Two yellows, ten men and lots of empty seats ... the story of Rotherham United 0 Huddersfield Town 0

Something was finally going right for them in a season where virtually nothing else has.

Huddersfield Town attacker Sorba Thomas was off in the Yorkshire derby at AESSEAL New York Stadium. He'd clipped Ollie Rathbone's goalbound progress soon after an initial booking and now, with a complaining shake of the head, he was gone.

It was the 58th minute. The Millers had more than half an hour in which to not only end a nine-match losing streak but also put a rare win on the board in a campaign that will soon bring relegation.

They managed one, not the other.

0-0 it was and 0-0 it stayed as the home side simply couldn't summon the firepower to make it any different.

The performance - the best one of March - was a creditable response to heavy defeats in the previous two away fixtures, but it was still an opportunity missed.

Whereas Coventry City had been excellent and Norwich City exceptional, Huddersfield were hardly average.

“The positives are a clean sheet in a derby and the work ethic,” said boss of three months Leam Richardson. “We were competitive. We started the game well.

“Obviously, I'm disappointed with the end result with them going down to ten men. We've got to counter-press better, we've got to go wide.

“Our habits have got to be better. We've been speaking about that since I've been in the building.”

THE MATCH

The head coach had had his work cut out in the build-up to the clash after two 5-0 horrors in five days.

“The lads were on the floor, as you can imagine,” he said. “I had to pick them up this week. We changed shape a little bit and tried to have more forward runners on the pitch and be dynamic with it.

“It helps when players are coming back fit and there's more competition for places. We were able to fill the bench, albeit with a few lads who could do only ten or 15 minutes.”

3-5-2 had become 4-3-1-2, with Rathbone making an impact in a more advanced role behind the front two.

In the first half, the bottom-placed Millers were more compact, more purposeful than of late, covering more space, offering more bite. Within their limitations, they had a go.

Deft footwork from Andy Rinhomota produced an 11th-minute curling shot that came back off the woodwork and Charlie Wyke should have done better than put the rebound over the bar while Seb Revan lifted a volley too high from Peter Kioso's cross.

At the other end, Viktor Johansson was untroubled by efforts from Jack Rudoni, David Kasumu and Delano Burgzorg.

The contest suddenly became interesting just before the hour-mark when Cafu played the pass of the afternoon - pinpoint and crossfield - to send Rathbone racing clear only to be impeded by Thomas's rushed intervention.

“Yeah, I think the sending-off is fair,” Richardson said. “I don't think their lad can argue with it. Could it possibly have been a straight red? Ollie is through on goal. It's unfortunate for them that a forward player ends up defending.

“I'd have liked to have seen more from us when Huddersfield lost a man. They went 5-3-1 and tried to block the middle of the pitch when we're trying to play through there. You've got to go wide, you've got to round them, you've got to change play.”

The Terriers, in the drop zone and embroiled in an eight-club fight to stay up, had arrived on Saturday with three New York old boys, Ben Wiles, Danny Ward and ex-loanee Josh Koroma, in their squad.

Only one of them saw action. The same short legs, the hair longer than we remembered. Wiles had popped into the media suite to pinch a coffee an hour before kick-off but the midfielder could add no cream to Town's performance as a half-time substitute.

Cafu powered the 25-yard free-kick caused by Thomas's moment of rashness over the bar and Rathbone's 70th-minute snap-shot forced a stop from visiting goalkeeper Lee Nicholls before Johansson denied Burgzorg.

Neither side looked like conceding, neither looked like scoring.

The stalemate saw Rotherham, without a victory since Boxing Day, take a third point of 2024 to stand 19 away from safety with eight matches remaining.

“Absolutely I thought we could win the game,” Richardson said. “First half, I was disappointed we didn't go in 1-0 up. The second half was probably more even.

“A draw, on reflection, is probably a fair result. Although there were quite a few shots, I don't think either keeper had to work hard to keep the ball out of their net.”

BREAK TIME

It was the first sending-off of an opposition player this season and it came less than a month after the Millers had been awarded their first penalty.

“There's a little pattern there,” rued Richardson.

His squad can now reflect and regroup during a two-week lull in fixtures caused by the international break.

“It's better than going into it on the back of a defeat,” the boss said.

“The players will be as disappointed as I am in not winning this game. We had enough possession and moments to do that. We needed to be better in our decision-making. It comes down to that bit of quality.”

The final whistle brought mute scenes of apathy rather than anger as fans simply upped and left.

Numerous seats were left empty by season-ticket-holders who have given up on this campaign and will think hard about returning to them next term.

As the Millers struggled to break down ten men, at least the run of reverses didn't stretch to the same number.

Not a win, but not another loss. It was a result that managed to be satisfactory and unsatisfactory at the same time.

Rotherham (4-3-2-1): Viktor Johansson; Peter Kioso (Femi Seriki 81), Sean Morrison, Cameron Humphreys, Seb Revan; Andy Rinomhota, Cafu, Sam Clucas (Arvin Appiah 76); Ollie Rathbone (Cohen Bramall 87); Sam Nombe, Charlie Wyke (Tom Eaves 76). Subs not used: Dillon Phillips, Hakeem Odoffin, Tyler Blackett, Jamie Lindsay, Shane Ferguson.

Huddersfield (3-5-2): Lee Nicholls; Matty Pearson, Michal Helik, Radinio Balker; Brodie Spencer (Tom Edwards 90+2), Jack Rudoni, Jonathan Hogg, David Kasumu (Ben Wiles H-T), Jiheim Headley; Sorba Thomas, Delano Burgzorg. Subs not used: Chris Maxwell, Josh Koroma, Brahima Diarra, Alex Matos, Danny Ward, Pat Jones, Ben Jackson.

Referee: Josh Smith (Peterborough).

Attendance: 11,033 (2,419).