Evans gets his Millers players ready for “biggest game of all”

The Millers, who would be safe already had it not been for a three-point deduction by the Football League, can condemn Wigan and Millwall to the drop if they beat Reading on Tuesday night.

In the club’s opening two years at their new stadium both of their final games of the season ended in celebratory pitch invasions - firstly after winning promotion from League Two in 2012/13 and then by reaching the League One play-off final after beating Preston last term.

A win against the Royals could lead to similar scenes as the Millers would achieve safety for what would be the second time in Evans’s mind.

The club could yet still appeal the league’s decision to dock them three points, even though that could end up being academic.

“This is the biggest game of all, the biggest game ever that the stadium has hosted in its short life time,” Evans said.

“We are going to need centimetres to get over this line and we can do it tomorrow night and enjoy the months ahead.

“It’s a big opportunity to secure our Championship status. They can take our points but they can’t take our desire.

“From a dressing room perspective we are safe, we have gained enough points to be safe in the Championship.

“Other people have allowed us to lose three points, we feel harshly treated on that but we can’t let that affect our focus.

“We need to produce a big performance because I have nothing but total respect for a good Reading team with good players and good manager. It was a team who tore us apart down there earlier in the season.

“Stevie Clarke has done a great job, they will be ready and come here and want to beat us.”

Reading boss Clarke is counting down the days until the end of the season.

The Royals close their campaign with away games in South Yorkshire followed by a trip to Derby and it cannot come fast enough as they have won just one of their last 12 league games and have not scored in four.

“The club has had three seasons of disappointment, you can sense that around the stadium, hopefully we can change that next season,” he said.

“We’re struggling for goals, you can’t say it any other way. I’ve tried every forward player, whether it’s a lack of confidence, nervousness, I don’t know.

“We create but we’re not putting it away.

“We look forward to both of them, proper games with something on them, hopefully away from home we can relax a bit and find the goals that are missing.”