It was a difficult night for The Millers as a clinical Stafford Town side ran out 5-0 winners, punishing the visitors with a devastating first-half spell before adding a fifth after the break.

The Millers travelled to Stafford looking to build on the opening day victory over Telford Town, but found themselves facing an in-form home side who seized control of the contest in little more than twenty minutes.

After a fairly even opening spell, where The Millers threatened on the counter, the breakthrough came on 17 minutes when Daniel Jones opened the scoring for Stafford. Before The Millers had time to regroup, Sam Lynch doubled the advantage just a minute later, leaving the visitors shell-shocked. Matters worsened further on 20 minutes when Patryk Mazurkiewicz added a third, intercepting an underhit back pass, rounding Parsisson and tapping in to cap a ruthless three-goal burst that put Stafford firmly in command.

Despite the setback, The Millers continued to work hard and attempted to steady the ship, but Stafford remained dangerous going forward. Eshan Greer struck again eight minutes before the interval to make it 4-0, giving the home side a commanding lead at the break.

To the visitors credit, they emerged after half-time determined to show a response and enjoyed a more competitive spell of possession, forcing Daniel Cooper into several fine saves. However, with Stafford organised at the back and continuing to threaten a recovery never looked to be on the cards. The hosts eventually added a fifth on 61 minutes through Daniel Clarkson, effectively ending the contest as a spectacle.

It was a frustrating evening for The Millers, who never recovered from Stafford's blistering spell midway through the first half. While the score-line was a difficult one to take, Nathan Neequaye and Sam Scott's side will quickly turn their attention to Saturday's fixture, knowing there is still plenty of football ahead and that this newly assembled squad remains a work in progress.

After the highs of the opening weekend, this was a reminder of the challenges that Step 6 football can bring, but The Millers will be eager to put the result behind them and bounce back at Church Lane in front of their own supporters.