Town’s first ever visit to the New York Stadium ended in defeat as a goal in either half from Matt Derbyshire and ex-Blues loanee Conor Sammon saw Rotherham to a 2-0 victory. Derbyshire nodded home the opener in the 38th minute and Sammon added the second on 64, while Daryl Murphy, who failed to take two early opportunities for Town, saw a header cleared off the line and Luke Chambers had an effort well saved.

Murphy, back after missing the Wigan game with a calf strain, took over from Noel Hunt up front in an otherwise unchanged Town side.

Rotherham included three former Blues loanees, Sammon, Frazer Richardson and Paul Green.

Murphy had a golden chance to net his 19th goal of the season after only 18 seconds when he latched onto skipper Chambers’s ball down the right and outmuscled Millers’ captain Craig Morgan. The Irishman brought the ball into the area but scuffed his shot to keeper Adam Collin when he really should have scored.

On seven, Chambers scraped a weak effort wide with neither side having been able to create another clear-cut chance. The home side’s greatest threat so far had been a long throw from Kari Arnason on the left towards Sammon which the Blues defence repelled.

Murphy had another opportunity to add to his season’s haul in the ninth minute when Jay Tabb’s corner from the left landed at his feet having been missed by Christophe Berra, but the Town number 10 blazed over. The Blues striker, who complained that he had been dragged back as he unleashed his shot, again probably should have scored.

Cole Skuse picked up the game’s first booking for a foul on the breaking Paul Green in the 17th minute. From Ben Pringle’s freekick, Arnason’s downward header deflected through to Bartosz Bialkowski.

McGoldrick sent a weak shot through to Collin on 27, then a minute later Chambers exchanged passes with Bru but the Town captain’s shot was blocked.

Moments later, with the Blues briefly putting the Millers under pressure, Bru and Tabb interchanged on the left but the Mauritian international failed to find a team-mate with his low cross. The ball eventually ran out to Skuse, whose strike failed to trouble Collin.

Just after the half hour, after Town had cleared a corner, Richie Smallwood floated a ball into the area towards Derbyshire but just beyond the former England U21 international.

On 33 Tabb smashed a powerful volley wide after the ball had fallen perfectly for him on the left just outside the area.

Rotherham had been at their most threatening from set pieces throughout and in the 38th minute a freekick on the left saw them take the lead. Pringle sent the ball in, Conor Newton flicked it on, Morgan nodded it back across the area from the right and Derbyshire headed past Bialkowski from close range.

Town were unable create an opening from which they could get back on terms prior to the break.

On the balance of the half overall, the Blues probably didn’t deserve to be behind with the Millers’ goal having come from their first serious shot on goal of the afternoon.

Up to then Town, without ever really playing particularly well, had had the better of another not overly enthralling game’s opportunities with Murphy having had two very good chances to add to his 18 goals.

Newton lashed well wide six minutes after the break prior to a double Town change. Teddy Bishop and Freddie Sears took over from Anderson and Tabb with the Blues moving to 4-3-3.

Town went close to getting on terms in the 54th minute after Zeki Fryers had been booked for a foul on Bru on the right. Skuse sent the ball into the area, Chambers headed goalwards but Collin rose superbly to tip over. From the resultant short corner, Chambers nodded Mings’s cross well over.

On 58 Derbyshire was unable to divert Pringle’s cross from the left past Bialkowski but in the main it was Town on the front foot with the substitutions having made a difference.

A minute later, Mings’s long distance shot landed at Sears’s feet five yards outside the area and the former Colchester man hit shot on the turn which Collin uncomfortably bundled behind down to his left. Sears took the flagkick himself and found Murphy, whose powerful goal-bound header was nodded off the line by Fryers.

The Blues continued to push, Chambers doing well on the right of the box but twice his crosses were cut out, the second falling to Bishop, whose shot was also blocked.

But despite Town having been on top since the break, the Millers increased their lead in the 64th minute, again from a set piece. Pringle whipped over a corner from the left and, as Berra and Arnason tangled, the ball was knocked down to Sammon, who gleefully slammed home his second Millers goal against his former loan club.

The Blues had a chance to pull goal back in the 69th minute when Arnason missed Chambers’s low cross from the right and the ball fell to Murphy. The Irishman turned a shot goalwards but it struck Morgan at point-blank and the ball ran harmlessly to Collin.

Another former Town loanee Green volleyed Pringle’s deep left-wing cross against Skuse on 74 before the Blues replaced McGoldrick with Noel Hunt and the Millers Sammon with Danny Ward.

Sears saw a shot blocked after exchanging passes with Hunt on 84, then at the other end Ward scuffed wide. Moments later, Derbyshire was replaced by Jordan Bowery.

