Steve Evans frustrated as Rotherham miss ‘gilt-edged’ chances against Exeter

Rotherham manager Steve Evans was frustrated after his side missed “gilt-edged chances” to draw 1-1 against Exeter.

Reece James and Alex Hartridge struck either side of the break and though the Millers pushed hardest for a winner, a point apiece was probably a fair result.

Evans felt his side should have put the result to bed by the break, and said: “They’re hard to break down.

“For League One level you cannot miss the chances we did in the first 15 minutes.

“They are not hard chances, they are gilt-edged ones. At half-time the frustrating thing is that it’s only 1-0.

“You know they are going to be dangerous at set-pieces, they are a big strong side and they put quality into the box and put goalkeepers and defenders under pressure, but the goal is a shambles really.

“He’s got an allocated marker, I’m not naming him, but he’s five yards away. He’s said ‘sorry’ afterwards. It was a poor header from Sam (Nombe) too.

“Then it was a test of character because they try to keep hold of the ball, but we still made four or five good chances in the second half.

“These next number of games we’ve got left, people have got to step up and take chances.

“Players should know the consequences between now and the summer.”

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell said: “Whenever you’re away from home at this level and against a team who were in the Championship last season with a big budget, it’s a well-earned point.

“To go in a goal behind was a big disappointment.

“We created moments in the final third. There were little things we could have been better.

“It was a great goal to get us back in the game. We created probably the best chance at 1-1 when Josh (Magennis) could not quite get his header on target.

“It’s a big result for us and a positive one. Rotherham are a huge threat with the balls they put in the box but I think we stood up to it.

“Everyone put their bodies on the line and worked hard to stop the ball going in the net.

“We look at 50 points as the minimum target. There are still points to play for and we have to keep building on this.”