GOAL-SHY O’GRADY ENDS YEAR-LONG BARREN RUN

HE HAD waited more than a year to feel the ecstasy that comes with scoring a goal, but after Chris O’Grady helped down Rotherham, Burton keeper Jon McLaughlin was full of praise for his efforts.

Thirty times since netting in Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 defeat of Fulham, O’Grady has laced his boots to no avail.

But on Thursday night the duck was broken when he tapped in from close range on 36 minutes, with Jackson Irvine doubling the advantage five minutes later.

Tom Adeyemi pulled one back for the Millers on the stroke of half-time, but they could find no way back and remain rock-bottom with a mountain to climb if they are to survive relegation.

It was a night of triumph for Burton though, who recordered their first-ever away victory in the second tier and McLaughlin was delighted O’Grady and his team-mates had a night to

savour. He said: “The strikers are the unsung heroes, because it’s not chance after chance being set on the plate for them, they have got to do a hell of a lot more for us and that’s what Chris has been doing this year.

“It’s great for him to get the reward and get himself a goal and for it to come on a night where it gives us massive win.

“That’s what we ask our strikers to do, they have to be up there and work incredibly hard for us and do a lot of the dirty work.”

Rotherham have looked out of their depth for much of this season, yet were the better side against Burton.

But, try as they might, Danny Ward, Anthony Forde, Darnell Fisher and Peter Odemwingie could find no way past McLaughlin in the second half as they fell to a 17th defeat in 24 league games.

Rotherham interim manager Paul Warne has a thankless task on his hands, but was full of encouragement ahead of tomorrow’s Yorkshire derby with Leeds.

Warne said: We can’t beat ourselves up.

“I think they have belief amongst themselves. If I had played in that game and we’d gone 2-0 down I would wilt a little bit because I’d be thinking, ‘how much better do I have to play to score a goal’. “We’ll watch the video and look at the good bits and the bad bits, but I said the good bits will easily outnumber the bad bits. “Nobody can say the lads gave up and I said to them at half-time, don’t go home and look in the rear view mirror and think I could have done a little bit more.”