Millers and Bantams plot a promotion collision course

The Millers defeated promotion rivals Exeter City to cement their place inside the top seven, while Bradford saw off an in-form Bristol Rovers to creep above Exeter into seventh, with both White Rose clubs winning 4-1.

The two sides meet next Tuesday evening at Valley Parade in what promises to be a crucial, rearranged derby game.

The visit of Rotherham – who beat the Bantams 4-0 at the New York Stadium in September – is one of a number of tough games for Phil Parkinson’s side.

All of Bradford’s final four matches are against sides challenging for promotion, with trips to Chesterfield and Cheltenham sandwiching two home fixtures against Rotherham and third-placed Burton Albion.

Nahki Wells’s brace plus strikes from Andrew Davies and Garry Thompson sealed a fourth win in five games for City, and afterwards Parkinson insisted his side will not change their approach as the end of the season draws near.

“We’ve just got to keep going and keep the lads’ feet on the floor, which they will do themselves anyway,” he said.

“We haven’t spoken to the lads about the league table or getting into the play-offs, we’ve just talked about what we need to do to win each game.”

At the New York Stadium, Rotherham raced into a 3-0 lead inside half an hour thanks to goals from Ben Pringle, Daniel Nardiello and Michael O’Connor. Craig Morgan netted the fourth before Danny Coles grabbed a late consolation.

Manager Steve Evans hailed his side’s first-half display as one of the best of the season.

“I think for 45 minutes it was up there with some of the best performances we’ve seen,” he said.

“We got the early goal which I think unsettled them a bit and when we play like that and we pass and move like we did in the first half an hour, it’s very difficult to live with us.

On paper, Rotherham’s run-in appears to be kinder than that of their Yorkshire rivals.

Their next two games see them up against promotion rivals in Fleetwood Town and Tuesday’s visit to Bradford, but their final two fixtures take them to strugglers Plymouth before hosting current bottom side Aldershot on the final day of the season.

Sitting three points behind third-placed Burton Albion with a game in hand, automatic promotion remains a genuine possibility for Evans’s side, and the manager is keen to carry forward the momentum created from Tuesday’s win into the final matches.

“We need to go forward with some real confidence and real passion because when we play with passion and get the ball down and play we’re hard to stop,” said Evans.