Questions, questions on a night of no answer ... the story of Leyton Orient 1 Rotherham United 0

Steve Evans is a self-confessed bad loser and wasn't handling defeat well.

This was supposed to have been an away win against struggling opposition and an indication that the Millers are capable of pushing toward the top six.

Instead, it was a second loss in four days and the end of the momentum built up by a previous League One streak of four unbeaten games.

Still red-faced from the heat of battle, hoarse from his vocal exertions, he stood by the away dugout at Leyton Orient in the gloom of an East London Tuesday night giving his version of events after seeing the Millers slip a spot in the table to 17th.

He didn't like how Cameron Humphreys had missed at one end and allowed the hosts to score at the other, he didn't like the club's injury issues, he didn't like the referee and the fact that no penalty was awarded when Zak Jules required treatment in the penalty area.

He didn't like a lot really. He certainly didn't like the media's line of enquiry.

“Too negative,” he spat.

The same term could be applied to the display by his team against opposition who had kicked off only a place above the drop zone and without a third-tier triumph on home soil all season.

Rotherham shaded a poor first half but were second best after the interval and 378 travelling fans were as forthright in their opinions at the final whistle as Evans was.

“Of course they're going to be frustrated,” he said. “We should be better. We know we should be better.”

The Millers were without their main striker, their main centre-half and lost another central defender just before kick-off when Jamie McCart's pulled calf ended his evening early.

Liam Kelly was feeling his way back into things after being out since early September.

“Listen, we're here without massive players,” Evans told a radio journalist. “Do you understand that?

“McCart goes down injured in the warm-up, we're here without Jonson Clarke-Harris, we're here without Shaun Raggett. Kelly's had his first game in six weeks. You need to stop being negative and look at it subjectively.

“We're on a bad run. You won't get overjoyed when we're winning, so don't get negative now.”

A Mallik Wilks' shot that was blocked was the closest the Millers came to scoring in the first half.

They enjoyed territorial dominance but were indebted to Cameron Dawson for the full-stretch save that kept out Ollie O'Neill's low, 20-yard curler on the stroke of the interval.

After the break, summer signing Jules, summoned from the bench to replace McCart and make his Rotherham league debut, went down in the box.

“He hasn't played for two and a half months apart from in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy,” Evans said. “He was outstanding for 50 minutes before he got tired.

“It's a clear penalty on him. But I'm not going to talk about the referee. I'll just put it in the report.”

On 54 minutes, Dawson was called into action again and his stop was just as good as his first one as he back-pedalled and tipped O'Neill's deflected long-range attempt over the bar.

Kelly departed, Cohen Bramall came on, the Millers switched to a 4-3-3 formation and Humphreys found himself all alone at the back post when Wilks dinked the ball to him.

The centre-half could do no better than nod the ball wide then, moments later, compounded his error by failing to track his man and leaving Dan Happe to head in a free-kick.

Happe Dan, unhappe Evans. “Awful,” the boss said.

Sam Nombe threw himself at a cross and just failed to connect in the only opening of real note as a scrappy, ugly encounter scrapped its way to a scrappy, ugly unsatisfactory conclusion.

“Cameron made a good save in the first half,” Evans said. “What else has he had to do apart from pick the ball out of the net?”

That second-half stop when the ball was deflected, he was reminded.

“Donald Duck could save it,” he retorted.

“Cameron is a top, top goalkeeper and so is Dillon (Phillips)," he added. “I have no issue in that department. In other departments we've got issues.

“But we're missing some big players. Tell Arsenal to turn up and take their four best players out. It would be a different result, wouldn't it?”

The manner of probing by the respected radio representative who'd been first up at the pitchside inquest had been firm but fair.

Evans hadn't appreciated the questions off the field. But, right now, tougher ones are being asked on it.

Goals: Happe 68 (Orient)

Referee: Alex Chilowicz (America)

Attendance: 6,314 (378)

Possession: Orient 51 per cent, Millers 49

Goal attempts: Orient 12, Millers 11

On target: Orient 5, Millers 2

Touches in opposition box: Orient 13, Millers 17

Corners: Orient 3, Millers 8

Fouls: Orient 12, Millers 14