Rotherham’s recent revival in form continued as they eased to victory over Bolton Wanderers, harming the Whites’ Play-Off aspirations.
Easy Afternoon for the Hosts
Much of the first half was one-way traffic, so it was no surprise when Rotherham took the lead. Ricardo Santos was very fortunate to remain on the pitch after fouling Mallik Wilks inside the area, and the Yorkshireman coolly rolled the ball into the corner.
Reece James doubled the lead on the stroke of half time with a sweet hit, before Sam Nombe pounced on Nathan Baxter’s fumble to seal the points. John McAtee’s late consolation was as good as it got for the visitors, who saw substitute Dion Charles inexplicably miss the target from less than six yards out earlier in the contest.
What Next for Evatt?
McAtee’s goal was only Wanderers’ second shot on target in what was a woeful afternoon on the road. The 2166 visiting supporters sung about his dismissal in the second period and and Evatt went straight down the tunnel after shaking hands with the Rotherham bench.
A banner was also unfolded displaying ‘Evatt Out’ following the third goal, which condemned Bolton to a third loss in five. On a day where the game was the only third tier fixture to go ahead, Bolton remain well off the pace, and automatic promotion hopes at the beginning of the campaign have long gone.
Millers Breathe New Life into Their Campaign
Steve Evans’ has also had to deal with calls for his sacking, in particular following their South Yorkshire derby loss to Barnsley in November. Had they lost to Lincoln in early December, his side would have dropped into the bottom four.
But they have turned their campaign around and they are now four unbeaten. What is particularly impressive is that those four results have come against top half teams, a group the Millers are now only a point away from joining. They are closer to the top six now than the relegation zone.
Writer’s View
Rotherham recorded one of their best displays of the campaign to really emphasise they have turned a corner this campaign. If a side are going to emerge from mid table to knock on the door of the top six, it’s hard to look past Evans’ side on recent performances. Bolton meanwhile look to be going nowhere at current. Of their three most recent league wins, two required opponents to have a man sent off. This is far from the Wanderers side that we saw last season, reflected by their position in the table.
