Sam Nombe's sneakiness, Steve Evans' wait and Josh Kayode's jump ... the story of Bristol Rovers 2 Rotherham United 3

It was a show of supreme opportunism from Rotherham United's in-form attacker.

No, no, no, we're not talking about the stoppage-time goal that had brought a long, long, unwanted record to an end and sent a 400-strong away following into raptures.

This was the seven-figure signing sneaking in front of his manager just after the final whistle to get his celebration in first with those delirious fans.

Steve Evans had been about to launch his choreography of the after-match party in a corner of the Memorial Stadium but the boss's fist pumps would have to wait.

Chants of “Nombe, Nombe, Nombe”, to the tune of a famous Cranberries song, hung in the warm early-spring air at the home of vanquished Bristol Rovers.

It had been 35 matches since a Millers side had triumphed in a 3pm Saturday fixture on their travels, a sequence stretching across two divisions and more than three years.

For a while, game number 36 appeared to be coming up. Evans' men started slowly, Bristol led early through Ruel Sotiriou and an expectant Rovers crowd anticipated a fourth win in the last five home games.

Then something stirred. Rotherham suddenly remembered what a good side they'd been in January, forgot that they hadn't won a game through February and began March in a marvellous way.

Pelly Mpanzu crossed before the break and Nombe bagged the first of his brace, Joe Powell delivered after the interval and Zak Jules timed his run and header to perfection.

While all this was going on, Mallik Wilks and Nombe were spurning openings, Nombe was seeing a shot saved, Powell was hitting a post from a corner and Jonson Clarke-Harris was twice being denied as the Millers ran, competed and ran some more.

“It's a sloppy goal that lets Bristol Rovers go in front," Evans said of the Sotiriou/Chris Martin one-two combination that had opened up the Millers rearguard.

“We could have defended that better all over. I think, from thereon in, a lot of the game was ours. We were the far better side.

“We deservedly equalised, we deservedly went in front. When Bristol Rovers equalised, it was poor defending from us. But I looked back at three or four great opportunities we'd had. We could have been 4-1 up by then.”

The home team raised their game, the home supporters raised their volume and the 72nd minute brought a leveller as Luke Thomas's cross found the unmarked Sil Swinkels who headed in.

Anyone's game then. Actually, just Rotherham's.

They moved Nombe and Wilks out wide and brought on frontman Josh Kayode whose pace and height immediately began to trouble the opposition defence.

Hi Ho Silver Lining had pumped out before kick-off for the home side. Now, hi ho, in the second minute of six extra ones came the visitors' piece of gold.

Powell floated in a free-kick and Kayode leapt so high that he was probably still in the air as goalkeeper Jed Ward made the initial parry on a powerful downward header and Nombe gleefully turned the ball over the line from a range somewhere between a centimetre and an inch.

Said Evans: “Bristol Rovers get back into the game and you think: ‘Right, have we got that little bit of quality to put the right ball into the area for big ‘JJ’ – who's come back from being on loan and really impressed us with his attitude – to do something?’”

Kayode, the forgotten man, had become central to one of the most memorable results of recent times.

The scenes in the technical area as the ball nestled in the net were a match for the explosion of joy in the away end.

Embraces were everywhere. Evans hugged number two Paul Raynor who hugged coach Gary Mills who hugged goalkeeper Ian Pledger who hugged fitness coach Joe Skarz who ran out of coaches to hug and hugged himself.

Who doesn't love a last-gasp winner, particularly when it closes a chapter on a sorry story stretching back to February 26 2022 when Paul Warne was still in charge and Michael Smith did the business at Plymouth Argyle?

Victory eased fears of the Millers flirting with a relegation fight, moving them up a place in League One to 14th, three points shy of the top half and eight clear of the drop zone.

“Nombe, Nombe, Nombe.” Evans smiled and waited his turn.

At the end, the boss didn't mind taking second billing to his striker because, in the end, only the stats mattered …

Three goals, three points, three managerial fist pumps, 1,099 days.

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

Rotherham (4-1-3-2): Dillon Phillips; Shaun McWilliams (Louie Sibley 90+2), Hakeem Odoffin, Zak Jules, Reece James; Cameron Humphreys; Pelly Mpanzu, Mallik Wilks (Jack Holmes 90+5), Joe Powell; Jonson Clarke-Harris (Josh Kayode 84), Sam Nombe. Subs not used: Cameron Dawson, Jake Hull, Jordan Hugill, Ben Hatton.

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

Referee: Edward Duckworth (Lancashire)

Attendance: 7,799 (400 approx)