The piano, the right-flank gaps and the new reality ... the story of Burton Albion 4 Rotherham United 2

Burton Albion might be the only football club in the country to have a piano in their reception area.

It was roped off so no-one could have a sneaky tickle of its ivories, remaining silent on an afternoon when the music stopped for Rotherham United.

For a few marvellous minutes at the Pirelli Stadium, everything had been perfect.

The new signing was bagging a dream goal after 107 seconds, the packed away end was erupting, a third successive League One win was on the way, the unbeaten record was going to stretch to seven games, 2025 was going to be the Millers' year.

It turned out that they had scored too soon. Chants of ‘Roth-er-rum, Roth-er-rum’ were still owning the East Staffordshire air when the home side began a four-goal blur that left the visitors on their knees.

A home side that had kicked off Saturday's clash in bottom spot, by the way.

The consolation response from Steve Evans' bruised and battered men was no consolation at all and the manager reeled off the litany of shortcomings in his after-match assessment.

“We were the best team for two and a half minutes,” he said. “Then we were second to too many balls. The intensity was down, the energy was down.

“We lost too many balls in the middle of the park, our passing was poor, our movement was poor, our ability to win headers wasn't there.”

Rotherham's run hadn't been a fluke; they'd demolished accomplished sides, they'd shown their capability of being very good.

But this loss – and particularly the benign manner of it – begged a question: do they possess the application to be very good consistently enough to be a presence at the top end of the table?

It felt like a day that provided an answer.

Early on, Mallik Wilks made the break, Andre Green provided the right-wing cross and Louie Sibley, signed on the eve of the contest, fired an immaculate, first-bounce finish into the roof of the net.

No-one, probably least of all Burton, was expecting what came next.

The Millers dillied then dallied and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson scooped in an equaliser. Owen Dodgson's corner floated past red-and-white shirts and was dispatched at the far post by Ryan Sweeney's forehead. Dodgson crossed again, JJ McKiernan's touch was parried by goalkeeper Dillon Phillips and Bodvarsson was on hand again.

Albion had wreaked havoc on Rotherham's exposed right flank through Rumarn Burrell's incessant running and Dodgson's up-and-down mobility and sweet deliveries and half-time brought two substitutions from Evans and a formation switch to 3-5-2 in a bid to plug the gap.

The plan lasted for 99 seconds, the time if took for Hakeem Odoffin, the Millers' most effective defender of late, to jump and miss and give McKiernan a clear sight of goal.

Game over, a fact not changed when Green headed in following a 60th-minute penalty-area scramble to reduce the arrears.

The manager remained in charge of emotions as he spoke to journalists on the steps of the south stand, handling his crushing disappointment and keeping his anger publicly in check.

Having spent a month playing their best football of the season, Rotherham had slipped back to the standards that had made the start of the campaign so unacceptable.

His team, Evans reckoned, had under-estimated a Burton side strengthened by January arrivals – take a bow Messrs Bodvarsson, Dodgson and McKiernan – and improving under new boss Gary Bowyer.

He praised the travelling faithful who had been in such fine voice at one stage but hadn't acknowledged them at the final whistle, quickly disappearing down the tunnel after a cursory handshake with his Albion counterpart.

“We were backed by tremendous support here,” he said. “When we get that sort of support, we should be humbled.

“I've just said to the players, when you play certain opposition in this league, you need to be humble to win promotion. It's not just about how you play, you need to have humbleness. We lacked that.

“We've hit a wall today but we'll bounce back. That's what we had to do four weeks ago.

“Conceding the goal just after half-time really hurt us. It's really poor from a lad who has been winning every header in both boxes. Haks has been outstanding for us.

“By his own admission, he takes a gamble and gets caught out. Then it's a simple header for their boy.”

The Millers remained stuck in 13th spot, unable to break into the top half for the first time this season.

“We got a scrappy goal back,” Evans said. “If it had been 3-1 when we scored it, you and I both know you've got a different ending to that game. Listen, that's me trying to take the positives out of it. The reality is, we were well beaten.”

Another reality was the eight-point gap to the play-off places. A top-six finish remains possible yet distantly unlikely.

Interview over, I traipsed forlornly out of the ground: down the stairs, into reception, towards the ropes, past the piano.

There wasn't a fat lady singing next to it. But maybe there should have been.

Burton (3-5-2): Max Crocombe; Terence Vancooten, Ryan Sweeney, Jack Armer; Udoka Godwin-Malife, Charlie Webster, Kegs Chauke, JJ McKiernan (Mason Bennett 76), Owen Dodgson; Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (Billy Bodin 87), Rumarn Burrell (Danilo Orsi 87). Subs not used: Harry Isted, Tomas Kalinauskas, Dylan Williams, Finn Delap.

Rotherham (4-1-3-2): Dillon Phillips; Joe Rafferty (Jack Holmes 88), Hakeem Odoffin, Zak Jules, Reece James (Cohen Bramall H-T); Cameron Humphreys; Alex MacDonald (Sean Raggett H-T), Louie Sibley (Jordan Hugill 88), Joe Powell; Mallik Wilks, Andre Green. Subs not used: Cameron Dawson, Liam Kelly, Ben Hatton.

Goals: Sibley 2, Green 60 (Rotherham); Bodvarsson 8, 41, Sweeney 39, McKiernan 47 (Burton)

Referee: Tom Reeves (Warwickshire)

Attendance: 3,733