Northampton Town 1 Rotherham United 2: Josh Benson winner secures huge moment in season for Matt Hamshaw

It was followed a brazen chant 15 minutes later.

“We’re winning away, how s**t must you be, we’re winning away’ filled the air after Josh Benson’s brilliant free-kick to make it 2-1 on 86 minutes.

The Millers turned things around late on in midweek in the EFL Trophy against Oldham.

This was far more important and richly deserved as they produced the two precious morsels of quality that they had been threatening to all game in Northamptonshire.

Benson’s strike to secure a 2-1 win could turn out to be a bellwether moment in their campaign.

They might be having a rough time of it, but Rotherham don’t half like playing the Cobblers. This was their sixth straight win against them on an afternoon when Sam Nombe also made his eagerly-awaited return from injury.

Some 193 days from his joyous first game n charge of the Millers at this same Sixfields venue, Matt Hamshaw was afforded another special - and very relieving - moment.

It was the Millers’ first away win since April 8 and ended a run of five successive road losses in the league this term.

In the first half, the major moments had typically gone against United.

Hamshaw and his coaching staff were entitled to be livid when Premier League referee Paul Tierney pointed to the spot after what appeared to be very minimal contact when Zac Jules pursued Kamarai Swyer and deemed to have clipped his leg, with the Cobblers winger going down very easily. It looked an exceedingly soft award.

Sam Hoskins was not one to look a gifthorse in the mouth, netting his 100th goal in Cobblers' colours.

It was the sort of thing that happens to sides down on their luck at the wrong end of tables. That said, there was nothing unlucky about the Millers' lack of ruthlessness before Hoskins' 26th-minute opener.

They should have already been in front, but weren't.

The Millers made three changes from last weekend, with Martin Sherif, Zak Jules and Shaun McWilliams coming on for the absent Kion Etete, Lenny Agbaire - on duty with Scotland under-21s and Ar'Jany Martha, also busy on the international front.

All three of the players brought into the visitors' line-up were involved in three of the first-half's big moments, but not in a positive regard for Rotherham, doing it tough at the wrong end of the table.

The Millers settled nicely and soon started to knock the ball around with a bit of purpose. For sides struggling with a bad bout of travel sickness, the need to take something tangible following their good work was imperative.

Not for the first time, it did not happen.

The first chance saw Denzel Hall blaze over when well placed after a great cross from Benson was only half-cleared before McWilliams, against his former club, arrived in the box right on cue following a nice move and a peach of a left-wing cross from Reece James. He wastefully headed off target with the goal gaping.

Another big chance soon arrived with the Cobblers' panicking defence leaving the ball to each other. It fell invitingly for Sherif, but he dragged his shot wide.

And then, the huge controversy after Jules was penalised, with Hoskins confidently firing home from the spot.

After a very low-key start, the goal provided oxygen for Northampton, who started to target the Millers aerially from crosses and look a bit more threatening, even if the visitors were entitled to feel they had the better of the first period.

Ahead of the second half, Hamshaw made a change with Jordan Hugill thrown up top to support Sherif, with James coming off.

The first half of the half fell to Sherif, who fired a snapshot over after the ball broke for him, momentarily as the Millers again made a lively enough opening to proceedings. Once again, you need to take something during such periods.

For their part, Northampton, a side with strong defensive numbers, seemed quite happy to sit back and wait to try and nick one on the counter to seal it.

Midway through the half, Hamshaw threw Kian Spence and Nombe into the fray, with the former glancing a header wide with his first touch.

The pressure came from United, but the final ball was poor, unfortunately. They were craving a moment of quality. Or luck.

In event, some quality transpired as they persisted.

Baptiste’s cross found Hugill, who cannily made space before expertly heading the ball right into the path of Rafferty, who showed the composure of a striker to fire home high in the net.

Baptiste soon headed off target, with the visitors continuing to dominate and they were rewarded by Benson’s fabulous free-kick winner.

Northampton Town: Fitzsimmons; McCarthy, Thorniley, Perkins (Wormleighton 90); Hoskins, Taylor, Campbell, Guinness-Walker; Swyer (Jacobs 83), Vale (Wheatley 21), Fornah. Willis, Avery, Evans, Barnett.

Rotherham United: Dawson; Rafferty, Jules, Baptiste; Hall, Gore, Powell, James (Hugill HT); McWilliams (Spence 67), Benson (Kelly 91); Sherif (Nombe 67). Substitutes unused: Yearwood, J Holmes, Douglas.

Referee: P Tierney (Lancs).

Attendance: 6,458 (596 Rotherham United supporters).