Town never looked like getting back into it in the closing minutes and the Millers might have increased their lead in injury time when Bowery was sent away one-on-one with Bialkowski but the Polish keeper blocked and the ball bounced over the bar.

The Blues were left rueing failing to take their chances, while Rotherham made the most of their opportunities. Derbyshire’s goal was the Millers’ first significant shot on goal, while Sammon’s second came just as Town were starting to put the South Yorskshiremen under pressure.

Overall, there wasn’t a lot in a typical Championship battle, while manager Mick McCarthy is likely to be less than pleased to see his side concede twice from set pieces.

The Blues drop to fifth in the table, now six points off the top, having taken just four points from their last 15 since the turn of the year.

Rotherham: Collin, Richardson, Arnason, Morgan (c), Fryers, Newton, Green, Smallwood, Pringle, Sammon (Ward 75), Derbyshire (Bowery 85). Unused: Thompson, Broadfoot, Milsom, Ward, Hammill, Frecklington.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bru, Anderson (Sears 52), Tabb (Bishop 52), Murphy, McGoldrick (N Hunt 75). Unused: Kenny, Parr, Clarke, S Hunt. Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey). Att: 10,336 (Town: 1,879).

Photo: Action Images

itfcserbia added 17:03 - Feb 7 Sammon freakin' scored! FSS
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itfcserbia added 17:03 - Feb 7 that was FFS, it only shows how annoyed I am
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rambohambo added 17:04 - Feb 7 This is why we needed to strengthen, funny enough the top two teams won and surprise surprise there signings scored.
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Sidemen added 17:05 - Feb 7 Poor performance today, no doubt about it but I'm not going to dwell on that we need to look at what we need to do to get out of this rut. The defence is not at the level it used to be, but I don't think we need too many changes. I think we need Parr and Mings at full back and Chambo and Berra in the centre. Harsh on Smith but at the moment I think they are the stronger centre backs. As for the front 6, we need a big change. A change to 433 would be my preferred choice, Skuse, Bru and Bish in the midfield 3. Dids clearly not in his best form but unless we bring in a Johnny Williams on loan I would put him sitting just behind Murph & Sears. I understand that starting with 433 may not give us an option if things don't go well but we seem to play our best football with it. But whatever Mick decides to do to get us out of this run if poor performances we need to back him and the team. Remember we are still in a great position to push for promotion! COYB!

5

ashska added 17:05 - Feb 7 Auto has gone and top six looking unlikely now!
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blueboy1981 added 17:06 - Feb 7 ........ too disgusted to further comment. Result says it ALL.
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dagenhamtown added 17:08 - Feb 7 Don't think I have felt this low on a sat for ages.shocking result And other 5teams around us all won.YOu sure you still very happy with squad mick?.ANd Mr Evans you should be partly responsible for lack of ambition in deadline day can't beat Rotherham what chance do we honestly have none I feel.bad result tight chairman badmood.
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Norwichbeater added 17:09 - Feb 7 Absolutely appalling. I didn't believe it could get much worse after last week. Why the negative tactics against Brighton, Wigan and Rotherham. You could almost laugh if it wasn't so serious. We were steaming against teams like this earlier in the season. What has happened to the blood and thunder effort of MM's team. Powder puff more like. Uninterested and unbelievably poor quality again. MM needs a rocket up his arse to sort this team out. He keeps preaching about how good they are!!!

21

Kieron_FJ added 17:09 - Feb 7 Absolutely poor, if we want to realistically gain promotion we need to be picking up three points in games like this, no disrespect to Rotherham but they are simply not a side we should be losing to. Draw to Wigan, loss to Rotherham and a loss to Brighton. A switch of formation and tactics is absolutely necessary, chambers is not a right back he is a centre half, parr is to good to be benched week in week out and I personally think Sears deserves a shot in the starting line up, need to see a win on Tuesday if we want to stay in contention, but at the moment I am seriously doubting that 3 points will be coming our way!

13

HackneyBlue added 17:11 - Feb 7 What i do not understand and someone could enlighten me is we have an owner desperate for the Premiership and a team in its best position for 14 years to achieve that then why no support,im not talking millions .If we fail this season we will have less chance next season as players with any value will have to be moved on
18

superkevinwilson added 17:13 - Feb 7 Crap. I usually have a go at all the moaners on here, but after this result I'm starting to turn into one of them, this result is really poor really need to get back to basics . Have proper back for with two full backs and two centre half,s round pegs in round holes or we can say goodbye to this season after a great start.
14

TractorBoy666 added 17:14 - Feb 7 Getting a little fed up with this cautious approach McCarthy always goes with, especially with the games that we should be winning. Best chance in years for promotion and no players in, in the positions we desperately lack quality in. McGoldrick does not warrant a start on his poor form of late, Mings hasn't been his usual self. Why Parr hasn't come in yet I do not know. Very disappointing, but remember Rotherham are a top side who will end up in the top half of the league!!

