. We did not have enough to get a second goal in the second half.

Suddenly, as the sleet returned, there was a shaft of sunlight.

"I am still really pleased with the lads," Warne said. "They have been ace. They have lost one in about I don't know how many. It is good that they are disappointed that they haven't won here.

"Coventry are our closest rivals and we have come here and tried to win. We haven't won and have drawn and are gutted."

THE TENSION

The game really mattered. You could feel it in how every ball was contested, every throw-in marked and every extra yard run. Both teams gave everything and gave away nothing.

Winning wasn't essential. But not losing was vital.

"I have got a lot of time for Robbo," said Warne of his Coventry counterpart and one-time Millers roommate. "When the 'nine minutes' sign went up for stoppage time, both benches went: 'Oh dear.'

"If you'd asked us before, would we have taken a point, we would have, no doubt. But both teams didn't play like they wanted to take a point, they wanted to win the game.

"In the last three mins, it was like knocking a sand-timer and tapping the top hoping the sand goes through quicker. I think both benches were happy with a point and to move on to Saturday."

The manager made no attempt to hide Rotherham's title intent.

"I just want to win," he said. "I want to win every game. We didn't change the system. We went for it. Robbo changed his system for us.

"I told the lads to go out and play like champions. I don't want to go up in the play-offs, I don't want to go up in second, I want us to go up as champions if we can.

"Champions come here and don't lose. We didn't lose but it feels, for me, like one that has got away."

No music in the dressing room, but a boss making all the right noises.

Coventry (3-4-1-2): Mark Marosi; Michael Rose, Kyle McFadzean, Dom Hyam; Fankaty Dabo, Liam Kelly, Liam Walsh, Sam McCallum (Ryan Giles 87); Callum O'Hare; Max Biamou (Amadou Bakayoko 63), Matt Godden. Subs not used: Ben Wilson, Jamie Allen, Josh Pask, Zain Westbrooke, Jordan Shipley.

Rotherham (4-4-2): Daniel Iversen; Matt Olosunde, Michael Ihiekwe, Richard Wood, Joe Mattock; Chiedozie Ogbene, Matt Crooks (Jamie Lindsay 87), Dan Barlaser (Shaun MacDonald 70), Ben Wiles (Hakeeb Adelakun 62); Freddie Ladapo, Michael Smith. Subs not used: Lewis Price, Adam Thompson, Josh Koroma, Kyle Vassell.

Goals: Ladapo 23 (Rotherham); Godden 47 (Coventry).

Referee: Chris Pollard (Suffolk).

Attendance: 8,990 (1,113).