Fallen heroes and a fool of a footballer ... the story of Swindon Town 2 Rotherham United 1

Social media lit up in universal condemnation.

Rotherham United were the visitors for Swindon Town's last home game before Remembrance Sunday, so this was a fixture that, before kick-off, paid tribute to lost heroes of yesteryear.

Shockingly soon after the honouring soldiers prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for each other, Jili Buyabu paid his disrespects to their courage and unity.

The Sheffield United loanee jumped at an opponent off the ball. He led with an elbow. He received a red card with just four minutes on the clock and acted as if he were the wounded party.

Pathetic.

There was no thought for the team he'd let down or the 400-plus band of travelling fans who' d paid a lot of money and made a four-hour-plus journey in the Millers' cause.

This was the absolute worst of a gifted 23-year-old who has yet to develop a temperament that matches his talent, and immediately there were trails of contempt on X and Facebook, much of it coming from followers of his own club.

"We felt that a good result today would have really started our season again," said Steve Agnew as he reflected on lost possibilities, a 2-1 defeat and an October that brought only two points.

The number two was addressing the media in Wiltshire on Saturday because boss Alex Bruce had also been sent off. So, too, had centre-half Dominic Iorfa, leaving Rotherham down to nine players for more than a quarter of an hour.

Everything that can go wrong is going wrong right now for Rotherham who have suspensions, injuries and a lowly League Two position of 22nd to concern them as they move into a crucial November.

The men who remained on the pitch responded well. So well, in fact, that supporters showed their regard at the end of a 2-1 defeat.

The Millers had held out until close to the interval, they'd fought back from 2-0 to score themselves late on and they'd come agonisingly close to a remarkable equaliser in stoppage time.

"The lads stuck at it," Agnew said. "We knew that in the second half, we would run out of 'legs' and energy, so we had to make changes. Towards the end of the game, there was real spirit.

"The supporters have travelled a long way. I think it was important that the players showed their appreciation by going over to them. There was a sense that the lads had left everything out there.

"The connection with players and supporters was evident to me today. We've not got the result we wanted. It's a case of sticking together.

"And, yes, it will turn for us."

The calendar said it was autumn but the message hadn't got through to the weather, with blue sky and temperatures up at T-shirt levels, at the County Ground.

As well as being a Remembrance occasion, it also happened to be Hallowe'en. The night for witches. Buyabu left his outnumbered teammates with double, double toil and a heap of trouble.

Rotherham got by on 26 per cent possession, standing their ground resolutely as the contest became an attack-versus-defence drill, and it took a cruel Iorfa deflection to beat goalkeeper Julian Eyestone as Jack Thomson tried his luck from distance on the stroke of half-time.

The Swindon scorer was the man who'd been poleaxed by Buyabu's childish malice as the pair chased towards a loose ball. The former inadvertently clipped the latter who then slowed and slightly changed his path to make sure he caught his adversary full in the face.

A long-range free-kick from the excellent Jayce Fitzgerald in the second half failed to bother Town keeper Connor Ripley, but at least it brought a first effort on goal for the Millers.

As the clock ticked down, Iorfa stuck out a leg to halt a Swindon attack. There was no venom in it, but he was the final defender and he had to go.

Bruce lashed out in frustration and went with him, gone from the touchline as Millers old boy Joe Hungbo quietly moved the ball significantly forward from where the trip took place and buried a beautiful 22-yard free-kick.

"Listen, the emotions run high," said Agnew. "I think he kicked a bottle and, apparently, that is something that's not permitted. Sticking together, that's basically the message. We've come in and built a squad, and we have had so many 'hits'. I've never, as a coach, been through scenarios week after week where everything seems to go against you."

Fitzgerald hoisted a set-play long and high, Ripley spilled it, Denzel Hall was lurking and, with three minutes of the regulation 90 remaining, nine-man Rotherham were suddenly believing in an almighty comeback.

In stoppage time, the ball landed at the feet of Aljofree in front of the Swindon goal and the Millers defender fell to the ground, holding his head in his hands, as his low shot slipped an inch the wrong side of a post.

It had been a 'sitter' and, sadly, the substitute had been unable to turn a sunny day into a Sonny day.

"What a terrific point that would have been in the end," rued Agnew whose next destination was referee Isaac Searle's room to question the official about Iorfa's dismissal and Hungbo's strike. "From where the boy takes the free-kick, the foul is eight yards further back. Does he score from the free-kick if it's 30 yards from goal?"

I thought back to just before 3pm: uniforms, ramrod-straight backs, polished boots, salutes, a bugler, the Last Post and silence,

It was solemn, sober, thoughtful, reverent. Everything Rotherham's number 24 has yet to become.

How galling that a Remembrance match will be remembered mainly for him.

Swindon (4-3-3): Connor Ripley; Mitchell Clark, James Ball (Joe Hungbo 42), Stephan Negru, Billy Kirkman; Matty Virtue, Jack Thomson, Daniel Butler (Joel McGregor 75); Tom Nichols (Ollie Palmer 60), Aaron Drinan, Joe Snowdon (James Debayo 75). Subs not used: Lewis War, Kaelan Majekodunmi, Louis Millard.

Rotherham United (4-3-3): Julian Eyestone; Joe Rafferty (Brandon Williams 55), Denzel Hall, Dominic Iorfa, Kieran Ngwenya; Brandon Cover (Sonny Aljofree 55), Jayce Fitzgerald, Josh Austerfield ( Klaidi Lolos 75); Aaron Nemane (George Sebine 55), Paul Mullin (Tom Bradshaw 75), Jili Buyabu. Subs not used: Ted Cann, Lenny Agbaire.

Goals: Thomson 45+3, Hungbo 81 (Swindon)

Referee: Isaac Searle (Kent)

Attendance: 7,515 (406)