Tom Adeyemi’s 79th minute goal saw already-relegated Rotherham United to a 1-0 win against a much-changed Blues side at the New York Stadium. Town keeper Dean Gerken saved a seventh minute Danny Ward penalty, while the Blues went closest to scoring when Dominic Samuel hit the bar in the first half.
Mick McCarthy made nine changes for a game which had nothing riding on it with only skipper Luke Chambers and left-back Myles Kenlock remaining from the team which beat Newcastle United 3-1 on Monday.
Gerken returned in goal with Tommy Smith partnering Chambers at the centre of the defence and Josh Emmanuel at right-back.
In midfield, Teddy Bishop joined Toumani Diagouraga in central midfield, while Andre Dozzell was to their left and Danny Rowe made his full Town debut on the right of a front three. On-loan Reading man Samuel was also handed his full debut up front along with Brett Pitman.
Former Town keeper Lewis Price was on the bench for the Millers, while defender Semi Ajayi, who had a trial with the Blues in 2015, was among the starters.
Grant Ward, who was amongst the Town subs, was warmly applauded by the New York Stadium faithful when his named was announced prior to kick-off having spent last season on loan with at Rotherham.
Neither side had threatened until the seventh minute when the home side were awarded a penalty by referee Jeremy Simpson, who gave three the last time he took charge of a Blues match, the 2-1 loss at Reading in September.
Danny Ward, a January Town target, won a battle for a ball into the area with Chambers and his shot deflected to Jon Taylor, who was clumsily bundled over by Josh Emmanuel as he broke into the area. The official looked to have got it right.
Ward took what was his side’s first spotkick of the season and slammed it low to Gerken’s left but the Blues glovesman, making only his fifth start of the season, got across superbly and stuck out a strong arm to keep it out, much to the delight of the visiting fans behind his goal.
Two minutes later, Ward played a ball for Adeyemi to chase but Emmanuel held him off and Gerken claimed.
On 14 the Town keeper comfortably dealt with a Taylor strike at the far post with Rotherham having started strongly, despite missing the chance to go in front from the spot.
However, the Blues were beginning to pass the ball around in spells and two minutes later, Samuel won a freekick just outside the area but which ultimately came to nothing.
Rotherham continued to create opportunities at the other end and on 21 Gerken failed to punch a ball lofted back into the area after a corner and Chambers and Smith made important blocks from Adeyemi and Ajayi before Kenlock eventually cleared the danger.
Dozzell had by now moved inside with Bishop on the left of a midfield four and was starting to see more of the ball. In the 23rd minute Ajayi did well to cut out a clever through ball for Samuel.
On 34 Carlton Morris shot well over for the Millers but three minutes later the Blues went close to going in front.
Dozzell fed Rowe to his right and the January signing from Macclesfield cut in and hit a low shot which Rotherham keeper Richard O’Donnell saved well down to his left. The loose ball fell to Samuel at a tight angle and the on-loan Royal smashed the rebound against the bar.
Town, with Dozzell beginning to pull the strings with increasing confidence in the centre of midfield, were getting on top and starting to press for a goal as half-time approached.
In the final moments of one minute of injury time Rotherham striker Ward pulled up as he chased a ball alongside Smith with what appeared to be a pulled hamstring and was replaced by Alex Bray at the start of the second half.
Much-changed Town had taken a while to settle and would have been behind but for Gerken’s excellent penalty save.
The Millers had one or two more chances before the Blues began to take charge in the latter stages with Rowe and then Samuel both unfortunate not to have scored.
Town, who had Bishop back in a central role and Dozzell on the left as the half restarted, struck the second half’s first shot but Samuel’s low effort from 30 yards flew well wide of O’Donnell’s right post.
Eight minutes after the restart the Millers were forced to swap Ajayi, who had undergone treatment for an injury in the first half, for Anthony Forde.
Moments later, Diagouraga was booked for a foul and from the freekick deep on the left Will Vaulks stabbed an Adeyemi long ball wide from a tight angle on the right.
