Rotherham United 2 Leeds United 1: Incredible victory is reward for Millers' spirit, says Lee Frecklington

This was, it seemed, going to be a day to don the tin hats as two tribes separated by 30 or so miles of the M1 went to war in a contest that pitted not only both Neil Warnock and Steve Evans against an old employer, but also several members of the respective coaching staffs and playing squads.

As it was, there were another couple of red cards shown by referee Kevin Friend to go with Leeds United full-back Gaetano Berardi being left with a deep cut to the head for the second time this season against Rotherham United.

But, perhaps what that pre-match klaxon was really warning the good people of Rotherham about shortly before kick-off was that, for the second home game running, they were about to be put through the emotional wringer.

Three weeks on from the nerve-shredding fightback that had seen Derby County’s 3-0 lead wiped out in seven incredible minutes, the Millers were at it again in another heart-stopping finale.

Reduced to 10 men for the final half hour after Matt Derbyshire was adjudged to have elbowed Berardi and, as midfielder Lee Frecklington freely admitted afterwards, clinging on for dear life to what would have been a precious point in the fight against relegation, Neil Warnock’s men somehow conjured up a dramatic late winner through a player who just a few weeks ago was persona non grata at the New York Stadium.

Greg Halford, ordered to train with the youth team by a previous regime at Rotherham after unwisely making his feelings known via social media about being frozen out, successfully converted a 90th-minute penalty to send the home fans into raptures and set up the South Yorkshire club nicely for this week’s double-header against rivals, Bristol City and Milton Keynes Dons.

For boyhood Leeds United fan Frecklington, the scorer of the afternoon’s opening goal, Halford’s first strike in a Millers shirt was the dream ending to what he admits was a tough derby encounter.

“Another incredible game,” said the Lincoln-born 30-year-old. “Every game seems to be like that there at the moment.

“We don’t do things the easy way and we do make things difficult for ourselves. But, every week, we show the character we have. To do that against Derby and now Leeds with 10 men is a great achievement.

“I was really up for the Leeds game. It is no secret Leeds are my team. I have been trying to score against them for years so it was extra pleasing. But then we got the red card – I know Matt’s character, and he would never intentionally hurt anyone – and it became a horrible second half.

“Leeds got the deflected goal, which killed us a bit, and I feared the worst because we couldn’t get anywhere near them. We were defending for our lives. I was looking up at the clock and thinking, ‘We’ll take a point here’.

“But we did what we do best and kept going to the end. The atmosphere after the penalty was one of the loudest I have experienced here. That win gives us real momentum and the next two games are crucial. Real six pointers at this stage of the season.”

Derbyshire’s red card – which Warnock plans to appeal – changed the game. Up to then, the Millers had been good value for the lead provided by Frecklington’s impressive half-volley finish to a deep left-wing cross from Joe Mattock.

Leeds may have had more of the possession and played some neat football, but Lee Camp had rarely been called into action.

Derbyshire’s dismissal, though, changed all that as, suddenly, Mirco Antenucci came alive and the visitors got sufficient bodies forward to pin back Rotherham.

The equaliser arrived 11 minutes from time, Luke Murphy’s 20-yard shot taking a wicked deflection to leave Camp wrong-footed as the ball arrowed into the corner of the net. Eight minutes earlier, Camp had denied Antenucci with a stunning reflex save and, at that stage, there seemed to be only one likely winner as Camp’s goal continued to come under pressure.

Camp, though, was destined to finish the afternoon on the winning side thanks to a swift counter-attack in the 89th minute that saw Danny Ward scamper clear down the right flank. The former Leeds trainee then whipped in a cross that Giuseppe Bellusci made a total hash of clearing and the ball fell to Frecklington, who was promptly tripped when attempting to skip past Marco Silvestri.

Referee Kevin Friend immediately pointed to the spot before dismissing Silvestri, who was replaced between the posts by defender Bellusci. Frecklington wanted the spot-kick, but Halford had already been selected by Warnock and he finished with aplomb to leave Evans a frustrated man at the final whistle.

“I wanted to come back and win,” said the United head coach, who will hand teenager Bailey Peacock-Farrell his debut tomorrow against QPR. “For a long time, I thought that was going to happen. Not for one minute in that last 25 minutes did Rotherham think they would get a goal.

“But we made a mistake and got punished. Three or four of the Rotherham lads, who will remain nameless, met me at the top of the tunnel and said, ‘How have we won that?’ That is their opinion.”