Angst, Ainsworth and the end of the dream ... the story of Rotherham United 1 Shrewsbury Town 2

Rotherham United's Joe Powell feels the frustration against Shrewsbury Town. Picture: Jim Brailsford

IT was the noise AESSEAL New York Stadium hoped it had forgotten.

The boos were back.

The new year had brought new optimism to Rotherham United with a flurry of good performances and points.

But now it was three losses in the Millers' last four League One outings, a rat-a-tat-tat of defeats that has surely pushed the top six beyond reach.

Shrewsbury Town were in S60. The gang of Gareth Ainsworth, the same Ainsworth who previously sanctioned atrocities against football on a match-by-match basis in the name of success with Wycombe Wanderers.

“It's a tough one to take,” home manager Steve Evans said. “We knew how the game was going to pan out.

“I've seen some of Shrewsbury's performances where there is no tempo to the game. Everything takes five minutes – throw-ins, goal-kicks, set-plays – and they just play on the counter. They've got two goals from that today.”

Saturday's contest at New York was never going to be a classic. Away fans queried the quality of Rotherham as a place to live and sang ‘I want to go home’. Didn't we all in that opening 45 minutes.

Jordan Hugill makes his presence felt for Rotherham United in the second half against Shrewsbury Town. Picture: Jim Brailsford

Here's a compilation of the first-half highlights.

Okay, on to the second half …

Jordan Hugill emerged from the shadows of the bench at the interval and the Millers. deprived of six players by injury, were immediately better.

No longer was the ball going forward and then going nowhere. The striker was a focal point and someone his teammates could play off.

"It's the best Jordan's been in a while," said Evans of a player without a league start since early November.

Ironic, then, that it should be the visitors who took the lead.

There didn't seem much danger out on Rotherham's right flank near the halfway line when Hakeem Odoffin went out to deal with John Marquis, but suddenly the Millers defender was stumbling to the deck and the Shrewsbury man was running in on goal.

Dillon Phillips foiled him, Taylor Perry got a touch lucky with the parry and a looping 67th-minute shinned effort finished up in the far corner of the net.

Hugill was having an effect. He won headers, he unsettled the Shrews backline, he sparked shouts – none louder than his manager's – for a penalty when he drove into the area and a blue-and-yellow hand was maybe or maybe not involved.

An equaliser looked to be his when he emphatically met Joe Powell's cross with his forehead only for former Millers loanee Jamal Blackman to pull off one of the saves of the season.

The leveller came not long afterwards when Odoffin, as he so often is, was in the right place at the right time to head home Powell's 77th-minute delivery but the relief would last for only a matter of seconds.

“We get the goal,” Evans said. “We're thinking: ‘Here we go, Shrewsbury will have to ride their luck to survive this.’ Within a minute, we gave them a shocking winner with shocking, bad defending.”

A failed bid to spring the offside trap led to Perry speeding down the left wing and crossing low for Marquis to be clinical from close range.

Evans was right: shocking, bad.

Shrewsbury reverted to Ainsworth type. Injuries were feigned, walks to the touchline lasted forever. Liberties were taken, restarts weren't. It wasn't quite Wycombe-ball but it was in the same postcode.

Rotherham pushed and pressed to no avail and a stoppage-time moment when Sam Nombe got his feet in a tangle when the goal opened up was the closest they came to salvaging a draw.

“We huffed and we puffed and did everything bar score,” Evans said. “I can't fault the effort and determination to get back into the game and to win the game. The boys gave everything for the cause, but it wasn't to be.

“Gareth just said to me at full-time: ‘I think we've got away with that one.’ He knows they have.

“Horrific defending is the difference between a good result and a bad one.”

Drop-zone Shrewsbury, who are showing signs of reviving, haven't lost on Rotherham soil since 2007, a run stretching to nine games. Following last weekend's victory over Mansfield Town, this was the first time they'd achieved back-to-back wins in two years.

Their achievement left Rotherham in 15th place, 10 points away from a play-off spot.

Evans claimed he still believed in a push for the upper reaches of the table – as manager, he had to, really – but he's in a minority of one.

The Millers have too much about them to go down and not enough about them to go much higher. Essentially, the loss ended their season with 17 games still to play.

And, thus, that old familiar soundtrack of November and December returned to greet the final whistle.

Rotherham (4-1-3-2): Dillon Phillips; Joe Rafferty, Hakeem Odoffin, Zak Jukes, Reece James; Cameron Humphreys; Pelly Mpanzu, Louie Sibley (Jack Holmes 63), Joe Powell; Sam Nombe, Andre Green (Jordan Hugill H-T). Subs not used: Cameron Dawson, Sean Raggett, Liam Kelly, Ben Hatton.

Shrewsbury (3-5-2): Jamal Blackman; Morgan Feeney, Josh Feeney, Aaron Pierre; Luca Hoole, Alex Gilliead (Harrison Biggins 72), Dom Gape, Taylor Perry (Funso Ojo 87), Mal Benning; John Marquis, George Lloyd (Vadaine Oliver 79). Subs not used: Toby Savin, George Nurse, Calllum Stewart, Jordan Shipley.

Goals: Odoffin 77 (Rotherham); Perry 68, Marquis 78 (Shrewsbury)

Referee: Dale Baines (Merseyside)

Attendance: 8,820 (663)