NEIL’S PRIDE

WHEN this game was 80 minutes old Rotherham boss Neil Warnock was preparing to tell his players how proud of them he was, despite an impending defeat.

At the time, they were 3-0 down and a fantastic week, which had seen the Millers claim victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough, looked like ending in a routine loss to Derby.

The Rams had marauded their way to a 3-0 lead and the game was dead and buried thanks to Tom Ince’s double and a Chris Martin tap-in.

But the Millers produced the most remarkable of comebacks by scoring three goals in the final seven minutes to steal a point.

Danny Ward got the ball rolling before Leon Best’s double, the first in the 88th minute and the equalising goal in the first minute of time added, lifted the roof off at the New York Stadium.

The draw was Rotherham’s tenth point in the last four games and the Neil Warnock factor is in full swing as his side fight against the drop.

But Warnock has been around for long enough to know that this point was a stolen one.

“I don’t know what I can say that I have not said before,” he said. “I am so proud of them.

“If we had lost 3-0 I still would have said ‘Well done lads, I am proud of you for this week’. There would have been no rollickings, they were just better than us.

“They have given me absolutely everything. When you see that camaraderie, you don’t get that very often, it’s great to see.”

Rotherham would have moved out of the bottom three had it not been for MK Dons’ impressive point at Hull, but they are now only a point behind them and Fulham and have the upward momentum.

Despite the disappointment of not exiting the bottom three, Warnock still thought this result to be the best of Rotherham’s season so far.

“I can’t think of another comeback as good as that, but I do forget,” he added with a smile.

“It’s the sweetest because we were playing against a very good team and the players they have got and that’s why I am enjoying the challenge.