Inflatables, Cohen Lee and the last-day lap of appreciation ... the story of Rotherham United 1 Reading 1

Rotherham United were staging their final home match of the League One campaign and the followers of visitors Reading were determined to enjoy their last away day.

A colourful inflatables party was being thrown in AESSEAL New York Stadium's South Stand.

Unfortunately for those of a blue-and-white persuasion, it was the Millers who showed most of the bounce in the first half.

Lee Clark had called for a first New York victory of his short campaign and his players tried to deliver for their new boss.

“We created some terrific opportunities. We scored a great goal - a good pass from Dan and a great finish from Sam,” said the manager. “We could have had a couple more.”

Clark was right, it was a great goal. The Dan and Sam he was referring to were Mssrs Gore and Nombe who together conjured up a touch of magic after an initial ball forward from Dru Yearwood had set them up for their wizardry.

Gore - surely due to be named Rotherham's Player of the Year - picked out Nombe with a sweet pass and the club's top scorer did the rest, running in from the left and curling in a precision low shot for his 13th goal of the campaign.

And, so, an end-of-season encounter unfolded. The Millers did most of the pressing, although it required great reflexes from Ted Cann to throw out an arm and turn away Daniel Kyerewaa's close-range effort to keep them in front.

It wasn't a thriller between two teams with only pride to play for - the home team had already been relegated and the Royals had given up on their play-off bid - but it wasn't bad.

In the away dugout was former New York boss Leam Richardson who received a warmer reception from Millers fans than he did from his own.

“You're going down,” chanted the away end as the break approached, although it was hard to work out whether they were referring to their hosts' slide into League Two or one of their inflatables - a black-and-green Martian - that was now looking a little the worse for wear.

During the interval, scathing words were shouted in Reading's quarters. It was hard to tell through the muffling of the wall that separates the media suite from the opposition dressing room whether they were the dulcet Yorkshire tones of Richardson or whether the oral assault was coming from someone else. Whoever it was, he liked the ‘f’ word and went at it for a good ‘f’-ing while.

It worked. Only 89 seconds into the second half, the Royals were level. They pushed on, the Millers backed off and Kyerewaa this time gave Cann no chance as he swept the ball into the corner of the net. “Good goal,” said Richardson. “Bad goal,” said Clark, both swayed by different perspectives.

“Absolutely it was frustrating,” the Rotherham man continued. “It was a positive half-time team talk, but it was one of also making them aware that the Reading manager and coaching staff would be asking for more from their team, so they would come out strongly.

“We just didn't start right in all aspects of the game. For 15 minutes, in possession and out of possession, we had a really wobbly spell. But we came through that. We got fresh legs on as well.”

Those fresh legs included Cohen Lee, a 19-year-old academy kid who has just been handed a senior jersey and is rapidly becoming a bright spot in a dark year. Later, another teenager, James Clarke, also entered the fray.

“It's another game where the young players have gone on to the pitch and done themselves no harm,” Clark said. ”It's huge that they're getting game time. I'm a manager who likes to give young players an opportunity. That will happen while I'm the manager and it will happen on a regular basis. But only if they're good enough. I don't just give players the chance to play in a first team if they're not ready to do it.

“Those boys have shown me that they are. They've shown when they've been out on the pitch that they can do it.”

After Reading's burst of domination, it was the Millers turn to take the upper hand again. Lee, looking assured beyond his years in everything he did, sent in a cross that had danger written all over it and only the bar saved the Royals as Emmanuel Adegboyega arced a header above and beyond visiting goalkeeper Joel Pereiera.

Rotherham were the side most likely to score in the closing stages yet couldn't manage another breakthrough.

“We became aggressive in the second part of the second half and we probably created the better opportunities,” Clark said. “So, if anyone was going to win it, it was probably us. But you could see 1-1, possibly, as a fair result.”

“Don't worry about a thing,” posthumously sang Bob Marley after the final whistle as the stadium emptied following an under-stated lap of appreciation. The reggae great obviously doesn't share the same National League concerns about next season as many Millers followers do.

The lap was handled well - kept brief, with no fuss - and was received in good grace by those supporters still attending games after all the lows they have endured.

Their loyalty hadn't gone unnoticed by the man taking charge of his eighth match since his March appointment.

“That lap was important,” Clark said. “They're unbelievable fans. They've had to go through a lot. To see them clapping like that was a really humbling experience.

”I thank them. I'd just like to say that publicly. I was trying to tell them as I was clapping them. It must have been a really tough old season for them. They spent their hard-earned cash to come and support the club and watch the team home and away.

“For them to give the lads that type of send-off just tells you what they're about and what this club is about. It's exciting, because if you can give them a team they deserve, their backing will be amazing. I thank them from the bottom of my heart and hopefully there are some better times just around the corner for them.”

Meanwhile, as Saturday's end neared, the inflatables weren't being waved any longer. Most of them were consigned to the floor or were sitting motionless in their owners' laps.

Somehow it seemed apt on the last New York day of a campaign that no-one wants to see repeated.

A season where the air seeped out of the Millers a long, long time ago.

Rotherham (4-3-3): Ted Cann; Joe Rafferty, Emmanuel Adegboyega, Zak Jules, Jamal Baptiste; Denzel Hall ( Ar'Jany Martha 62), Dan Gore, Dru Yearwood (Cohen Lee 62); Jack Holmes (James Clarke 76), Sam Nombe. Subs not used: Ben Childs, Harrison Duncan, Gabriele Biancheri, Jordan Hugill.

Reading (5-4-1): Joel Pereira; Ryan Nyambe, Finley Burns, Paudie O'Connor, Jeriel Dorsett (Matt Ritchie 84), Haydon Roberts (89); Daniel Kyerewaa, Lewis Wing, Paddy Lane (Emmanuel Osho 81), Liam Fraser; Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan (Sean Patton 89). Subs not used: Tom Norcott, Michael Stickland, Luke Howard.

Goals: Nombe 25 Rotherham); Kyerewaa 47 (Reading)

Referee: James Brooks (Leicestershire)

Attendance: 8,029 (883)