But agony for Warne

PAUL WARNE was left a broken man after watching his Rotherham side’s courageous fight against relegation end in despair.

The Millers were set for a great escape after Lewis Wing’s thunderous volley put them within touching distance of Championship safety.

While Derby and Sheffield Wednesday battled for survival, Warne’s men were doing everything but scoring the goal that would have sent both their rivals down.

They eventually paid the price for missed chances two minutes from time when Marlon Pack equalised for Cardiff, but Warne says they had nothing more to give.

‘I hope pride will overcome the sadness,’ said the Millers manager. ‘I’ve been asked about my future, but I’m absolutely broken. We dedicate our lives for 10 months, and right now I can’t see any sunshine

‘I feel a bit hollow and devastated for the group. I wanted them to leave the stage like heroes.

‘There will be different people in the changing room next season, but that group of players should be cemented as gods of Rotherham.

‘If someone gave you a car, you’d think great. If you have something together as a group of warriors, it would have been amazing. It was snatched off us, it feels so harsh.’

After a tumultuous season in which Rotherham looked dead and buried, things seemed to be finally going their way on a chaotic final day.

They were given lift-off by Wing’s stunning volley in just the eighth minute — a fierce strike from 25 yards out that goalkeeper Dillon Phillips barely saw before it hit the back of the net. But the visitors then missed a string of opportunities to seal their safety.

The Rotherham bench were going through a rollercoaster of emotions as news filtered through of the score in the back-and-forth battle between Derby and Sheffield Wednesday.

But in the end, they only had themselves to blame when Pack drilled a low strike into the bottom corner, meaning the Millers’ stand against relegation fell just short.