Northampton ended a run of five straight defeats with a 3-1 victory over Rotherham.

Rotherham the victims as Northampton end 5-game losing sequence

Northampton caretaker boss Ian Sampson saw his side end a run of five straight defeats with a 3-1 victory over Rotherham. Ryan Gilligan gave the hosts a 10th minute lead when he fired home through a crowd of players but Rotherham should have been in front by then had Kevin Ellison not headed wide with the goal begging. Tom Pope went close to an equaliser and was then denied by a smart save from Chris Dunn. But Northampton doubled their advantage a minute after the restart when Courtney Herbert, who was plucked out of part-time football, scored on his debut when his shot was ruled to have crossed the line via the underside of the bar. Cobblers had a third goal in the 59th minute when a fierce drive from Luke Guttridge was headed into his own net by skipper Ian Sharps. Dunn saved again from Nicky Law and then superbly tipped over a deflected effort from Danny Harrison before Millers striker Adam Le Fondre grabbed a consolation for the visitors with 12 minutes remaining from the penalty spot.