Familiar soundtrack on another bad night ... on-the-whistle report: Barnsley 2 Rotherham United 0

The Millers were soundly beaten by South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley and mustered only a single effort on target in front of a 3,000-strong away following.

Not for the first time in a League One campaign that isn't living up to expectations, supporters weren't slow to voice their displeasure.

Manager Steve Evans, as well as the players, was a target for their ire as he headed down the tunnel, which runs right alongside the visitors' section, after the final whistle.

Rotherham made a bright start and a wall of noise was coming from the travelling faithful.

Young attacker Ciaran McGuckin, making his first-ever league start, was showing up well as the visitors threatened without creating clear-cut chances.

The visitors were looking sharper and more committed than they had in their FA Cup exit at the hands of League Two Cheltenham Town six days earlier.

However, Barnsley worked their way into the game and began to take control of proceedings.

Both sides had had good efforts blocked - Joe Rafferty for Rotherham and Davis Keillor-Dunn for the Tykes - but Cameron Dawson was the first goalkeeper to be called into action, scrambling away Joe Watter's 25th-minute shot.

At the other end Jordan Hugill couldn't make the most of Sam Nombe's cross and soon afterwards Rotherham found themselves behind as Jon Russell saw his header parried by Dawson and followed up to fire in the contest's opening goal.

The early Millers optimism had evaporated and smatterings of boos were breaking out as set-piece deliveries failed to find their target and the visitors played backwards too often for supporters' liking.

Watching from the directors' box, not far away from chairman Tony Stewart, was assistant boss Paul Raynor, serving the first game of a two-match touchline ban.

It needed a fine save from Dawson, who kept out Keillor-Dunn's header on the stroke of half-time, to prevent Rotherham falling further behind and the levels of terrace frustration grew louder as the teams trooped off.

Evans had put his trust in McGuckin in the injury absences of Jonson Clarke-Harris and Mallik Wilks while centre-half Sean Raggett was finally back in the side after bone bruising to his knee.

The return of the latter saw Cameron Humphreys lose his ever-present record in the third tier this season as he dropped to the bench.

Liam Kelly started in midfield after honing his fitness in a midweek reserves outing and that meant that Christ Tiehi had to settle for a place among the substitutes.

The early stages of the second half brought no improvement from Rotherham and Hugill left the field to sarcastic cheers from his own fans when he was taken off.

The Millers were relieved to see Corey O'Keeffe's effort from a corner come back off the woodwork.

On 71 minutes, substitute Jack Holmes' shot was kept out by Ben Killip's save as Evans' men finally mounted some pressure.

It failed to come to anything and Adam Phillips was a whisker away from making it 2-0 with a shot that Dawson diverted wide before Steven Humphrys struck late on to put the seal on the visitors’ misery.

Barnsley’s win was only their second league triumph on their own soil since February.

The Millers haven’t won at Oakwell in more than 50 years. They never looked remotely like ending that record on a torrid, dispiriting night.

Rotherham (4-3-3): Cameron Dawson; Joe Rafferty, Sean Raggett, Zak Jules, Reece James; Hakeem Odoffin, Liam Kelly, Joe Powell (Christ Tiehi 52); Sam Nombe, Jordan Hugill (Jack Holmes 61), Ciaran McGuckin (Joe Hungbo H-T). Subs not used: Dillon Phillips, Cameron Humphreys, Cohen Bramall, Alex MacDonald.

Barnsley (3-5-2): Ben Killip; Mael de Gevigney, Marc Roberts, Josh Earl; Corey O'Keeffe, Adam Phillips, Jon Russell, Luca Connell (Matthew Craig 90+1), Georgie Gent; Max Watters (Stephen Humphrys 74), Davis Keillor-Dunn. Subs not used: Jackson Smith, Donovan Pines, Fabio Jalo, Kyran Lofthouse, Kelechi Nwakali.

Goals: Russell 32, Humphrys 86 (Barnsley).

Referee: Thomas Kirk (Yorkshire).

Attendance: 14,731 (3,077).