Stevenage 0 Rotherham United 3: Rotherham receive reward for hard work with comfortable win

The result was obviously welcome, but manager Steve Evans insisted it was the only respect in which this game differed from their previous handful of matches in League One.

“It was a good performance, but nothing has changed as, in terms of league action, we’ve been playing exceptionally well,” said Evans. “The performances have been good and (Saturday) was just the same.

“We have some top players in that dressing room but they work very hard too – they are tired every single morning.

“As long as they keep working that hard they’ll have that habit of winning football matches.”

Rotherham took the lead on 14 minutes from a partially cleared corner. Joe Skarz hoisted the ball back in to the home penalty area where Alex Revell rose impressively to place a header across goal.

Kieran Agard seemed likely to score, but home goalkeeper Chris Day blocked his effort.

However, the ball bounced loose to Ben Pringle who scored from 10 yards.

Day made several fine saves to keep it at 1-0, but was taken off injured at the break and replaced by Steve Arnold.

Rotherham almost doubled their lead after the interval when, from another corner, Michael O’Connor’s acrobatic volley from outside the box drew a fine save from Arnold.

It was to be a short-lived reprieve as Claude Davis added a second goal for the visitors shortly after. A foul on Revell on the right earned a free-kick which Pringle hoisted to the far post. Arnold came to meet it, but failed to reach the centre and Davis rose to power home a header.

While their second goal owed much to Arnold’s error, their third on 65 minutes from O’Connor was all their own making.

The Millers counter-attacked following a corner for the home side with Lee Frecklington and Revell combining to feed O’Connor.

He advanced into space and from around 25 yards hit a fulminating shot into the far corner which Arnold did well to get a hand to but could not keep out the powerful drive.

Stevenage: Day (Arnold 46), Jimmy Smith, Jones, Hartley, Freeman, Morais (Tounkara 82), Heslop, Doughty, Tansey (Andrade 46), Zoko, Akins. Unused substitutes: Wedgbury, Burrow, Parrett, Johnson.

Rotherham United: Collin, Brindley, Davis (Mills 85), Morgan, Skarz, Agard, Frecklington (Tidser 81), O’Connor (Milsom 79), Pringle, Tubbs, Revell. Unused substitutes: Shearer, Eaves, Rowe.

Referee: James Linington (Isle of Wight).