A derby beating and relegation soon to be confirmed ... on-the-whistle report: Rotherham United 1 Barnsley 3

The League One Millers are now 13 points adrift of the safety mark with only five matches left to play and the drop could be confirmed as early as Tuesday when Lee Clark takes his side to Wigan Athletic.

The boos at New York this afternoon were as unsurprising as they were familiar as an abject campaign draws towards a close and supporters contemplate life in League Two next term for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign.

With the home side trailing by two goals just after the hour mark, the second half was a long, almost insufferable watch and fans left in their droves well before the final whistle.

They missed a stoppage-time penalty consolation from Sam Nombe – the first goal of the new boss’s reign.

Nombe normally does his best work at the top end of the pitch but he was the man who prevented Rotherham from going behind in the seventh minute.

Tom Bradshaw seemed certain to put the visitors in front from close range when Mael de Gevigney headed on Scott Banks' free-kick but the Millers striker was on the line to save his side.

The game meandered along with little action in either penalty area until Harry Gray wasn't far away with a 22nd-minute flicked header.

There were few spare seats in the South Stand where 2,000-plus Tykes supporters hoped to see their side keep a third-tier clean sheet for the first time since November.

Gabriele Biancheri should have snuffed out their optimism when he was set up by Gray's touch, only to blaze horribly off target with the net at his mercy.

Shortly afterwards, at the other end, Zak Jules dithered in possession by the right touchline and was relieved to see Adam Phillips fail to apply the right finish and goalkeeper Ted Cann to intervene when play was switched to the opposite flank.

Gray cut inside and saw his 32nd-minute shot pushed away by Owen Goodman as Rotherham enjoyed their most threatening spell of the contest.

However, the Millers fell behind when Tom Bradshaw got the better of Jules to give the visitors a three-on-one attack and this time Phillips buried his shot after being fed by Patrick Kelly.

Lenny Agbaire had recovered from a jarred knee and took his place in a side showing three changes to the starting 11 at Port Vale in midweek.

Loanee Biancheri came in for his first start as Duncan Watmore dropped to the bench and Dan Gore was back in the side after suspension, with Joe Rafferty being named among the substitutes.

Teenage midfielder Cohen Lee made his bow in the matchday 18 after impressing Clark in training and there was also a place for Jordan Hugill, fit again after a two-and-a-half-month spell on the sidelines with a knee issue.

For Barnsley, top scorer David McGoldrick was an absentee, presumably though injury.

Rotherham made two changes at the break, but it was the Tykes who began the second half much the better side and it required a sharp Cann save to deny Corey O'Keefe after Reece James hadn't been able to cut out the final pass.

Cann kept out a deflected Bradshaw shot but could do nothing in the 64th minute when the same player deftly applied a diving header to Jonathan Bland's cross from the right.

Worse was to follow ten minutes later when yet more poor defending allowed Bradshaw to scamper in and increase the deficit.

Sub Ar’Jany Martha spooned an effort over the bar as the clock ticked down on dismal proceedings in S60 and Barnsley thought they’d got that long-awaited clean sheet until Nombe struck from the spot.

The Millers, when they needed to stand up in the second period, offered too little fight.

And that, really, has been the sorry story of their campaign as a whole.

Rotherham (4-3-3): Ted Cann; Jamal Baptiste, Lenny Agbaire (Denzel Hall H-T), Zak Jules, Reece James; Liam Kelly (Duncan Watmore 58), Dan Gore, Josh Benson (Jordan Hugill 67); Gabriele Biancheri (Ar'Jany Martha H-T), Sam Nombe, Harry Gray. Subs not used: Ben Childs, Joe Rafferty, Cohen Lee.

Barnsley (4-4-1-1): Owen Goodman; Corey O'Keefe, Mael De Gevigney, Eoghan O'Connell, Josh Earl (Jack Shepherd 78); Adam Phillips (Tennai Watson 78), Jonathan Bland, Patrick Kelly (Marc Roberts 89), Vimal Yoganathan; Scott Banks (Reyes Cleary, 69); Tom Bradshaw (Leo Farrell 89). Subs not used: Kieran Flavell, Nathanael Ogbeta.

Goals: Phillips 37, Bradshaw 64, 74 (Barnsley); Nombe pen 90+5 (Rotherham)

Referee: Lee Swabey (Devon)

Attendance: 9,575 (2,225)