Blackpool v Rotherham United: Millers must continue to take 'small steps' as Steve Evans sleeps a bit easier
Tuesday night’s vital victory over Lincoln City was notable for a couple of firsts in a 2024-25 campaign which Steve Evans has described as ‘atrocious’ so far for several reasons.
For the first time this season, the Millers led in a league game on home soil at the interval. By the end, they had recorded consecutive league victories at the AESSEAL New York Stadium for the first time this term.
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Hide AdThe previous occasion that Rotherham had achieved that feat was 21 months ago in March 2023.


Going forward, it’s about taking more incrementally important steps after the Millers’ season reached its nadir at Crawley a few weeks ago, when the visitors were short of options, confidence and decidedly under the weather on and off the pitch.
Evans said: “We spoke to the players and said it’s about small steps, especially when we were going out of Crawley and all felt as down as we did.
“But sometimes, you have to look behind it all and see what the rationale is and what any other manager would have done on that Saturday morning.
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Hide Ad“A lot would have panicked and had three players on the bench.
“This week, we have had everyone on the training ground apart from young Esapa (Osong) and we have players coming back and no more illness, no more tablets. That’s a good sign.
“It’s small steps and if we can add to the points tally, it puts us in a really good place. We’ve got Northampton to come and then go into the Christmas schedule and everyone needs a good Christmas schedule to give themselves a chance in January.”
Illness decimated Evans’ options in that aforesaid game at Crawley and ensured for a good few sleepless nights in its aftermath.
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Hide AdIn midweek, he was finally afforded a bit of ‘shut-eye’ after victory over the Imps.
He added: “It makes you sleep better, that’s for sure.
“Of course, you have sleepless nights and you are never in a good place when you are not winning and I am no different to probably 75 per cent of other managers.
“They will be in the kitchen having a coffee at two in the morning or three with their heads spinning and notepad out and looking back at clips on their iPads or televisions, trying to find a way to win football matches.”