Wheels coming off Rotherham United promotion charge ahead of Portsmouth visit as Oxford United's play-off hopes founder after Sunderland reverse

It’s one League One win in six for Paul Warne’s side as they fell to a 1-0 home defeat to Charlton, with George Dobson’s second-half goal deciding the game at the New York Stadium.

The Millers now find themselves three points outside of the top two, although they have two games in hand on MK Dons ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Fratton Park.

Warne feels Rotherham’s extra-time Papa John’s Trophy victory over Sutton United at Wembley had an impact on the game.

He told the Rotherham Advertiser: ‘We were just not at our best. Maybe it was a case of “after the Lord Mayor's Show” or emotional fatigue, although I don't want to use that as an excuse.

‘I am not sure we deserved to lose but I don't know if we did enough to win.

‘Our first-half performance was okay. We looked like we were going to nick a goal and I thought that if we got one we'd go on and win handsomely.

‘But that wasn't the case, and it is happening a few too many times at home at the moment.

‘After we conceded, we didn't play well enough to get back into it. We haven't worked their goalkeeper enough.’

Oxford United are also struggling with a third defeat in a week denting their play-off aspirations - this time with a 2-1 home loss to Sunderland arriving via Elliot Embleton’s 89th-minute winner.

Boss Karl Robinson told the Oxford Mail: ‘It’s a bitter pill to swallow, my players are devastated in there.

‘In the last three games, even the harshest critics would say we deserved a lot more than what we sit here on.

‘If you’re being totally critical, if our decision-making in the final third had been a bit better with a bit more quality I don’t think we’d be sat here so down.

‘I don’t think there were many times Sunderland, who have had a free week and been on a wonderful run, put us under complete pressure.

‘I felt we had complete control of the game.

‘The stupid thing is we switched off and got hurt in an area that we spoke about, and that’s the frustrating thing for me.

‘It just seems to be the week that we’re having.’

Elsewhere, MK Dons rescued a point at AFC Wimbledon with Troy Parrott cancelling out Alex Woodyard’s opener with 10 minutes remaining.

The other play-off chasing sides all had to settle for sharing spoils as Plymouth were held to a 0-0 draw at Burton, Sheffield Wednesday drew 1-1 with Bolton and it finished the same score at Priestfield between Wycombe and Gillingham.

Down at the bottom, Crewe became the first side to be condemned to League Two football after a 2-0 loss at Doncaster.