On 57 at the other end Pitman seized on an error by Vaulks as they chased a bouncing ball into the area but under-hit his shot and O’Donnell saved to his right.
Bishop was replaced by Kieffer Moore in the 63rd minute with Samuel moving to the left of a front with Rowe on the right of the midfield three.
Two minutes after the the change, the ex-Forest Green Rovers frontman wasn’t far away from putting the Blues in front. Rowe and Pitman had exchanged passes on the right and the ex-Bournemouth man crossed low but just too far in front of the sliding Moore.
Rowe hit a deflected shot wide in the 66th minute with the Blues starting to put the Millers under pressure.
Three minutes later, the former Macclesfield man went even closer when the ball fell to him following a freekick on the left. However, his deftly struck effort from the edge of the box curled just the wrong side of O’Donnell’s right post.
Town threatened again in the 70th minute when Moore was sent away on the right and crossed low for Samuel but Darnell Fisher turned the ball across the face of goal and behind. From the corner, Chambers nodded down and wide.
Joe Mattock picked up the Millers’ first booking for a poor challenge on Kenlock before Town swapped Diagouraga for Kevin Bru.
Rotherham chances had been rare since the break but on 78 the home side weren’t far away from opening the scoring. Forde crossed from the left and sub Jonson Clarke-Harris’s header caught Smith before bouncing past the wrong-footed Gerken’s right post.
But Millers fans didn’t have to wait too much longer for a goal. Following a corner, Fisher returned the ball from deep and it fell to Adeyemi, who smashed past Gerken.
Town almost got back on terms immediately, Moore heading a Rowe corner from the left goalwards but Fisher nodded off the line.
The Blues went close again on 83 but O’Donnell did well to block Samuel’s powerfully hit volley.
The Millers might have made it 2-0 a minute later when Gerken pawed Forde’s left-wing cross out to Taylor but the winger blazed over.
Town swapped Rowe, who had looking lively before tiring towards the end, for Freddie Sears for the final five minutes.
Clarke-Harris curled a freekick wide in four minutes of injury time which Rotherham saw out comfortably to end their run of 17 games without a win and to record only their fifth home victory of the season, the final whistle receiving a loud cheer from the Millers’ beleaguered support.
The game had looked set to end in a goalless draw - which would probably have been a fairer reflection of the game overall - before Adeyemi’s goal, which was a poor one to concede from Town’s perspective with Fisher’s ball into the box one which ought to have been dealt with.
Prior to Rotherham going in front, the Blues, although not always fluent, had looked the more likely scorers with chances starting to be carved out with greater regularity and they might have done better with some of their opportunities.
While the Millers goal led to the inevitable chants aimed at Mick McCarthy from sections of the travelling support, the result should been seen in the context of Town having fielded a young and significantly changed team - featuring five academy graduates - against a more senior side, even if it was one as comprehensively relegated as Rotherham.
The Blues have the dubious honour of being the only Championship team not to have beaten the Millers at least once this season.
There were positives to be taken from the display with Dozzell dictating the game for spells before tiring late on, while Rowe was a threat from the right and, along with Samuel, will feel he ought to have taken at least one of his chances.
The result sees the Blues drop to 16th with two games of their 2016/17 remaining, at home to Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday and at Nottingham Forest on the final day.
Rotherham: O’Donnell, Fisher, Ajayi (Forde 53), Wood, Mattock, Adeyemi, Smallwood, Vaulks, Taylor, Morris (Clarke-Harris 70), Ward (Bray 46). Unused: Price, Newell, Belaid, Purrington.
Town: Gerken, Emmanuel, Chambers (c), T Smith, Kenlock, Diagouraga (Bru 75), Bishop (Moore 63), Dozzell, Rowe (Sears 85), Samuel, Pitman. Unused: Bialkowski, Skuse, Digby, Ward, Sears. Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire). Att: 8,266 (Town: 704).