Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk demands his team start to show more character after a humiliating 3-0 Sky Bet Championship derby loss at Rotherham.
Wednesday suffered their third defeat on the spin with the damage being done in a first-half horror show which saw the Millers net three times as the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
Monk said: “There is obviously a fragility there. The next three games are a big test of our character. The next three games will tell me a lot about the mentality that we have got.”
Play was suspended for around 10 minutes in the first half with referee Jarred Gillett being informed an unauthorised drone was flying above the stadium and that the players needed to be taken back to the dressing rooms with concerns for their safety.
Rotherham were ahead a minute after the restart with Jamie Lindsay rising highest to a blocked shot from Freddie Ladapo and looping a header beyond Cameron Dawson.
Dan Barlaser doubled the lead from the penalty spot after Tom Lees was dismissed for bringing down Florian Jozefzoon and the home side went in at the break 3-0 up after Lindsay smashed in his second from inside the box.
Monk is wanting a response with their game against fellow early-season strugglers Wycombe on Saturday and the Owls still on minus-four points.
He said: “Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong in the first half. A lot of mistakes have crept back into our game in the last two games.
“Within a week or so a good start has turned on its head. Every game is a derby situation for us because of the situation we’re in.
“We worked hard in the second half with 10 men but it was a little bit too little, too late.
“The costly mistakes have given us an uphill battle. The last two games have been more self inflection than what the other team has done.”
Rotherham manager Paul Warne was pleased with his side’s victory but disappointed there were no fans inside the stadium to witness it.
He said: “It would have been a lot better had it been a full house. That is the sad part. I hope it put a smile on a few faces. It would have been a magic night for the fans. It’s a pity they weren’t in to see it.
“Overall I am really pleased. It was a good night. We were better at Reading (a 3-0 defeat) on Saturday which shows the madness of football.
“It was a weird evening with no fans and the drone. I didn’t know what else was going to happen.
“We scored straight away (after the restart) and then the sending off plays a big part in the game. I told the players the harder they work, the more luck they get.”
