Rotherham United: Evans left to rue defensive errors in comprehensive loss

Rotherham Manager Steve Evans during the FA Cup Third Round match at the AESSEAL New York Stadium, Rotherham. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday January 3, 2015. See PA Story SOCCER Rotherham. Photo credit should read: Ryan Browne/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. Maximum 45 images during a match. No video emulation or promotion as 'live'. No use in games, competitions, merchandise, betting or single club/player services. No use with unofficial audio, video, data, fixtures or club/league logos.

Rotherham United manager Steve Evans was left to rue several costly individual errors as his side warmed up for Saturday’s huge survival scrap with Millwall with a disappointing 3-0 loss at promotion-chasing Watford.

Following Saturday’s 5-0 defeat at Wolves, the Millers suffered further woe at another high-flying side to leave them just three points above the Championship relegation zone, having managed to gain only one point out of a possible 12 in their last four games.

Evans said: “If you make big errors you get punished in the Championship if you come to a club with the players that Watford have got.

Kari Arnason, slipping and falling over, I don’t think you’ll see that again in the Championship this season, but we’ve been done by individual errors.

“When the slip happened I don`t think anyone in the stadium will argue that, at that time, we were on top. And, immediately after Kari`s mistake Matt Derbyshire should have equalised. We had a bit of a ropy spell for five minutes after the goal and people got a little bit nervous which happens. But I thought we were the team going in the ascendancy going into the interval and we wanted more of the same.

“At half-time, we were positive but if you make big errors like we did in and around the box then you`re going to concede. Watford capitalised on three errors. We made five chances here tonight and not taken any of them. So the plus side is that we are making chances.

“I’ve been in the dressing room and the players concerned accept it’s individual errors and it probably falsifies the last 15 or 20 minutes where Watford have a bit of the ball, with the quality they’ve got and they’ve got the freedom to express themselves.”