PEACE in the boardroom may be replaced by increasing uneasiness on the terraces if Clarets fans are subjected to many more matches like this.

That Burnley deserved to lose was highly debatable.

But the shoddy standard of this match was not. Against a background of bleak squalor that was formally industrial Yorkshire heartland, Millmoor provided a perfect setting.

As spectacles go this deserved sandwiching between A Night with Des O'Connor and counting sheep.

In general it was simply woeful although honest application was seldom lacking.

As a respected reporter seated next to me observed, "A lot happened, and nothing happened." An occasionally frenetic tempo produced two clear cut opportunities throughout the entire 90 minutes.

One of these resulted in the Rotherham goal.

The other was blasted wide by Andy Roscoe when he should have at least hit the target.

Shaun Goater's 80th minute penalty does not merit consideration for it could have been saved by Mother Teresa.

All of the others were speculative long-range efforts that caused no trouble to either goalkeeper.

If running around a field, chasing after a football were the object of the game there would be no need for goalposts, pitch markings or stadiums. A large field and a hedge row to separate participants from spectators would suffice.

But football is about so much more than this.

It is (among other things) about tactics, formations, creating chances, spontaneity, entertainment - qualities from which this match was completely divorced.

We can hardly demand "total football" from Second Division teams.

But we do have every right to expect professional footballers to be able to pick out their colleagues with the ball. Here, the simplest of passes went astray, moves broke down before they had really started and set pieces appeared like they had not been rehearsed in months.

At one degree above freezing, conditions were not ideal.

But they could not be offered as an excuse for the dearth of quality on Saturday at Millmoor.

Andy Roscoe's miss in the third minute was indicative of the mediocrity to follow.

A poor clearance by Chris Vinnicombe was intercepted by Goater who set up Roscoe inside Burnley's penalty area.

But he swept the ball wide of the far post when he should have at least been warming the hands of Marlon Beresford. At the other end Matthew Clarke was forced into action when Gerry Harrison weaved through the Rotherham defence, passed to Andy Cooke whose shot hit the keeper before Kurt Nogan poked the ball under Clarke but wide from the six-yard box.

Indeed, the talented striker, who could soon become a key figure for Wales, was anonymous for the most part of the afternoon.

Nogan's frustrations were summed up in the 42nd minute when an almost perfect cross by Eyres was snatched off his head by Goater with an open goal at his mercy.

The introduction of John Francis for an injured Chris Brass in the 48th minute precipitated a period of Burnley dominance which promised a breakthrough. But Burnley flattered to deceive and could not fashion a single move to bring a save out of Clarke.

Solidity at the back, however, in which the more orthodox flat back four formation was favoured to last week's three central defenders, seemed to suggest an inevitable stalemate.

But, with 10 minutes remaining, captain Peter Swan inexplicably upended Goater inside the area when Mark Winstanley had the big centre forward covered.

Referee Poulain's decision to award a penalty was unavoidable.

As was Beresford's save from a spot kick that bore all the hallmarks of a backpass.

The game now looked destined for a draw when Gary Bowyer caught Burnley's defence napping with a beautifully-timed ball that sent Trevor Berry racing clear. Keeping a clear head, Berry moved right, then placed the ball to his left and beyond the diving body of an advancing Beresford into the net.

For promotion hopefuls, this was a setback not entirely anticipated.

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