Steve Evans happy with how Rotherham found a way to beat Cambridge

Rotherham manager Steve Evans was relieved after his side came from behind to beat League One strugglers Cambridge 2-1.

After Ryan Loft gave the second-bottom visitors the lead shortly after half-time, the Millers fought back through goals from Mallik Wilks and Hakeem Odoffin.

Evans said: “In the first half you had a Cambridge team with no intent to go forward. They wanted to sit behind the ball and get what they got in the second half.

“We did not move the ball with any purpose or close down or pass with a purpose.

“The goal goes against us but I think that sparked four or five of the players who had looked sluggish in the first half.

“The character was about bouncing back from Saturday (defeat to Burton).

“They (Cambridge) are a much improved team so it was always going to be tough.”

Cambridge took the lead out of the blue in the 49th minute when Loft lashed in after finding space in the box from Josh Stokes’ pass.

Rotherham responded well and got level after 53 minutes when Wilks was found by Joe Powell’s cross and his header bounced in off the post.

The hosts netted the winner in the 69th minute with another flowing move down the left flank, which was finished by Odoffin who hammered home from Wilks’ cross.

Cambridge head coach Garry Monk was left frustrated as he felt Rotherham’s first goal should not have stood.

He said: “I thought it was just an even game in the first half and from an away point of view, the crowd was quite flat, which was good for us.

“I felt we could have played with more urgency and we spoke about that at half-time.

“We started the second half really well and managed to get the lead. Everything was going to plan.

“To get that goal against us was a blow. It’s a foul on Kell (Watts). The referee has to see it because it was a two-handed shove in his back.

“It was more the second goal I was disappointed with. There was naivety in that moment. We should have been a bit more streetwise.

“We tried to bring fresh legs on and mix it up a bit to get back into it but quite rightly their prerogative is to make it scrappy and delay and we could not find the quality moment to get back into it.”