Luck is rarely on your side when you need it most, and that was brought home by the goal which left Albion facing an uphill battle once again.

The Seagulls, plagued by misfortune so far this season, went behind in controversial circumstances on 20 minutes.

Lee looked yards offside 30 yards out. Nearly all the players stopped as the linesman raised his flag.

Lee almost nonchalantly lobbed into the net. He clearly felt the referee was going to blow his whistle, but Mr Pike had in fact waved play on.

Pike consulted his flagging linesman right by the Albion dugout before confirming that the goal stood, to the obvious fury of manager Martin Hinshelwood and his players.

It was Lee's seventh of the campaign and third in two matches, and it rounded off a half which was memorable, as far as Albion were concerned, only for referee Pike's fishy decision in ignoring his linesman, Mr Peacock.

Was it a verdict to be proud of? Certainly not according to Cullip and the visiting fans venting their anger at the ref as the players trooped off.

Albion have been accustomed to conceding early goals at home and they had almost fallen behind twice in quick succession in the second minute.

Byfield released Sedgwick in acres of space to his right for an angled drive which Petterson parried.

Mayo eventually cleared but the danger wasn't over yet as Lee headed wastefully wide from Sedgwick's cross.

Pollitt comfortably caught a centre from Mayo beneath his own crossbar, with Albion fans behind the goal optimistically appealing that he had carried the ball over his own line.

Butters was booked in the eighth minute for bringing down the advancing Sedgwick a couple of yards outside the Albion box.

The Seagulls offered their first real threat three minutes later, Hart's shot on the turn from Piercy's low cross flashing narrowly wide.

Ironically, the same linesman involved in the controversial goal decision rescued Albion when a free-kick from Hurst was eventually put in at the far post by Swailes.

His flag went up again, presumably for offside, and this time referee Pike took notice of it.

Rotherham deserved their lead on the balance of play, if not the manner in which it was achieved.

Albion posed a rare threat when Oatway found Watson with a clever diagonal pass and his ensuing cross-shot was held low down by Pollitt.

The hosts were forced into a substitution eight minutes from the break, Barker replacing the injured Lee.

Barker was immediately into action against his old club, getting the better of Watson before Cullip produced a perfectly timed tackle on him inside the Albion area.

Moments later, Byfield almost got on the end of a cross which Mayo did well to head behind for a corner at the far post.

Marney required treatment when Pollitt's clearance ricocheted off him at close quarters as the interval approached.

The debate over Lee's goal raged on during the half-time break.

The consensus was that Carpenter was the last player to touch the ball before the Rotherham striker, in a challenge on Byfield, which is why Pike over-ruled his linesman.

Sedgwick continued to cause havoc with his runs down the right at the start of the second half.

Albion were still working hard but it was difficult to see where a goal was going to come from at this stage.

Cullip, leading by example once more, stopped Byfield in his tracks with a bone-crushing but legitimate challenge.

The Seagulls were temporarily reduced to ten men, with Jones needing treatment off the pitch for a knock.

Jones returned but it was evident he would be unable to continue so Wilkinson took his place.

Wilkinson joined fellow rookie Marney upfront, with Hart switching to the right flank and Piercy to the left.

Rotherham had looked a little less vibrant since the break and Albion almost equalised just beyond the hour mark.

Mayo's long throw came off the head of a Rotherham defender for Hart to hit a volley into the ground which Pollitt pushed behind.

Barker was booked on 63 minutes for a late tackle on Piercy as he cleared up the line.

Albion were now enjoying the best spell of the match.

Marney had a shot on the turn from a low cross by Piercy blocked by the formidable McIntosh.

Marney was foiled by Scott at the expense of a corner moments later after Carpenter's clip over the top had briefly put the young front runner goalside of the Rotherham rearguard.

Rotherham were sufficiently anxious to make a change, Monkhouse coming on for Byfield.

Monkhouse went to the left side of midfield, with Warne joining Barker upfront.

Piercy was replaced by Rogers with 14 minutes remaining.