Yorkshire Post Power Rankings: There's no stopping merry Millers

There is some movement just behind, most notably from Bradford City, Leeds United and Middlesbrough, but it is plus ca change at the bottom for poor Doncaster Rovers and York City.

Here are the latest rankings:

1: Rotherham United WDWWDW (unchanged).

These are indeed happy days to be a Miller. An unbeaten eight-match Championship sequence and safety pretty in the bag after an emphatic 4-0 weekend win over nearest rivals MK Dons, with it very much men against boys as the visitors pummelled the hosts in front of a near 3,000 travelling contingent who had a party in a 4-0 win. Neil Warnock says he will be disappointed if the Millers lose one more game between now and the end of the season and you sense he is not kidding.

2: Bradford City WLWWWW (up two).

1-0 to the Bradford boys. Four have now arrived on the spin, with the Bantams proving obdurate to beat, while keeping clean sheets for fun - with the faint sniff of the top two in their nostrils with Burton starting to look ropey. City have found a way to win; it is not necessarily that pretty, but it isn’t half effective.

3: Barnsley WDWWLW (down one).

Barnsley failed to end a climatic, if emotionally draining, Wembley week with victory over Danny Wilson’s Chesterfield at the weekend, largely due to the concession of two poor goals. But the redoubtable Reds, in keeping with a memorable new year thus far, got immediately back on the horse with a Sam Winnall-inspired Roses win over Oldham to keep alive their top-six quest in League One.

4: Middlesbrough LWWWWW (up two).

Football a funny ol’game? It most certainly is for Boro, all over the place a month ago after back-to-back losses to Charlton and the Millers, with their season in danger of unravelling with speculation surrounding the future of Aitor Karanka. In the event, Karanka stayed and Boro have dug out five successive victories, the latest of which arrived at the death on Tuesday after Adam Forshaw netted following a dramatic game of stoppage-time pinball against Reading. Fate is smiling on the Teessiders at present.

5: Sheffield Wednesday DWWWWL (down two).

Few would have seen Wednesday’s Ashton Gate implosion in an inept 4-1 drubbing coming, given their remarkable consistency this term - they also came into the game on the back of a seasonal first of four successive victories. Uncharacteristic defensive deficiencies were abound although a far-from-ideal build-up hardly aided the Owls’ cause. Getting back on track is the aim at the weekend against Ipswich.

6: Leeds United WLLDLW (up two).

Leeds were perceived as lambs to the slaughter ahead of the weekend game at Burnley, but in the event, the Whites posted a half-decent performance which would have yielded something if Chris Wood had his shooting boots on.

To their credit, Leeds backed up with an excellent midweek win at Birmingham, to provide a crumb of comfort for the long-suffering Whites loyals who have followed the club largely through thin and thin in recent times.

7: Huddersfield Town WLWLLD (unchanged).

Still not mathematically safe yet for Town, but a presentable performance in an eye-catching game against Hull yielded one point, and only a last-gasp leveller denied them three. After a flurry of games against Yorkshire opponents, Town now face a run of more sedate and winnable run of fixtures.

8: FC Halifax Town WLLWLL (down three).

What a difference seven days makes. After a key late win over fellow strugglers Boreham Wood, the Shaymen have come crashing down to earth with poor results and defeats against Aldershot and Kidderminster. Work to do still to rubber-stamp safety.

9: Guiseley LLDDLW (up two).

Several questions were asked of Mark Bower’s side, who went into Tuesday’s game with play-off chasing Wrexham without a win in 12 league matches and without a three-point haul at Nethermoor since November 28.

The Lions deserve huge credit for standing up and being counted as they secured a huge victory to aid their survival cause with a fair bit of style - to ease their plight after a weekend loss to champions-elect Cheltenham.

10: Hull City DDLWLD (unchanged).

To remain in the top-two mix, Hull - even accounting for having a game in hand - really needed to win at Huddersfield at the weekend. But in the end, they required a late Adama Diomande strike to go away with anything.

Another mixed bag from the Tigers, who have been consistently inconsistent at the wrong time.

11: Sheffield United WLWLWD (down two).

Not the worst result or performance in the world against visiting Gillingham at the Lane, but the 0-0 draw effectively dealt the death knell to any lingering play-off hopes in a season when the Blades were favourites for automatic promotion from League One. But - for a variety of reasons - they have under-achieved badly. A wholly forgettable campaign.

12: York City DLDLDD (unchanged).

Down and pretty much out for York, with another draw recorded after Jake Bloomfield netted a late leveller for Wycombe. Not what was required...

13: Doncaster Rovers LLLLDL (unchanged).

It’s small consolation that Rovers’ last two performances have not been half bad. But the grievous damage has already been done. Destined for the basement unless there is a miraculous chain of events. No league wins in 16 since January 2. Damning.