A new boss, old shortcomings and a reminder of what the Millers used to be ... the story of Lincoln City 3 Rotherham United 0
LEE Clark sat by himself in the dugout contentedly taking in a few rays.
The spring sun was out, kick-off was still around 90 minutes away and Rotherham United's new boss was enjoying a few quiet moments alone.
The calm before the storm.
His first match at the helm in a long-odds nine-match survival mission had brought him to Lincolnshire. To take on the leaders, to take on opposition unbeaten in their previous 21 League One outings.
In the build-up to the clash, he had targeted 27 points from the remaining 27 available.
By half-time, that target had already been hastily revised to 24 from 24. The Geordie has only eight games, now, in which to pull off The Great Escape.
“We're conceding too many and not scoring enough,” he said, putting his finger on a problem with which Millers supporters are painfully well acquainted.
For 17 minutes, there was parity. Then Lincoln City scored, then they scored again, then they scored again, and all before the break.
Poor defending is one of many things to blight Rotherham's campaign and all three of Saturday's goals owed as much to visitor failings as home-side excellence.
“Yeah, I totally agree with that,” said Clark. “It been an ongoing issue, without me getting involved in what's gone before my arrival. The present and the future, that's all that matters.
“We'll be working with the defenders. We've got some young boys in the team, some of them are learning on the job. We have to make sure they get better.”
Clark's men gave as good as they got in the opening exchanges until Ryley Towler's neat pass played in Imps wide man Reeco Hackett whose low shot was straight at the goalkeeper and required only a routine save to keep it out. ‘No Cann do,’ said forlorn Ted as he let the ball squirm under him.
Seventeen minutes later, he was undone by a big Joe Rafferty deflection that saw Ben House's first-time touch on Hackett's supply find the net and Hackett completed the scoring close to the interval when the visitors failed to clear and he stroked a simple effort into the bottom corner.
At 0-0, the Millers had broken quickly, with Sam Nombe and Duncan Watmore racing clear of the opposition defence into inviting positions. Ar'Jany Martha's lazy, wasteful, outside-of-the-boot waft that found only City's keeper was one of a number of reasons why the Dutchman watched the second half from the bench.
“Yes, that was just something from a tactical point of view,” said Clark, a diplomat as much as a manager.
At 1-0, Watmore wanted a penalty - and beat the ground in frustration when it wasn't given - while Rafferty got his timing wrong at the back post when he should have turned in Reece James' deep cross.
That was the sum total of the visitors' threat and George Wickens, in the Lincoln net, didn't have a single save to make.
City were just the like Rotherham of old, the Rotherham of three promotions in this division in that six-year spell between 2016 and 2022.
The packed crowd was with the team before kick-off, with them throughout the contest, with them at the end. The players didn't rush, there was no panic, they all knew their roles, they trusted the process, they knew it would come. And, inevitably, it came.
It made you realise just how far the Millers have fallen.
Chairman Tony Stewart, who must yearn for a return to those heady, best days of his tenure, had seen enough and left early.
Clark took comfort from a second half in which the margin of defeat didn't become heavier.
“That's something you can cling to,” he said. “It means that the players have shown they've got that mentality and desire - because it is about desire.
“It's about enjoying defending, it's about enjoying blocking shots and blocking crosses, enjoying heading the ball away, enjoying defending set-plays. They should celebrate that as much as a striker scoring, because that means a lot.
“That's very important in the game, especially with what Lincoln do. They're fantastic on set-plays - corners, free-kicks and long throws. They cause you problems. We got caught out on one of the long throws in the first half (for the third goal).
“We've got to take as many positives as we can from every training session, every game, and things like that (a second-half clean sheet) will help us.”
For Lincoln, 21 without defeat became 22. For the Millers, a seventh loss in 10 left them six points adrift of safety - seven if you take goal difference into account.
Clark conducted the opening inquest of his reign on the touchline at the LNER Stadium and, outwardly, he was optimistic about staying up: “This game was always going to be a tough ask. We'll go again. Nothing has changed in my mindset. I'm really positive.” He may be the only one who is.
The sun had stayed strong all afternoon. Stronger than Rotherham. It continued to shine as the boss spoke.
But, figuratively, the clouds of relegation were gathering.
Lincoln (4-2-3-1): George Wickens; Tendayi Darikwa, Tom Hamer (Deji Elewere 88), Sonny Bradley, Ryley Towler; Ivan Varfolomeev (Tom Bayliss 84), Conor McGrandles; Reeco Hackett (Alfie Lloyd 84), Jack Moylan (Dom Jefferies 68), Ben House; Rob Street (Ryan One 68). Subs not used: Zach Jeacock, Erik Ring.
Rotherham (4-2-3-1): Ted Cann; Joe Rafferty, Lenny Agbaire, Zak Jules, Reece James (Lino Sousa 80); Liam Kelly (Brandon Cover, 80), Jamal Baptiste; Ar'Jany Martha (Gabriele Biancheri H-T), Josh Benson (Josh Ayres 65), Duncan Watmore (Dan Gore 65); Sam Nombe. Subs not used: Cameron Dawson, Jack Holmes.
Goals: Hackett 17, 45, House 34 (Lincoln)
Referee: Craig Hicks (Surrey)
Attendance: 10,071 (943)