Rotherham United 0-1 Plymouth Argyle: Millers relegated to League One as Pilgrims claim rare win

Rotherham became the first team to be relegated in the English Football League this season after losing 1-0 at home to fellow struggling Plymouth Argyle.

Rotherham keeper Viktor Johansson made a series of good saves to keep his side safe, but Plymouth substitute Ben Wain hit the post in the dying minutes, ending the Pilgrims' winless run in six games.

argyle – who Head coach Ian Foster was fired on Monday. The win eased fears of relegation after eight losses in 11 games.

The Millers now move up to 19th place in the Championship, four points from safety. This means the Millers will return to League One with a 19-point lead over 21st-placed Birmingham City and 15 points remaining.

Argyle interim manager Neil Duesnip made four changes to the squad, with all four returning in January, with Dan Scarr and Callum Wright returning after barely featuring under their former head coach. He declined the player signed by Foster.

The quality was poor in the first half, but Argyle took their chances. Wright twice came close to scoring after four Argyle players threatened in a 10-minute battle for the goalmouth.

Mumba energized the game by controlling Morgan Whittaker's accurate cross-field pass from the right with a fine touch and firing past Victor Johansson to give the Pilgrims a well-deserved lead.

Argyle started to gain confidence after this goal and in first-half stoppage time Wright made a smart save to deny Johansson's low header at the far post.

The Millers had to thank the Swedish keeper for saving him time and time again. He tipped Whittaker's powerful low shot around the post before stopping Jordan Horton's shot.

Rotherham had their best chance midway through the second half, but first-timer Coen Bramall was free at the back post from a corner and found the side netting, and soon after Sebastien Leban saw Michael Cooper make the only save of the night.

Johansson came to the rescue again shortly after Cameron Humphries tipped his toe into Adam Lundell's cross.

He then saved Dan Scarr's header from a corner kick, Wayne headed the post from the follow-up, and the New Zealand striker missed a golden opportunity after capitalizing on a poor backpass from Sébastien Leban. , Johansson quickly stepped off the line. He made a save with his feet as the Millers went on a whimper and were relegated.

Nightmarish Millers season with 4 wins and 26 losses

Rotherham have had a disastrous season with just four wins and are certain to finish bottom of the table.

They have not won a single away game all season and have not won a league game on the road since November 2022.

Former manager Matt Taylor was sacked in November with four points adrift of safety, but his successor Reem Richardson was unable to turn his fortunes around, winning just two of his 21 league games in charge. He has only won.

The South Yorkshire side fell to the bottom three on 23 September and were unable to move out of the relegation zone thereafter.

Taylor, who replaced long-serving Paul Warne in October 2022, kept the club in the second tier last season, ending a run of six successive seasons in which they were promoted to the Championship or relegated.

This season was always likely to be a struggle for them and Taylor was sacked on November 13, two days after a 5-0 deficit against Watford.

By the time Richardson was appointed on December 11, they had fallen to the foothills of the division, where they would remain for the remainder of the campaign.

Richardson hopes he can do what Warne has done after the last three relegations and guide Wigan Athletic back to a comeback by leading them to the League One title in 2022. Dew.

Rotherham United head coach Reem Richardson told BBC Radio Sheffield:

“I thought we weren’t good enough tonight and the game was very stop-start.

“They shaded in both boxes, which was the most disappointing thing and I made my point clear at half-time.

“This club has been through it a few times but they always come back stronger. They've had a really tough season so my thoughts are with the fans right now.

“Myself and [assistant] Rob Kelly came in at the end of the year and it was there for everyone to see. We ran around the country with 64% of our guys in the championship and couldn't really do any work. There's a lot of equipment, but that's it, it needs to be improved, it needs to be addressed.

“But given the emotions of the result and the inevitable relegation, it is difficult to accept it here and now.”

Plymouth Argyle first-team coach Kevin Nancekibel told BBC Radio Devon:

“It's been a tough week, a traumatic week for everyone at the football club, so to come here and get the three points is huge for us.

“We're still three points and there's still a lot of work to do, but we're enjoying tonight and looking forward to QPR on Tuesday.

“The players who weren’t playing were desperate and ready, so we were trying to see if we could get the three points and thankfully it worked.

“I thought everyone made a great contribution. We're a close group, it's a team game and everyone will have to do their part in the next five games.”