Dolly Parton and the New York Stadium of old ... the story of Rotherham United 2 Chesterfield 1

'9 to 5' was filling the air in tribute to the late, great Dolly Parton as the players walked out.

From 1 to 11, Rotherham United's players went on to put in a shift that brought memories of the great days at AESSEAL New York Stadium flooding back.

Well, it's not 1 to 11 these days, is it, but you get my drift.

This was the real Rotherham, the one we've so badly missed in recent seasons. The Queen of the Country was looking down as Kian Spence and co were kings of their own bouncing, bubbling realm.

The margin of League Two victory over Chesterfield was one goal. It could have been five such was the irresistibility of the home team's display.

"It was a roller coaster of emotions - a missed penalty, missed chances, tackles flying in, a really good watch," said boss Alex Bruce, barely scratching the surface of Saturday's events that led to a last-gasp first victory of his reign and the first in S60 for six months.

Denzel Hall raced 30 yards to put in an early thumping tackle, Spence went into a 50:50 and won it 100 per cent.

The tone was set, and opponents who reached the play-offs last term were blitzed. While the Spireites went sideways and backwards and sideways and backwards again, Rotherham just drove forward.

It was a fair old performance considering plenty of the new signings missed much of pre-season and are still getting up to speed.

"Some of them haven't played a lot, some of them haven't had a lot of training sessions," Bruce aid. "Some of those players out there today took three or four days to recover from the game last Saturday because it took that much out of them. For them to perform the way they did was really pleasing."

Dilan Markanday had shot wide for the visitors before Ewan Otoo played in Fabio Tavares who skipped away in the 12th minute to round the goalkeeper and gave the Millers the lead.

Meanwhile, Paul Mullin was watching and waiting on the bench ...

Tavares had a spring in his step from minute one to minute 81, when he went off to a standing ovation, and would have left with the match ball had he taken just a portion of his chances.

With half-time approaching, Tom Bradshaw was tripped, got up and, as captain, decided to take the penalty himself.

Sadly,  only real Boot in the scenario that unfolded was the surname of the visiting keeper because the striker certainly didn't put one to the ball. His effort was scuffed and so sickly that the Spireites shot-stopper almost had to wait for it to arrive before dropping to his right to make an easy save.

Rotherham sides of recent past would have wilted; this one didn't.

Spence was everywhere in midfield, Sonny Aljofree won everything at the back, Tavares continued to weave magic and wreak havoc up front. Best of all, regardless of individual excellence, this was the Millers playing as a team.

After the break, Tavares had even more sights of goal and should have killed the contest. The game still looked to be won, but then the otherwise faultless Aljofree felled Fraser Brydon in the 87th minute and Liam Mandeville levelled from the spot.

Crucially, Mullin was now on the pitch.

In the final few seconds of regulation time, the legend of the lower leagues took advantage of a slip by Jack Simpson and his 25-yard run and curved 18-yard shot into the bottom corner for his first goal in Millers colours were an object lesson in perfect finishing.

New York heaved and hollered again, and no-one could argue about the outcome. Actually, one person could. Chesterfield boss Paul Cook vented at the fourth official at the final whistle before offering his Rotherham counterpart a cursory handshake.

"The way we reacted to the late goal was just what I wanted to see," said Bruce. "To get the winner at the end made it a really pleasing day. I was pleased with large parts of the performance. I thought our defensive shape throughout the game was very good. We looked disciplined.

"Mulls made a difference and that's exactly why we signed him. Tom and him are two players who haven't had much pre-season. I've said to them both: 'I'll have to alternate you and manage your minutes.'

"The plan worked perfectly with Mulls coming on with half an hour to play.  I was just hoping he was going to get a chance. When he got it, he took it."

This was an important result, affirming the belief that real progress is being made, and pretty rapidly.

New York felt like the League One promotion era when players, supporters and the town used to go up to the Championship as one.

Bruce has built a lot in a short time.

"You're not singing anymore," the Chesterfield fans had chanted across to the pitch to the kop when the visitors' penalty went in.

Actually, the Millers fans were, thanks to that special Mullin strike. Maybe not as sweetly as Ms Parton, but certainly louder, and it sounded just as good.

At the end of the lunch-time kick-off, 9 to 5 was booming out around New York again. By ten to five, when the other fourth-tier teams had seen action, Rotherham were up to 13th spot.

The word, 'promotion', appears in the lyrics of that famous song, by the way.

Just saying.

Yeah, yeah, I know it's stupidly early and this was merely a small step on a long journey.

But just saying.

It was one of those occasions when it was okay to dream.

Even the ever-realistic Bruce got in on the act,  talking of the number of victories required to go up.

"I’ve just told the players I'm proud of them - the way they performed, the way they stuck together," he said. "There have been signs over the last couple of weeks that it's getting there, and I think that showed today.

"I'm proud of the group, I really am. We've signed so many players and some of them have been thrown in at the deep end. They've bought into everything we've tried to do.

"I've said to lads, it takes 23 wins, on average, to get out of his league. That's the first one ticked off. Hopefully there's a few more to come."

Pouring himself a cup of ambition, as Dolly might sing.