Five of the best: Steve Evans in charge of Rotherham United

In a statement, the club said that following a meeting between Stewart and Evans, both parties wished to head in a ‘different direction’, bringing an end to a three-and-a-half working relationship.

It was all a far cry from the spring, when Evans, after clinching safety for the Millers, said: “I’ve got a big future with Tony Stewart. There aren’t many chairman who come to you when you are in the middle of a bad run and tell you whatever happens, you are going to be with them and not to be worrying about that. He knows what I am like.”

The Scot’s exit from Rotherham brings an end to a majestic stint at the club which evoked memories of the Ronnie Moore era in the early noughties - incorporating two promotions.

Here’s five games to remember in the Steve Evans reign.

1: Millers 2 Reading 1, (April 29, 2015, Championship)

Two close-range goals in the space of six second-half minutes from Matt Derbyshire and Lee Frecklington saw the Millers cllinch their cherished for Championship safety at an ecstatic AESSEAL New York Stadium.

On the 14th anniversary of getting promoted to the second tier, the Millers secured another famous triumph, with Evans, Stewart and the jubilant Millers players celebrating on the balcony amid joyous scenes afterwards following a pitch invasion by delighted home supporters.

Evans labelled the clash as the biggest ever at the NYS and the hosts showed their mettle, despite a tense finale after Oliver Norwood scored a late goal.

It enabled Evans to don a sombrero and beach wear in the Millers final game of the season at Leeds, which he said he would if his side secured their second-tier tenure.

2: Millers 2 Leeds United 1, (October 17, 2014, Championship)

Milestone goals from Alex Revell - his first of the season and first since his magnificent Wembley equaliser in the League Two play-off final against Leyton Orient - and a maiden Millers strike from record signing Jonson-Clarke Harris, just under two minutes after coming on with his first telling touch - earned another joyous victory for the Millers.

Mirco Antenucci had fired Leeds in front in the first half, but Rotherham hit back in superb fashion on the restart.

It enabled the Millers to follow up their victory over another former top-flight champion in Blackburn Rovers in their previous home game to draw level on points with Leeds.

The Millers cancelled out Antenucci’s opener when boyhood Leeds fan Frecklington saw his angled shot turned away by Marco Silvestri with Revell converting the rebound on 58 minutes.

The hosts went for jugular and seven minutes later when Clarke-Harris produced a magic moment out of nothing with a fierce long-ranger.

3: Millers 2 Leyton Orient 2 (Millers won 4-3 on penalties, League One play-off final, May 25, 2014)

Rotherham secured their return to the second tier by beating Leyton Orient 4-3 on penalties after an enthralling 2-2 draw at Wembley.

Moses Odubajo gave Orient the lead with a brilliant 25-yard volley before his low cross set up Dean Cox to tap home.

Alex Revell stabbed home from close range to make it 2-1, before levelling with a stunning 30-yard strike.

The O’s were 3-2 ahead in the shootout before Adam Collin saved penalties from Mathieu Baudry and Chris Dagnall.

Evans dedicated his side’s dramatic come-back to his sick brother and sister-in-law.

His eldest brother Hugh had a stroke last week and while he was having a three-hour operation his wife Kathleen was also in hospital getting radiotherapy for cancer.

It was a game made famous for Evans’ touchline celebrations following Revell’s spectacular goal when he ran down the Wembley touchline, with promotion being the eighth of the Scot’s career.

4: Millers 3 Preston 1, May 15, 2014 (Millers win 4-2 on aggregate - League One play-off semi-final, second leg)

The Millers moved to within 90 minutes of the Championship with a thrilling Roses victory over Simon Grayson’s Preston - on a night which Millers delirious supporters will never forget.

On an evening when several players from the last Millers line-up to claim back-to-back promotions to the second level, were in attendance, including Alan Lee, Guy Branston and Mike Pollitt, along with legendary managerial duo Ronnie Moore and John Breckin, the Millers put themselves on the precipice of an identical achievement.

A two-goal blast inside ten first-half minutes from Wes Thomas and Lee Frecklington proved key, with the Millers hitting back after Paul Gallagher’s 16th-minute goal put North End in front 2-1 on aggregate in the League One play-off semi-final second leg.

It was left to Kieran Agard to apply the coup de grace with a third goal for the hosts on 67 minutes to seal the deal.

5: Bradford City 0 Millers 2, (April 16, 2013, League Two)

TWO goals in the final ten minutes - one hugely controversial - put Rotherham United firmly in the box seat for automatic promotion from League Two - while obliterating Bradford City’s own top-three hopes in the process in a massive Yorkshire derby win.

A highly debatable penalty, coolly converted by Lee Frecklington ten minutes from time and a stoppage-time second from Kieron Agard, settled the scrappiest and tensest of derby occasions in the visitors’ favour.

While the major talking point before the game centred on Evans’ first return to Valley Parade since that infamous night in March 2012 when several members of his Crawley side were involved in a ugly post-match brawl with several Bantams counterparts - which ultimately saw five players dismissed, the conjecture this time centred on Haywood pointing to the spot following a handball offence from sub Michael Nelson to help provide United with their key opener.

The Millers went onto make hay on a fateful night and they never looked back en route to automatic promotion with a late-season surge of five straight wins.