WING AND A PRAYER
‘Millers live to fight another day!’
LEWIS WING’S late equaliser put Rotherham’s survival hopes back into their own hands.
The Millers were heading for a sixth successive defeat but Middlesbrough loanee Wing blasted home an 87th-minute free-kick to salvage a potentially priceless point.
Boss Paul Warne and his players celebrated wildly at the final whistle as they rose to within three points of faltering Derby, with a game in hand.
They head to Luton Town on Tuesday night for that, and know that a victory there, plus another on the final day, will see them safe – unless Derby run up a cricket score at home to beat Sheffield Wednesday.
Warne said: “It’s just kept the season alive and allows us to go into the last two games with hope. Where there is hope there is life, and we live to fight for another day.
“The lads kept going and are determined to stay in the division.”
This was Rotherham’s 10th game in 30 days, a legacy of having to play catch-up after postponed fixtures due to Covid-19 – and Warne was quick to admit that his men were not at their best.
They trailed in disastrous fashion in the 17th minute after defender Angus MacDonald miscontrolled the ball and lethal Blackburn marksman Adam Armstrong took over.
Armstrong scampered clear to fire past Millers goalkeeper Jamal Blackman for his 26th of the term.
Millers manager Warne said: “Angus has been great for us so he’s disappointed.
“Players like Armstrong don’t miss those chances very often.
“We came in at half-time and I just felt they lacked a bit of belief that they were ever going to get back into the game.
“Psychologically they are a bit damaged, but we leave this game lot happier than we could have been.”
Warne opted to make five substitutions in the game and the hosts improved as time went on. Chances came and went and Blackburn should have made the game safe before Wing’s free-kick – given after Rovers skipper Darragh Lenihan fouled opposite number Richard Wood.
Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray was furious and said: “It was a really poor decision to give the free-kick.
“It was just two big centrehalves challenging for the ball, but there you go.
“It was out of context because the ref wasn’t giving soft fouls all game, he was just playing-on. But for some reason he wanted to give it. We’re left frustrated we didn’t win by a lot of goals.”
The outstanding Blackman denied Armstrong a winner in the closing stages and Warne added: “I think Jamal’s save could be a massive turning point in our season.” ROTHERHAM: Blackman 7; Ihiekwe 6, Wood 6, A MacDonald 5 (Harding 36, 7); Ogbene 6 (Jozefzoon 69, 6), Lindsay 6 (Barlaser 69, 6), S MacDonald 6 (Wiles 45, 6), Wing 7, Giles 6; Smith 5 (Hirst 69, 6), Ladapo 5. Unused subs: Vickers, Mattock, Sadlier, Olosunde. BLACKBURN: Kaminski 6; Nyambe 6, Lenihan 6, Harwood-Bellis 6, Bell 6; Travis 6, Johnson 6; Brereton 7, Rothwell 7 (Elliott 83), Gallagher 6 (Dolan 73, 6); Armstrong 8. Unused subs: Pears, Douglas, Davenport, Buckley, Evans, Bennett. MAN OF THE MATCH: Adam Armstrong. Finished superbly for Blackburn’s goal and ran intelligently all afternoon.
REFEREE: Tony Harrington 6.