Millers pipped at Derby

A gritty, well-organised display was undone eight minutes from time by a strike from Jeff Hendrick just as Steve Evans’ men were closing in on a deserved point.

While Derby had most possession and did most of the pressing, the Millers had their chances, particularly in the first half when Kieran Agard and Kari Arnason were denied by desperate blocks.

Adam Collin kept the scores level with a super stop from Johnny Russell’s header but wasn’t really tested in the second half until the hosts broke down the right and Hendrick swept home the decider.

In injury time, it took a full-stretch stop by Lee Grant to deny Paul Green and in the ensuing scramble, Agard forced a goal-line clearance as Derby clung on.

Starting out with eight of last season’s promotion-winning team, Rotherham still gave their massed ranks of travelling supporters in a crowd of more than 30,000 plenty to be enthused about despite getting no reward.

Derby: Grant, Christie, Forsyth, Bryson, Buxton, Keogh (capt), Dawkins (Best 79), Hendrick, Martin, Russell (Ward 64), Hughes

Millers: Collin, Broadfoot, Skarz, Arnason, Morgan (capt), Agard, Frecklington, Green, Pringle, Revell (Bowery 58), Derbyshire (Swift 69)

Referee: Andy D’Urso

Attendance: 30,105