Jili Buyabu madness costs nine-man Millers dear ... on-the-whistle report: Swindon Town 2 Rotherham United 1
Their hopes of a result were virtually over after just four minutes
Jili Buyabu's Hallowe'en horror show left Rotherham United facing an impossible task in a League Two game of three red cards this afternoon.
A lunch-time result elsewhere had left the Millers in a relegation spot as they kicked off against 15th-placed Swindon Town at the County Ground, and their hopes of a result were virtually over after just four minutes when a moment of madness saw them reduced to 10 men.
The left-sided attacker was chasing a loose ball with Jack Thomson and turned and jumped into the Town man with his elbow raised.
Later in the match, the visitors also saw Dominic Iorfa sent off for a foul when he was the last defender and boss Alex Bruce depart proceeding at the behest of the referee.
Rotherham defended with total commitment, but it was only a matter of time before they were breached. They ended the contest in 22nd spot - because the Colchester United scoreline went in their favour - and without a win throughout October.
Denzel Hall's 87th-minute response was too little too late.
It was a sunny day in Wiltshire, but the outlook was extremely bleak for the depleted Millers following that crazy Buyabu incident.
The game quickly turned into an attack-v-defence affair, and it wasn't the visitors doing the attacking as they reshuffled from 4-3-3 into a 4-4-1 formation.
Stephan Negru headed a corner over the bar for the home side and Julian Eyestone got down sharply to keep out a Matty Virtue shot.
Rotherham, for whom captain Joe Rafferty was making his 500th career appearance, were defending resolutely and it took until the half-hour mark for Swindon to have another real sight of goal when Mitchell Clark's back-post header from a cross went wide.
In the away end of the ground with 400-pus other travelling fans was Carl Nixon, taking in his first-ever match as a Millers supporter after flying in from Las Vegas.
He will have appreciated the reflexes of fellow American Eyestone who pulled off an important save from Joe Snowdon's low drive as the first half moved into stoppage time.
The goalkeeper was powerless soon afterwards, however, when a deflection took Thomson's 25-yarder away from him to put the Millers behind.
By this point, Town had sacrificed a centre-half for a winger as they went for the kill.
Rotherham had made just one change to the side that had come from behind to draw with Shrewsbury Town last weekend. Midfielder Kian Spence was sent off in that match and is now serving a three-match suspension, which brought a recall to the starting 11 for Brandon Cover.
Striker George Sebine and centre-back Lenny Agbaire were on the bench after lengthy injury absences while Millers old boy Joe Hungbo - the wide man brought on before the break - had been among the Swindon substitutes.
Five minutes after the restart, Bruce's men had their first effort on goal when Jayce Fitzgerald's 30-yard free-kick gave Connor Ripley an easy save.
They weren't giving up, but they were showing no real sign of somehow forcing their way back into the encounter.
As the clock ticked down, Swindon probed and probed, Iorfa walked for a challenge on Virtue, Bruce was punished after kicking an object away on the touchline and Hungbo scored with a superb free-kick.
Amazingly, Rotherham responded and Hall's first goal of the season reduced the arrears in the 87th before Sonny Aljofree was only an inch wide when an equaliser was there for the taking.
There was to be no miracle comeback, but the Millers men on the pitch from the fourth minute onwards could be proud of their efforts in adversity.
It was the one who let them down so early on who needs to take a long, hard look at himself.
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)