Common ground for Rotherham United boss Steve Evans and Barnsley FC rival Darrell Clarke on League One derby day

Both have presided over seasons which have not panned out in the way that Rotherham United and Barnsley followers envisaged back in the summer and on a late winter’s day, they are desperate to find a shaft of light.

The Millers find themselves in no man’s land in the League One table and have lost three of their last four league matches, drawing the other.

Residing in an underwhelming 14th spot, Evans’ side are five points and three places below their Oakwell rivals, who are winless in six league games, with the mood among their fanbase being similarly downbeat.

A positive result for either side would lift a bit of the gloom tomorrow. But there’s a lot of work to be done between now and May.

Evans said: "We are all fighting for our futures. Whether it’s short-term or next season or beyond.

"Obviously, I am fighting for my future and our staff and players are. We all have to be producing a level along the lines between now and the end of the season that gives not only our chairman and our board - and as important, if no more important our supporters - the confidence.

"It’s for them to say: ‘Okay, we have not got it bang right this season, but we are here to get it right.’

"Certainly, one thing is you might have better managers sitting here, but they will never have more commitment and won’t get as hurt as I get when it is not right for us as this football club would be inside me if I lost my job and managed somewhere else.

"I have never hid that. I was manager of Leeds United and said that, coming to the New York Stadium. Once a Miler, always a Miller.”

While Barnsley have a fair bit of incentive to turn things around on the derby front following last weekend’s second-half no-show against Huddersfield Town, so do the Millers.

Their performance in the reverse fixture at Oakwell was terrible. Chairman Tony Stewart showed what he thought of it all by leaving the directors’ box before the end of a pitiful 2-0 loss, with away players and staff barracked mercilessly as they passed the angry visiting contingent at the final whistle.

It extended the Millers’ rotten winless run against their neighbours from across the Dearne Valley to 12 matches. Their last victory was way back in October 1982.

“We weren’t good enough on the night and a long way short. I went home and was downed by it,” Evans acknowledged.

"But if I wasn’t downed by it, what is the opposite? As our chairman says, I get down if we lose games when we speak and he’s always said: ‘If you are not telling me you are down and not looking down, what is the opposite?’ That you don’t really care?

"It doesn’t matter that the team have got beaten and the team you have picked haven’t performed..

"Of course, it matters and that’s not just me, but the players as well.

"We just want to produce a performance - win, lose or draw - that sees the New York home faithful applaud the team off at the end of the game.”