DEFIANT boss Lee Clark refused to throw in the towel in the fight against relegation even though Rotherham United's latest defeat has left them staring the drop from League One in the face.

Tonight's 1-0 loss at bottom club Port Vale means the Millers are 11 points adrift of safety with only six matches remaining in which to salvage their season.

But their new manager, who has now been in charge for three matches, bristled at the suggestion that the survival battle is effectively over.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “There is still 18 points to play for.”

Lee Clark encourages his Rotherham United side at Port Vale. Picture: Jim Brailsford

placeholder image — Lee Clark encourages his Rotherham United side at Port Vale. Picture: Jim Brailsford

Rotherham were desperately poor in the opening period, during which they conceded in the sixth minute by spurning two opportunities to clear the danger, and then passed up on a number of openings when they rallied after the interval.

“What is certain is that we can't waste a half of football like we did in the first half,” Clark said. “We're not in a position to waste one minute, let alone a half.

“We gave away a really poor goal (a Ryan Croasdale shot) and didn't ask enough questions of their defenders. It was poor play in terms of us not being aggressive in the challenge and also then having the ball making the wrong decision on that.

“We did better at asking questions in the second half and missed good chances to score an equaliser. We have to cause chaos in the opposition penalty area and create more options.”

The match brought a second defeat for the boss who felt his side should have taken something from the contest.

“I'm looking at what work our goalkeeper's had to do,” he said. “He hasn't had to do a lot. He had the save in the second half (from Ben Garrity's header) when he tipped the ball over.”

Sam Nombe had a first-half shot saved. After the break, he couldn't convert two close-range headers while Liam Kelly also failed with a header and Harry Gray volleyed over.

“We sorted it at half-time,” Clark said. “You've seen the response in the second half. So, it's there. Individual players stepped up and had better second halves.”

The boss reserved special praise for one of his charges.

“I thought that Josh Benson was our standout player,” he said. “I thought he was outstanding in every aspect of the game - with the ball, without the ball, playing at a high tempo, the quality of his passing, his awareness. It was a great midfield performance.

“There were others who did well, but those types of things are unimportant when we're not getting the results.”