Bolton Wanderers 2 Rotherham United 1: Recalled Richard Wood ready for battle after last-gasp Millers heartache

The one-time Sheffield Wednesday captain has been a peripheral figure since Steve Evans signed him from Coventry in June, 2014.

But he was given his first start under Neil Redfearn at the Macron Stadium and looked as though he had never been away, forming a solid defensive shield with captain Kirk Broadfoot from almost the first minute until the last.

Almost was the operative word, for Bolton struck in the second and ‘92nd’ minutes to give themselves a Championship lifeline and leave Rotherham back in the drop zone.

This could have easily have been a 15-point victory for Rotherham for the talk was that defeat could have seen Bolton, whose adjourned winding up order will be heard later this month, opting to go into administration had they lost this one.

That would have brought an immediate 12-point deduction and left them to prepare for life in League One with creditors, including the taxman, set for a vast reduction in payouts.

Bolton’s financial problems are no concern to the Millers, who dominated much of the game and were left to rue Birmingham loan striker Andrew Shinnie spurning the chance of a hat-trick, prodding two attempts wide in the first half before fluffing a close-range attempt in the second.

Having been rattled by Jay Spearing’s early strike into the top corner after Mark Davies pulled the ball back from a corner, Rotherham had made it 1-1 just before the break, though Bolton claimed they should have had a second when Wellington Silva was flagged offside after netting when Lee Camp pulled off a close-in block from veteran Emile Heskey.

At the other end, Danny Ward went down the left channel, dinked the ball across and Chris Burke, on loan from Nottingham Forest, made it two goals in two games.

Bolton offered little after the break, their fans became agitated and with Joe Newell waking from his slumbers to prove an increasing threat, the Millers looked the likeliest winners, only for Ben Amos to be thankful of Shinnie’s mis-hit and parry the ball for a corner.

Bolton threw men forward for the winner and Camp again did well to block after Liam Trotter fed Davies through but Kaiyne Woolery was on hand to force home the rebound and make it two successive defeats for the Millers against fellow strugglers.

Central defender Wood said: “It was very disappointing because we had done well for the majority of the game. A silly goal at the start and then one at the death killed us.

“It’s hard to take but, on the other side of it, there are a lot of games to go and we are not out of it yet.

“We had them on the ropes for the majority of the game and the crowd was going against them. We played some good stuff and created some good chances which we maybe should have taken.”

Wood has played more games on loan than for the Millers and said of his return: “It’s been difficult. I’ve never really had a proper go at this club. I’ve been here 18 months and I have had just an handful of games so it’s been very frustrating.

“I am just pleased I got my chance and hopefully I have done enough to stay in now. That’s the aim – I want to play until the end of the season. I have been speaking to the manager most days because I am desperate to play. That’s why I went out on loan. I am not the sort of person who just sits around and does nothing.

“I want to be playing football and it’s been good going out to Fleetwood and Chesterfield as it’s given me a chance now when I have come back. I have played around 14-15 games this season and when I got called back just after Christmas I was match fit and fine. I have knuckled down and trained hard.

“The manager said ‘just keep going’. He tried to stay positive with me but I wondered if he was just being nice to me because I wasn’t getting that chance. I’d been called back and not had a chance but he’s been true to his word and given me a chance.”

After the 4-1 defeat and poor performance against Charlton combined with this defeat, the Millers are two points adrift of fourth from bottom MK Dons.

Wood continued: “It’s difficult to take. The result against Charlton was very disappointing but today we can take positives from the game and we have 16 games to go. There is plenty of time.

“We just need to stick together as a group. We are tight-knit and we keep working hard. You can see that from today’s performance.

“The Championship is all about results, they are all tight games no matter who you play. We just need to be switched on and make sure we take our chances at the other end.”

Rotherham have plenty of players with Championship experience and this could be a big factor in them beating the drop, he feels.

“We need to knuckle down, stick together and get on with it. We have got experience and it does help when things go against you and helps you rally the troops.

“We just need to keep in touch with everybody and keep picking up points and we need to do it quickly. We must turn performances into points.”

Wood, 30, was not the only player with experience Redfearn turned to. Frazer Richardson replaced Shay Facey at right-back but the manager was unable to bring in striker Luciano Becchio, who suffered a calf injury in training.

Danny Ward also hobbled off and Shinnie is ineligible to face parent club Birmingham on Saturday.

Bolton Wanderers: Amos, Vela, Devite, Holding, Moxey; Spearing; Feeney, Pratley (Dobbie 84), Davies, Silva (Woolery 81); Heskey (Trotter 64). Unused substitutes: Rachubka, Osede, Danns, Twardzik.

Rotherham United: Camp, Richardson, Broadfoot, R Wood, Mattock; Burke (Green 68), G Ward, Smallwood, Newell; Shinnie (Derbyshire ‘93’); D Ward (Clarke-Harris 76). Unused substitutes: Cairns, Rawson, Dawson, Belaid.

Referee: S Attwell (Nuneaton).