Steve Evans has criticised his Rotherham United side after they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Barnsley at Oakwell last night.
The Millers have endured a torrid time in League One since suffering relegation from the Championship. Having begun the campaign as one of the pre-season favourites for promotion, the South Yorkshire-based side have failed to gain any momentum and currently sit 14th in the table.
The made the short trip across the county having suffered a shock FA Cup first round defeat at the hands of League Two’s Cheltenham Town last weekend, their third loss in four games. Evans would have been hoping for a reaction from his team but goals from Jon Russell and Stephen Humphrys saw the Tykes emerge with the three points.
Steve Evans Bemoans Sloppy Play
Having rejoined Rotherham in April, Evans had a busy summer, bringing in 14 players. However, the squad has failed to gel and have won just four league games this season.
Last night was a stark reminder of how tough League One can be, with the former Stevenage and Leeds United boss critical of the goals his team conceded. Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield after the game, he said:
“It was one or two players changing the way we’d set up as a team to play and started to do things differently. All of a sudden we are trying to take people on at the edge of the box, giving the ball away and the corner we conceded from came from us giving the ball away with some sloppy play.”
Despite the defeat, Evans believed his side deserved a point:
“But we missed a huge chance, and I don’t think the goalkeeper knows anything about it, but we should score. Then we got into a bit of a ground-hog situation and a defensive mistake and a really good finish makes it 2-0. From there on we are chasing shadows.
“But Barnsley were the better team and deserved to beat us, though 2-0 is probably a harsh scoreline. Goals change games and it probably should have been 1-1.”
Writer’s View
Steve Evans has credit in the bank from his previous stint with Rotherham, but there is no doubt that they need to start picking up points. With other results, they could slip further down the table this afternoon. They have an opportunity to reset over the coming days following next week’s postponement of their clash with Bolton before resuming later this month against struggling Crawley Town. They need to make the break count.
Head of Writing