8

irishtim added 17:14 - Feb 7 Well as everyone on here knows I am a big MM fan. Mick got it totally wrong today. Hopefully lesson learnt.
8

bellazzurri79 added 17:15 - Feb 7 Utter dogs***!!!!! No keep the faith bull... We have totally blown it We are a mid table championship side Anderson has got to go Tabb is not good enough Mcgoldrick is turning into the forest striker he was Murphy is a chanpionship striker nothing more Auto has definitely gone No excuses! These were the 3 easiest games and we haven't won any Today was a disaster 1pt from 6th!!!!! Southampton away - it all changed our season

9

blueboy1981 added 17:15 - Feb 7 WHERE ARE YA ????? ............... you know who i mean ............ lost for words maybe ?????
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essexboy added 17:15 - Feb 7 Major changes needed and a few arses need kicking and that includes MM.Sort the back four out,dump Smith and bring back parr.With the players we have we must play a 3-5-2. Leave Mcg out,he has never really been the same since the offer was made for him..I am now getting really P....d off with the way we are folding up.Best position for 14 years and we have nearly blown it.Where is M E..I give up.!!! 😡😡😡😡😡

10

jas0999 added 17:15 - Feb 7 Disgraceful. Appreciate peoples opinions, and no doubt we will hear how we have overachieved this season. That may be so. But after getting ourselves in a great position we had an opportunity to push on and challenge for automatic promotion. Our small yet hard working squad had got us so far. With a couple of quality additions - even on half season loans ( see Derby and their signings) we could have pushed on. Yet, Evans and MM decided not to. I still am still bitterly disappointed with that decision. Automatic promotion has gone and it's debatable whether we can now hold on for playoffs. New additions are urgently required but if we sign them now they won't be available for the playoffs (if we get there). That's why they were needed Monday. If we lose out on promotion because we couldn't quite pull it off then that's acceptable. Losing out because of a lack of ambition and not having adequate number of players or enough quality after being in a great position is another story. Perhaps Evans needs to clarify his position to make it clear. One point from Brighton (lost at home today and against Blackpool), Wigan (Bournemouth had no probs today) and Rotherham is extremely poor.

15

thebeat added 17:16 - Feb 7 Hate to say i told you so but i told you so. The writing was on the wall yesterday when Mr Positive talked Rotherham up and dropped into the conversation that they play 4-4-2 hence we would be playing it again. Think we have to face facts we have gone back in time 12 - 18 months due to Mick being frightened to death of losing and looking for scrappy 1-0's again. He always claims he doesnt use the internet or see what the fans think, i think thats rubbish, he digs his heels in more when we are all clamouring for the likes of Parr, Bishop and Sears to start and plays his favourites in his 4-4-2 even more. With the scum starting to pick up ww could go from a team playing good attacking football chasing automatic promotion to a one dimensional boring team missing our on the play offs altogether. Extremely p****d off tonight. This poor run of results could have been avoided.

13

Ipswich58 added 17:16 - Feb 7 With Mick we're BUST. One point from June against three sides in bottom six. That is appalling.
2

dukey44 added 17:16 - Feb 7 No comments really needed. We had chance to bring players in yet mm says hes pleased with what hes got. Hey hoe he must watch different games ? Blue till i die!!
3

skusesrightpeg added 17:17 - Feb 7 Oh no end of the world again, back the boys there will be ups and downs we still support them coyb
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superkevinwilson added 17:17 - Feb 7 Scum are closing in on us
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jas0999 added 17:17 - Feb 7 I also don't understand the selection of Tabb and Anderson. Both have been terrible recently.
6

Surco72 added 17:18 - Feb 7 MM says his squad is good enough to compete and no need for transfers as cannot get better players than what we have ? MM refuses to drop Chambers , Ando and Tabb but takes them off mist weeks because they are poor ? MM says Bolton ,Wigan and Rotherham are good sides hard to break down yet our rivals score 3 or more against them the following weeks ? MM has done well to get us challenging but this team and the system he has reverted back to will not challenge , roll on an injury to our midfield so he has to change it like after the Scum game

7

alliedaz added 17:18 - Feb 7 what is disgrace no passion at the moment and the blank transfer market will hit us very hard and teams around us are so much stronger and just hope we can stay in a play off place
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