Paul Warne says a punishing schedule is impacting on his Rotherham United side but they won’t give up in their battle to avoid the drop.

The Millers were beaten 1-0 by Brentford on Tuesday night, Bryan Mbuemo’s first half goal leaving them four points from safety with three games to go.

It was a fifth consecutive defeat for Warne’s side who host Rovers on Saturday knowing a victory could be needed to continue their fight into the final week of the season.

A Covid outbreak in March, causing the postponement of four matches, has forced the Millers to play every midweek since the international break.

And Warne said: “The lads are exhausted.

“A lot are carrying injuries, but they’re all running and chasing, they’re all desperate for success and you can hear the subs cheering the lads on.

“I can’t knock them for their efforts, and I know people are probably bored of me saying that.

“If this was the third away game of the season and we’d lost that 1-0, I’d be really proud of them. But the sad reality is, we need points.

“The lads have had a long season, a real torrid time.

“I’m exhausted and I was just doing a team talk, so I know how they feel. But they don’t give up.

“They keep going to the very end and for that, I’ll always admire them and respect them.”