DERBY FURY AFTER TOP DREAM KO
CHRIS WILDER ripped into his players after Rotherham supersub Jamie Proctor smashed a stoppage-time equaliser to deny the Blades top spot.
Striker Proctor had only been on the pitch four minutes when he saved the home side in a hardfought South Yorkshire derby.
The result, and especially the timid performance, left Wilder (right) fuming. He said: “The performance was very poor. That was way off my standards.
“We thought we could just stroll in here and have an easy afternoon. We have not had a good day. We had the chance to win but have not done enough from start to end.
“We sent the warning signs out to them. We played too short. We were just dipping our toes in.
“Four or five mistakes at the end contrived for us not to win. Our keeper kept us in it and was outstanding. We are training on Sunday morning. The players realise I am not happy. We have set the bar high. There were some poor performances. Some were fortunate to play today but might not be so fortunate on Tuesday.”
The Blades were cruising to a win they didn’t deserve after Chris Basham put them ahead with five minutes to go.
But they couldn’t survive the five minutes of stoppage time. Proctor struck home a ball that slid across the area with Sheffield players stretching for a touch after sub Marvin Johnson had lost the ball tamely on the halfway line. Wilder’s side were below par, with the home side mustering a feisty comeback in the second half.
But the Blades went ahead as Mark Duffy evaded two challenges before shooting across keeper Marek Rodak for his third goal of the season in the eighth minute.
The Millers, now unbeaten in six games, were the livelier team in the last hour. Home boss Paul Warne said his lads needed no revving up for the derby against a side fewer than six miles away. So it proved.
Jon Taylor levelled, smashing home from 18 yards with the help of a deflection through a packed penalty area.
But Billy Sharp dinked in a dangerous cross to the back post presenting Basham a simple header.
Rotherham could have won it but for a series of fine saves from Blades keeper Dean Henderson, including two point-blank tip-overs from Semi Ajayi. Warne said: “We were rocked by their first goal. But second half we were on the front foot.
“We more than deserved an equaliser. I was proud of the performance. We went toeto-toe with one of the best in the league.
“These are the games people remember. You can be a Millers player or a Millers legend. I said, ‘Enjoy that equaliser. Life is short of great moments like that’.
“Jamie Proctor had a hard year with his injury, but when he plays, more often than not he scores. What a feeling when he was in the corner celebrating with his mates.”