Rotherham relegated from Championship after Plymouth loss

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Rotherham's long-awaited relegation from English football's second-tier Championship was confirmed by a 1-0 loss at home to fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle on Friday.

Defeat, Rotherham's 26th reverse in 41 league games featuring a mere four wins so far this season, left the basement club 19 points shy of safety with only a maximum of 15 available to the Yorkshire side from their final five games.

Rotherham knew they had to win to maintain their slim hopes of Championship survival but they were unable to fight back after Bali Mumba put southwest club Plymouth ahead in the first half.

Victory took Argyle, who sacked manager Ian Foster on Monday after eight losses in 11 games, four points clear of the bottom three.

It was also a fine reward for the hardy Plymouth fans making a 580-mile round trip to support their side.

The decisive moment of the match came in the 32nd minute when Mumba fired home from close range after Morgan Whittaker's cross evaded Rotherham full-back Seb Revan.

Rotherham goalkeeper Viktor Johansson kept his side in the game with several good saves while Plymouth substitute Ben Waine hit the post late on as Argyle ended a six-game winless run.