Rotherham United have been relegated from the Championship with five games left to play as a result of their 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Plymouth Argyle this evening.
Leam Richardson's men went into Friday night's contest knowing that only a win would keep their distant chances of survival mathematically alive until at least Saturday's games, having won on Easter Monday to leave them 18 points adrift of 21st-placed Plymouth with 18 points left to fight for.
However, Bali Mumba's strike shortly after the half-hour mark proved to be the only goal of the game, sending Rotherham down while also giving Plymouth a much-needed boost in their own battle to stay in the division.
The Millers offered precious little in reply despite the must-win nature of the match, although their return to League One has long since seemed an inevitability and this defeat also confirms that they will finish bottom of the table.
For Plymouth, the win is a crucial one as they climb up to 19th in the Championship table, now four points clear of relegation zone with five matches of their season remaining.
Bali Mumba gives Plymouth the lead against Rotherham! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UOlKGXMyCx
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) April 5, 2024
Rotherham's inevitable relegation confirmed
While the thrilling battles for both promotion and to avoid the remaining two relegation places look set to go down to the wire in the Championship this season, Rotherham's fate has long been known.
The Millers had earned themselves a stay of execution in the second tier by beating Millwall on Easter Monday - a first win in any competition since Boxing Day, and one which came unexpectedly following a dire run of just one point from their previous 11 outings before that.
There was never any realistic hope of an Easter-inspired resurrection, though, with Rotherham heading into Friday's match 18 points from safety and with only 18 points left to fight for.
Even a win might not have been enough to keep them clinging on for another weekend if Huddersfield Town or Sheffield Wednesday went on to win on Saturday, but planning can now officially begin for life back in League One next season.
In truth, that planning should have started some time ago, with Rotherham clearly bound for a return to the third tier throughout much of the season, and that has now been confirmed with five games still to play.
FT | Rotherham United 0 v 1 Plymouth Argyle
— Rotherham United (@RotherhamUnited) April 5, 2024
Defeat seals relegation for the Millers.
Powered by @TheTurmericCo. 🌱#rufc | #ForeverTogetherForeverProud pic.twitter.com/GcylA43fJB
Rotherham likely to go down as one of worst-ever Championship teams
In just about every important metric, Rotherham have been comfortably the worst team in the league this season.
First and foremost, their overall points tally stands at just 23 - 16 fewer than the next worst in the division. Even with double their current tally of points, they would still be embroiled in a relegation battle this term.
Indeed, should Rotherham lose their remaining five matches - something by no means out of the question for a team that has been beaten 10 times in their last 13 outings, including a nine-game losing run - then they will equal their own unwanted record of the fewest points ever gained in a Championship season, set in 2016-17.
Only three teams in Championship history have ever failed to hit the 30-point mark; Rotherham are responsible for two of those three teams, and it would take an unlikely sudden improvement for them to avoid that embarrassing fate for a third time.
The Millers' tally of four wins this season is half the number of the next-fewest victories, while unsurprisingly they have lost more games than anyone else too.
Rotherham sit 23rd in terms of goals scored, above only Sheffield Wednesday, but they have conceded a whopping 81 times in 2023-24 - 15 more than any other team in the division.
Richardson's men also rank bottom of the pile when it comes to home form this season, yet their record at the New York Stadium still incredibly accounts for 79% of their overall points.
Away from home, they have failed to win a single game and accrued a pitiful four points in total, with only 13 goals scored and 56 conceded - two more league-worst tallies.
⏹️ A big three points for @Argyle!
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) April 5, 2024
Defeat for @RotherhamUnited confirms their relegation.#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/fhXREJF7Di
Priceless points for Plymouth
Most of the attention will understandably go to Rotherham's relegation being rubber-stamped this evening, but the magnitude of the win for Plymouth should not be overlooked either.
Mumba took the only goal of the game with aplomb, collecting Morgan Whittaker's cross after Seb Revan had failed to cut it out, and then sweeping his finish past Viktor Johansson at the near post.
Finding the back of the net has not been Plymouth's main problem this term - they rank in the top half for goals scored - but defensively only two teams have conceded more, with tonight's match providing only their ninth clean sheet of the season.
It is also only a third away win of the campaign, and any points on the road could be the difference-maker for a team that has performed well in front of their own fans for much of the season.
Argyle had only picked up one point from the previous 18 on offer prior to this game, so a first win since February 24 is a very timely boost that takes them four points clear of the drop zone.
With three of their final five games coming at home, and also three coming against teams in the bottom nine, Plymouth fans will feel a lot more optimistic about their survival chances now than they did just a few days ago.
😍 What. It. Means.#pafc pic.twitter.com/KmLzghiQyH
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) April 5, 2024
Barney Corkhill
