Steve Evans' reaction as he comes up against old team Rotherham United with Bristol Rovers

Former Rotherham United boss Steve Evans was adamant his team deserved to win as he came up against his former club for the first time since leaving AESSEAL New York Stadium nearly a year and a half ago.

His table-topping Bristol Rovers side beat the Millers 1-0 in the League Two clash at the Memorial Ground last Saturday, and he used the word, "dominant", to describe his team's display as they took a 1-0 lead before half-time and later stood up to a spell of stoppage-time pressure to see out the game.

It was a 10th successive home victory for Rovers whom the Scot helped to avoid relegation last season after joining them in December when they were struggling.

"The three points were hard-earned," he said. "The Millers have strengthened significantly with different players. But I think we dominated the game and possession, and probably shots and attacking areas, for long, long spells.

"We're 1-0 up and the disappointing thing at half-time is that we've not scored a second because we'd made a couple of good chances to go 2-0 up.

"I think if it goes 2-0, we beat them well. Second half, I think it's more on the balance. They're not making any chances, but they're having a bit of play. We didn't take advantage of two or three good chances."

Rovers went in front just after the half-hour mark when they broke through Rotherham's backline and were helped by an error from Ted Cann. The goalkeeper pushed a Bobby Kamwa shot into the path of Tommy Leigh who then found the net.

"First half, I think we were very dominant," Evans said. "We didn't take advantage of good situations we got ourselves in apart from the goal. Tommy plays a good ball to Bobby, the keeper spills it and Tommy follows it up."

The Rovers boss claimed that the revamp of his squad in the south west is even bigger than the one that head coach Alex Bruce has led at Rotherham.

"We're still a new side that's been put together," the Scot said. "I heard Brucey talk during the week before the game about his team's new players. We've got more new players than he has."

That assertion isn't accurate as the Millers have made 15 summer signings compared to Rovers' 12.

The outcome of the match was a fair one, but the home outfit survived a last-gasp scare when a fierce Fabio Tavares effort crashed off the woodwork

"It takes until added time, until 91 minutes, before they start throwing six up front, throwing caution to the wind and just launching it in," Evans said. "We've seen it away.

"The one that comes off the bar, it's more going over the bar than in. Let's not be misguided, it's not bounced on the underside of the bar."