Player ratings and match stats from Bristol Rovers 2 Rotherham United 3

Millers (4-1-3-2)

Dillon Phillips: 5

Having a good season but will question himself over Bristol Rovers' opening goal when he was beaten too easily.

Shaun McWilliams: 7

A great shift from the man who was playing out of position and making his first appearance since a January injury. Did amazingly well to almost see out the game. One block in the second half on Ruel Sotiriou was as good as a goal.

Hakeem Odoffin: 7

Steady, solid. Decent in the air and on the ground.

Zak Jules: 7

Gave a similar performance to his centre-half partner and capped it with an excellent headed goal.

Reece James: 6

Nothing too eye-catching, but nothing bad either. Put the slips of the Barnsley game behind him.

Cameron Humphreys: 6

A quiet afternoon by Cam's standards. Kept things relatively simple. Did his job without excelling.

Pelly Mpanzu: 7

Did a lot of running, a lot of mopping up, a lot of gap filling. He also created Rotherham's first goal. An influence in both halves. Enjoying a good loan.

Mallik Wilks: 5

A player who blows hot and blows cold. More cold than hot at the Memorial Stadium.

Joe Powell: 8

The usual 100 per cent effort and that left foot of his was shining in the early-March sun. Played a part in two goals with perfect deliveries and was always asking questions of the home defence.

Jonson Clarke-Harris: 6

Playing against the club where his career really sparked into life. Much better than he'd been a week early in the South Yorkshire derby. Won headers, looked a bit more mobile and might have scored but for a couple of blocks.

Sam Nombe: 8

Doesn't always get the goals his all-round play deserves. Two here were a just reward for his efforts. Right time, right place for both of them. More tap-ins like this, please, Sam.

The subs

Josh Kayode (for Clarke-Harris 84): NA

Had a real impact. Almost created something when his willing running had goalkeeper Jed Ward in a real flap while that header that led to the winning goal was something to behold.

Louie Sibley (for McWilliams 90+2): NA

Introduced because cramp had finally got the better of McWilliams.

Jack Holmes (for Wilks 90+5): NA

No time to have an effect. Bringing him on killed a few seconds as the Millers protected their lead.

Not used: Cameron Dawson, Jake Hull, Jordan Hugill, Ben Hatton.

Bristol Rovers (4-2-3-1): Jed Ward 7; Jack Hunt 6, James Wilson 6, Sil Swinkels 6, Lino Sousa 6 (Promise Omochere 62, 6); Matt Butcher 6, Grant Ward 6 (Luke Thomas 62, 6); Scott Sinclair 5 (Taylor Moore 62, 6), Isaac Hutchinson 6, Ruel Sotiriou 7; Chris Martin 6. Subs not used: Myles Roberts, Joel Senior, Jamie Lindsay, Kofi Shaw.

Goals: Sotiriou 5, Swinkels 72 (Bristol Rovers); Nombe 36, 90+2, Jules 52 (Rotherham)

Referee: Edward Duckworth (Lancashire)

Attendance: 7,799 (400 approx)

Opposition view

“Tonight is going to be a long night. Tomorrow is going to be a difficult Sunday for us. It's not going to be easy to play the remaining games because there's going to be less and less left so the pressure is going to be bigger.

“That's why you have to be really strong. If you're weak, you will go down, it's as simple as that.

“At 2-2, I was thinking that I'm not really a friend of the draws. I prefer to always try to get the win. Obviously, after losing, I would have taken the point.

“I think we defended all right, but when you have to defend 25 times there's going to be two or three that you're going to miss because that's stats.

“Then they're going to have the chance to score. That was the corner for their second goal, that was the free-kick at the end for their third goal.

“If they make the decision to put the ball in the box, you have to deal with that. We have to do better, simple.

“The second half, I didn't like how we started. I didn't think it was good and their second goal was coming.”

– Rovers boss Inigo Calderon

The stats

Possession: Rovers 51 per cent, Millers 49

Goal attempts: Rovers 12, Millers 14

On target: Rovers 4, Milers 8

Touches in opposition box: Rovers 18, Millers 35

Corners: Rovers 6, Millers 8

Fouls: Rovers 8, Millers 7

Final word

The end of the 1,099-day wait for a 3pm Saturday away win. One of those ‘I was there’ days.