Morecambe 2 Rotherham 1: Ex-Miller Ellison strikes and leaves Evans irked

Rotherham were stunned when Ellison’s last-minute goal consigned them to defeat, and around two dozen fans ran on the pitch to confront him after the final whistle.

Ellison got above Dale Tonge to meet a cross from the right and send a header looping beyond Scott Shearer before running away, waving his shirt in the air.

Left-back Robbie Threlfall had fired the Shrimps ahead with a free-kick into the bottom corner on 56 minutes.

Alex Revell then deflected home Lionel Ainsworth’s shot to level eight minutes later, before the Millers had captain Johnny Mullins sent off in the 71st minute for fouling Andy Wright.

Rotherham manager Steve Evans admitted: “It’s hard to take, even with 10 men we were battering them.

“We had good chances on the break, but the final ball in the final third wasn’t good enough. The stats don’t lie and, at the end of the day, the result isn’t good enough.”

Kieran Agard returned to the side as part of four changes which also saw Mark Bradley back from injury, and Evans was pleased with his side’s response, but for the two errors that gifted the home side the victory.

“We picked a team on industry, and, to a man, I thought they were brilliant,” added Evans.

“We picked a team that we thought would work hard, and we could have won three or four, making this the hardest defeat of the season. When the ball comes in and Kevin Ellison is attacking it you know what he can do.”

Morecambe: Roche, Parrish (Alessandra 73), Haining, McCready, Threlfall, Fleming, Drummond, McDonald, Wright, Redshaw, Ellison. Unused substitutes: Arestidou, Williams, Burrow, Mwasile, Doyle, Holroyd.

Rotherham United: Shearer, Bradley (Tonge 75), Mullins, Craig Morgan, Skarz, Ainsworth, O’Connor, Arnason, Agard, Pringle, Revell (Odejayi 81). Unused substitutes: Warrington, Nardiello, Noble, Kearns.

Referee: P Gibbs (West Midlands).

Man of the match: Kevin Ellison.