Match off! Weather comes to Rotherham United's rescue in Championship survival clash with Cardiff City

The heavens suddenly opened at half-time and the pitch was under water by the time the teams emerged for the restart.

Only two minutes of the second period had been played when referee Oliver Langford led the players back to the dressing rooms.

Millers grounds staff worked to brush away as much water as they could but there was little they could do to make the surface better.

Following a 4.45pm pitch inspection involving the ref and opposition managers Matt Taylor and Sabri Lamouchi the contest was called off more than 50 minutes after the deluge.

Rotherham had been playing poorly and were trailing 1-0 so the postponement suited them far more than their survival rivals from South Wales.

Home fans cheered the verdict on a day their side had been second best in a crucial clash involving two teams next to each other in the table.

The Millers got off to a terrible start, finding themselves behind after just five minutes. Mahlon Romeo crossed from the right to the back post, Callum O'Dowda headed back across goal and Jaden Philogene coolly tapped in from close range.

That meant Taylor's men already had it all to do as only once this season had they come back from conceding the first goal to take something from a game.

They pressed forward, winning corners but not creating real sights of goal, while the visitors were a threat on the break, mainly through Philogene who had bagged the winner in South Wales when the two sides met in late October.

The home crowd were quiet and all the noise was coming from the away end housing supporters not used to seeing their team be in front on their travels.

In a game of such huge consequence, the nerves were showing for Rotherham  who were lacking composure at the back and not faring well anywhere else on the pitch as passes went astray.

Perry Ng rattled the bar with a free-kick for the Bluebirds as half-time approached and Millers manager Matt Taylor brought on Jamie Lindsay for Shane Ferguson in a bid to stiffen his team.

Viktor Johansson, in his last match before reporting for international duty for the first time with Sweden, came to Rotherham's rescue in the dying seconds of the half, saving from clean-through Sheyi Ojo who had been found by Sory Kaba's pass following a slip by Bailey Wright.

There was a as much unease in the stands as there was on the pitch and there was a smattering of boos as the half-time whistle blew.

Centre-half Wright had made a quickfire return to the starting line-up only a fortnight after suffering calf in the win over Queens Park Rangers and there was a first start for free-agent signing Tyler Blackett at the back following two substitute outings.

Wes Harding and Leo Hjelde dropped to the bench to make way for them and striker Georgie Kelly had recovered sufficiently from a calf issue to also be named among the substitutes.

The rain then lashed down, meaning the teams will do battle again at a date in April yet to be decided.

Results elsewhere saw the gap between 20th-placed Rotherham and the drop zone reduce from five points to four.

But now, obviously, they have a game in hand.

Rotherham United (4-3-3): Viktor Johansson; Lee Peltier (Peter Kioso H-T), Bailey Wright, Cameron Humphreys, Tyler Blackett; Hakeem Odoffin (Georgie Kelly H-T), Conor Coventry, Tariqe Fosu; Chiedozie Ogbene, Jordan Hugill, Shane Ferguson (Jamie Lindsay 44). Subs not used: Josh Vickers, Wes Harding, Leo Hjelde, Conor Washington.

Cardiff (3-4-2-1): Ryan Allsop; Perry Ng, Cedric Kipre, Mark McGuinness; Mahlon Romeo, Romaine Sawyers, Ryan Wintle, Callum O'Dowda; Jaden Philogene, Kion Etete (Sheyi Ojo 44); Sory Kaba. Subs not used: Rohan Luthra, Joe Ralls, Tom Sang, Rubin Colwill, Connor Wickham, Andy Rinomhota.

Goals: Philogene 5 (Cardiff).

Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands).