Middlesbrough 0 Rotherham 0: More boos for Boro as Millers continue good run on Teesside

After a lot of talking this week, it was about actions and not words.

Following the disorder of Tuesday night against Cardiff, this game was far less eventful from a Boro perspective - certainly towards their goal - but it was far from wholly satisfying either going the other way.

Boro are going through a rough spell. When you are edgy, wrong options are made and things don’t come naturally. And this was a case in point. A clean sheet was about the only positive thing on a day when they dropped into the relegation zone before kick-ooff. Boos arrived at the end as Boro remain in it going into the international break.

Rotherham, by contrast, are flying high in eighth position. It is no fluke as Wilder admitted after the match.

The hosts had the better of it on the night, just about, but also looked what they are. A side who have not hit their straps of late and are lacking wit, conviction and rhythm.

The Millers competed well enough and got in one of two dangerous situation on the break, with Brooke Norton-Cuffy causing a few issues alongside Chiedozie Ogbene.

The goalless nature at the interval was more than enough to keep them interested, mindful that an opener in the second would heighten the clear anxiety around these parts - it became apparent among some home supporters as the half went on.

Wilder made three changes and the promotion of Duncan Watmore was the most productive one.

He was the one player who caused genuine problems for the Millers with his intelligent movement and pace.

Watmore has assets, but his goals to chances ratio is not one of them. He spurned a good chance on 18 minutes following Richard Wood’s error, blazing over in a very promising position.

A fine run from Watmore set up another decent opportunity before the half-hour mark for Isaiah Jones, but he fired wide. It was not a red-letter half for Jones, who looked lacking in confidence and his decision-making was questionable at times.

Millers keeper Viktor Johansson was forced into action just once and that was fairly standard to beat away Ryan Giles’s bending shot.

The visitors had one presentable opportunity, with Zach Steffen, restored in goal in preference to Liam Roberts, parrying a cross-shot from Conor Washington following a quickly taken free-kick with Jones clearing for a corner.

The Millers would have happily taken 0-0 at the break, knowing that stepping it up a notch or two in the second half would have a good chance of yielding another strong result on Teesside.

Watmore again announced himself on the restart in skipping away from Wood close to the byline, but his finish was weak from close in.

When he got it right, he was afforded no luck. He latched onto Muniz’s lofted pass and his dink hit the inside of the post with the onrushing Johansson looking like he got a vital touch..

Watmore and McGree, Boro’s best, then combined again, but the former’s low shot deflected into the side-netting.

It was one of those nights for Boro. One of those seasons so far, in truth.