Bradford City 0 Rotherham 2

Hold on to your hats, this is going to the wire.

City’s game in hand went unrewarded last night. They remain in the final play-off place but with little leeway ahead of the final two games.

The only consolation from a hugely frustrating night was the score from the Proact Stadium, where Chesterfield were beaten by Plymouth and stay four points behind.

So what a good night it was for Exeter, who remain snapping at City’s heels within a point going into the penultimate weekend.

For Rotherham – and Steve Evans – it was a result to savour as they moved into the third automatic promotion spot thanks to two goals in the final ten minutes.

The first was a contentious one from the penalty spot; the second a breakaway with City’s keeper up in the Rotherham half.

There was no post-match brawl to mirror Evans’ last trip to Valley Parade with Crawley. But City assistant Steve Parkin was sent to the stand at the end of the first half.

And the bulk of League Two’s biggest crowd of the season, 13,467, were sent home thinking about what might have been – and what nervous times lay ahead in the next fortnight.

Andrew Davies and Kyel Reid had both been passed fit after Saturday’s injury problems – which set up a potentially interesting rematch between the City centre half and counterpart Claude Davis. Both of them were among the five players red-carded following the Crawley post-match brawl.

This game should have been played the weekend of the Capital One Cup final and Parkinson admitted beforehand a Wembley return for a play-off deciding rematch with the Millers was not completely out of the question.

City went into it as the form team in League Two with 14 points from a possible 18 since their last defeat at Exeter.

With so much at stake, the noise was electric and had the feel of those magnificent League Cup occasions against Arsenal and Aston Villa.

It threatened to get even louder when James Hanson nodded home from Gary Jones’s opening corner. But the celebrations were cut short for a push on Davis.

Rotherham were missing 20-goal top scorer Daniel Nardiello, who got injured while netting against Fleetwood at the weekend.

The opening stages were predictably hurly-burly with too many fouls to allow play to flow. Not that it seemed to bother the fans, who kept up a constant background of noise.

Reid was showing no effects from his tight groin and looked the most likely source to prise open Rotherham’s rearguard, which had creaked on a couple of occasions.

But Davies was clearly struggling and had to admit defeat just 24 minutes in, making way for Michael Nelson.

Evans had kept a distinctly low profile sat in the Rotherham dug-out and protected by two stewards. When he did finally show his face, the boos immediately rang round.

There was nothing on the pitch to get too worked up about but the teams traded yellow cards on the half hour as Nahki Wells was followed into the book by Kari Arnason.

City had the ball in Rotherham’s net for the second time as Garry Thompson turned in an angled pass from Jones. But again, home joy was ended by the sight of a raised flag with the winger offside.

City were dominating the corner count but Rotherham sprung out quickly from their fifth one to fashion the first genuine chance of the match.

Kieran Agard led the rush of red shirts from one end to the other. Ben Pringle, City’s destroyer at the New York Stadium in September, floated a cross to the far post where Alex Revell’s downward header was smuggled away by Jon McLaughlin.

Things were hotting up on the sidelines as Evans popped his head above the parapet to remonstrate with fourth official Alf Greenwood. Once again, the home support made their feelings known.

Words continued to be exchanged and Green-wood called referee Mark Haywood over. After a brief discussion, the official went over to Parkin and ordered him to the stands.

That cranked up the temperature, even if the action itself was still lukewarm. There were too many stoppages.

The stalemate remained as half-time approached but Jones did at least have City’s first effort on target, which provided Scott Shearer with some simple catching practice.

By the break, City had clocked up eight corners with nothing to show for it. The sole talking point of a dour slugfest had been Parkin’s dismissal.

Thompson began the second half with a brighter approach, swivelling just outside the Rotherham box to fire just over Shearer’s bar.

But City were forced into a second defensive change within five minutes of the restart as left back James Meredith was replaced by Carl McHugh.

Meredith had been the talisman in their revival and it was a big blow to see him depart. Parkinson’s side were unbeaten since he returned from glandular fever last month against Wycombe. The sight of Evans emerging with arms outstretched to protest a decision kicked up the volume once more. It had a cup tie feel even if the goal-mouth incident remained at a minimum.

Rotherham were starting to push forward more as you sensed that one goal would be enough for either side. Thompson’s attempt to provide it from 25 yards flew high into the Kop.

There looked to be danger for City as Pringle broke from the halfway line before a heavy touch let him down on the edge of the D. Revell’s overhead kick from the resulting corner did not trouble anyone.

Then Kari Arnason fired a low free-kick through the City wall from 30 yards out but McLaughlin safely had everything behind it.

But the stalemate was finally broken with 11 minutes to go in highly contentious fashion as Shearer’s long free-kick struck Nelson’s arm in the box – but the big defender had clearly been shoved into the ball.

Lee Frecklington stepped up and coolly sent McLaughlin the wrong way from the spot to send the 1,710 away supporters delirious.

Parkinson reacted by throwing on Alan Connell as an extra striker for Stephen Darby but the visitors had their tails up.

City thought they had a decent shout for a penalty of their own when Hanson appeared to be shoved but their appeals were ignored.

McLaughlin went up for their final corner as the seconds ticked away. But Rotherham cleared the danger and Kieran Agard charged away from the halfway line, with the keeper in his slipstream, to tuck into the empty net.