Wednesday 20 April 2016 00:00, UK
Rotherham could not put the finishing touches on their Sky Bet Championship survival mission after a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield but boss Neil Warnock was more concerned with his side extending their unbeaten run to 10 games.
Rotherham could not put the finishing touches on their Sky Bet Championship survival mission after a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield but boss Neil Warnock was more concerned with his side extending their unbeaten run to 10 games.
The Millers would have been safe had it not been for an unlikely point for MK Dons at promotion-chasing Sheffield Wednesday, but sitting nine points clear with a healthy goal difference and only three games left to play, the champagne remains on ice and ready to be popped.
It looked like it might be job done for Warnock, who saw his side six points adrift of safety at the end of February, after Greg Halford's early opener, but that was cancelled out midway through the first half by Nahki Wells.
The draw equals Rotherham's 10-match unbeaten run in the second tier achieved by Emlyn Hughes' side in 1982-83 and means a point or anything other than three Dons wins between now and the end of the season will be enough to see them home.
"I have nothing but praise for them," Warnock said. "We have equalled a record tonight, 10 games unbeaten in the Championship going back to Emlyn Hughes' days, that's what sort of record it is and it would be nice for us to beat that record at Wolves.
"You forget just what these lads have put in in the last few weeks from being six points adrift to nine points in front with three games left, it's an incredible feat really.
"I'm not disappointed, I would rather be nine points in front with a good goal difference, if you'd have told me that when I took over I would have kissed you."
While a point was not good enough for Rotherham to secure their safety, it was for Huddersfield, who, although never in real danger of dropping out of the division, have now mathematically assured themselves of a place in it next season.
The Terriers could easily have left New York Stadium with all three points had Lee Camp not pulled off a string of late saves, but boss David Wagner said 1-1 was a fair result.
"We deserved this point, it was great how we came back, it isn't the easiest challenge if you are 1-0 down away at Rotherham," he said.
"It wasn't one of the best football matches I have watched in my career but I was very pleased and impressed with the fighting attitude that my squad delivered today it is exactly what we asked for.
"It was the most important thing to have a fighting attitude against a gameplan that was slightly different to ours.
"We were the team who invested much more than our opponent did so we had some good moments where we were able to create chances but unfortunately we couldn't take them. We have to accept this result and in the end it was probably fair.
"I know that we are mathematically safe but in the last few weeks I never had the real feeling that we were in real danger because I work every single day with this squad and I know how strong we are and how talented they are."
