Opposition manager's praise for Rotherham United

The Middesbrough manager was disappointed to see his side fail to beat the Millers as the two teams fought out a 0-0 draw at the Riverside Stadium yesterday.

But he overcame his frustration to admit that the promoted visitors, who climbed into eighth spot and have lost only one of their opening nine matches at a higher level, are an oufit to be respected in the second tier.

"Rotherham are not in a false position," he said. "They are a hard-working side, possibly one of the last teams you'd want to play against. 

"It was a tough evening. We knew it would be."

The result left Boro, expected to be among the promotion contenders, in the drop zone going into the international break.

"It's an arm wrestle at the moment," Wilder said. "It's not free-flowing. It's a bit tough, but we've just got to dig in. The players' attitude was good and I didn't think it was a negative performance. It was an edgy performance."

"The sun is not always shining. It is not always an easy game. You take that split second longer, you don't play that first-time pass, you have an extra touch which slows the game down."

Rotherham boss Paul Warne, looking to keep his side in the division for the first time in his tenure, said: "We have got really good players and a little bit more Championship experience than in the past."