Steve Evans says Rotherham United 'put the Christmas lights up' with victory over Reading

The feelgood factor of the Millers' first away win in nearly two years quickly dissipated when Lewis Wing put the Royals in front against the run of play at the New York Stadium.

With the home team's confidence visibly ebbing on the back of it, they were booed off at the break.

But they game back with goals from Sam Nombe and Hakeem Odoffin and should have won more comfortably after Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan was sent off in what the visitors claimed was a case of msitaken identity.

"Before I got chance to speak some boys mentioned the response of the supporters, a little bit of booing, and I said to them that's not based on the first-half performance, we played really well in spells," said Evans.

"I said that's two years of frustration so don't take that personally.

"I said, 'We need to light up the lights. We need to put the Christmas tree lights up in October.' How do we do that? We play as we played, we get a little bit more width in our play, we have more movement, more aggression and I said we'd run over them.

"We did that.

"I think first half we were the better side by a way, not a long way.

"Second half until two minutes from time it's just a dominant performance and we're disappointed that when we counter-attacked with them going caution to the wind, we deserved a third goal.

"I'm really pleased with the performance and I said to the boys at the end of the game you've lit up some Christmas trees in October for our supporters because they believe now.

"Normally in the past years when they've gone behind it ends up a long and woeful day.

"They've had to watch some dross but they're not watching dross now."

Evans said some of his players saw a new side to him during the half-time interval.

"Maybe some of the boys have not seen me as passionate as that for a little while," he said. "One or two have played for me have.

"They have to care, they have to have that passion.

"People have always said to me where does Steve Evans' team spirit come from because I've built it everywhere I go. I say its because we win games everywhere we go – not me, the players.

"Team spirit comes from players, from supporters, from a board of directors, a chairman and a togetherness.

"We've had all of that apart from the results.

"If we'd only had the results we'd deserved, not the games we've deserved to lose, we'd be in the top three."

Rotherham are 17th in League One but so early in the season, the table is very congested, with the Millers only three points outside the play-off places.

David Button made an excellent save from Nombe at 2-1, and Rotherham had chances to score a third either side of Ehibhatiomhan's red card, which the visitors claimed went to the wrong player.

As it was, Cameron Dawson had to pull off a great save from his own defender, Cameron Humphreys, to secure the three points.

"We're just pleased we won," said Evans.

"We'll train on Monday. We'll respect the Bristol Street Motors competition (which they host Newcastle United under-21s on Tuesday) but in reality we'll prepare properly for a real tough one at Peterborough, a team who are almost the team we left, bar the odd player. They're really good opposition."