Rotherham United 1 Bristol City 3: Not a day for the defence on a worrying return to action for the Millers

After a sound opening on the home front, Rotherham United have won just once in five matches under him at the AESSEAL New York Stdium and they could have few complaints at losing to a side who started the afternoon below them in the table.

Without a win in Rotherham since 1995, City made up for lost time.

Possessing a reputation for potency on the counter, the Robins reinforced it After Wes Harding’s early own goal, cancelled out by Chiedozie Ogbene, they took over and goals from Joe Williams and a killer on 74 minutes from Cameron Pring earned them a deserved win.

In their first game for 28 days, Rotherham lacked attacking wit - apart from Ogbene and a couple of first-half flurries from Brooke Norton-Cuffy.

Dan Barlaser and Ben Wiles tried their best, but the game stars were in visiting colours in the likes of the excellent Tommy Conway, Alex Scott and Nahki Wells.

Both sides operated with wing-backs with the victor in that particular battle on the flanks looking like having a bearing on the game’s outcome from early on.

At the interval, City were certainly ahead on points in that regard and caused Rotherham big problems down their right, with that avenue bringing both their goals.

Norton-Cuffy posed problems going the other way and that produced the Millers goal. City’s strikes will have concerned Taylor more.

The Millers shook out the rust to take the game to the Robins. An arcing, enterprising run from Ben Wiles ended in Max O’Leary gathering his low shot.Soon after, the West Country outfit were ahead.

Nakhi Wells showed craft to get away from Lee Peltier on the Millers right and his dangerous low cross was unfortunately powered into his own net from Harding.

City carved out Rotherham on the same side ten minutes later, but Conway’s cross could not pick out a charcoal jersey.

The hosts went up the other end and promptly levelled with Norton-Cuffy’s looping cross, which deflected off an opponent, headed in at the back stick by Ogbene for his seventh goal of the campaign.

All was set fair before City regained the lead on the half-hour.

Piercing play by Kai Naismith found Conway and his inviting low cross was bundled in by Williams.

The Millers’ best moment to level before the break saw O’Leary pat away a daisy-cutter, while Johansson kept out Wells’s stinging drive after a slick City counter.

Mindful that Wood was on a booking and probably on a last warning, Taylor brought off the Millers captain at the break with Jamie McCart coming on for his first home appearance since early September.

Trailing at the interval, the onus was on Rotherham to make things happen, but their opening to the second period was unconvincing.

Aside from a set-piece or ingenuity from Ogbene, it was difficult to see where a goal would come from, while City possessed menace on the counter.

Taylor rang the changes in a bid to spark the Millers into producing something substantive.

Pring settled things, heading in a cross from Scott, denied by Johansson moments earlier.

Kelly almost netted a late Millers consolation. But it was comfortably City’s day.