Bristol City v Rotherham United: Steve Evans aims for element of 'surprise' as Millers seek to avoid more notoriety

That represents the time which has elapsed since Rotherham United last won a Championship away match with the run going back to November 2022, 35 games ago.

Perhaps the more stark number is nine wins.

That’s how many league games that the Millers have won on their travels in their past five seasons at second-tier level, nine victories in 114 second-tier fixtures.

It’s a staggering figure and should Rotherham fail to win at Ashton Gate today, it will equal their unwanted feat of no away victories in a single season, which also happened in their similarly grim 2016-17 relegation campaign.

That season saw the Millers register a record Championship low of 23 points in a season. They have at least avoided equalling that number after taking a point in Steve Evans’ first match in charge against Birmingham City last week.

They are seeking to avoid more notoriety today.

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Evans said: “They (Bristol City) are an excellent side. They're young and hungry. They brought in the manager to play in a certain way.

"It's a club that should be really contesting for the Premier League. We must have a game-plan. If we don't, it will be a long afternoon.

"But we're famous as a management team for going to places - like (Aston) Villa in the cup with Stevenage last season - and surprising people."

Meanwhile, Millers chairman Tony Stewart has revealed the exact time when he decided a managerial change was needed and what effectively set the wheels in motion for Evans’ second coming. It was at an unlikely venue in truth.

Stewart commented: “I went on a cruise about three or four weeks ago. It came in my head and I couldn’t get off the cruise quick enough.

"I feel so good about it. It's not a mystery. The reason why I'm so positive is that I know the guy, I know what he can do. He's proved it.

"I know what budget he worked on last year and here. I know I'm giving him a chance to get better players in because we're a bigger club than Stevenage.”