Wigan and Rotherham shared the spoils after a goalless Sky Bet Championship draw at the DW Stadium that lived up to its billing as a dead rubber.

With the Millers already safe and the Latics already relegated, there was little to play for in front of a bumper crowd, boosted by a sell-out contingent from South Yorkshire.

All of the pre-match talk had focused on Wigan's failure to pay their players on time for a fifth time this season.

• Championship fixtures | table | highlights
• Get Sky Sports

And a number of their first-team 'regulars' were absent from the matchday squad named by boss Shaun Maloney.

James McClean - one of the players who had not been paid - did play, however, and wore the captain's armband on what could turn out to be his last appearance for the club.

How the Championship finished

Wigan missing players but earn draw

Youngster Sam Tickle was making his league debut in goal, and he had a confidence-boosting first involvement very early on.

Tariqe Fosu danced through the Wigan defence and got in his shot, but the goalkeeper was able to make a fine stop with his body.

The home defence parted again as Jamie Lindsay made his way through some non-existent tackling.

But this time on-loan midfielder Christ Tiehi - another making his final appearance - stuck out a foot in the nick of time to toe it back to Tickle.

As half-time approached, Fosu crossed from the right and the ball flew only just in front of the lunging Jordan Hugill at the far post.

After the restart, a Rotherham break saw them threaten two-on-two, but a great recovery from Tom Pearce and then McClean snuffed out the danger.

Tickle was called into action again from a Fosu free-kick before a Charlie Hughes cross found Thelo Aasgaard unmarked at the far post at the other end. His header was straight at Viktor Johansson.

The Millers goalkeeper pulled off a stunning save moments later to keep out Omar Rekik's header from a Callum Lang free-kick.

As Wigan looked to end a disastrous campaign on a high, Tiehi sent a half-volley from 20 yards over the top.

Lang had one last effort to break the deadlock right at the end but his shot, which was travelling, was superbly gathered by Johansson.

There had been suggestions that some home supporters would try to get onto the field in the closing stages to protest at the club's ownership.

Nothing transpired, although the game was halted in stoppage time when the away supporters threw a couple of red flares onto the field.

The managers

Wigan's Shaun Maloney:

"I actually really liked the second half. We had to change things slightly at half-time, and I really liked the mentality we had. The first half was a little bit tentative.

"In fairness, some of the players hadn't played for a while - or at least alongside each other for a while. I just told them I needed a bit more aggression and belief in that second half, at the end of what has been a very, very difficult few days. And there were a number of positives to come out of it, especially the performance of a number of young players."

When asked about the off-field situation, Maloney added: "It's been hard, very hard. I think we all expected and hoped that these kinds of days were behind us. But, yes, it was very difficult again for everyone to deal with. There's just been a lack of clarity, which makes it difficult for me to manage the team and manage the players individually.

"And I have to say a massive thanks again to the squad, five of whom played despite not having been paid. That's not to discount any of the other players who did exactly the same earlier this season when this happened before. It's just a really special group really, given what they've been through. They've gone above and beyond this year for the club, and people shouldn't forget that."

Rotherham's Matt Taylor:

"It was their moment, this, and for the players. It was a reward and recognition for what they've done over the previous 45 games. We did what we set out to do, and we achieved that last Monday. This was a celebration of that.

"In the first half, I quite liked us as a team, and we created enough openings to probably go ahead in the game. In the second half, we became a little bit disjointed, along with the game. But I don't want to read too much into that, because we'd already done our work for the season. And it was a great moment at the end for the players, to be able to celebrate with the fans.

"I've just been told that's been our best away following for nine years, and I think that shows the connection between the fans and this group of players - and it's all about trust. I came in a couple of months into the season, and I've started to build that trust with them, as they have with me. The fans are the same, and they'll only do that if we achieve our goals - and this year, that was staying in the league."

Win £250,000 with Super 6!

Another Saturday, another chance to win £250,000 with Super 6. Play for free, entries by 3pm.