IN the end, it was all a bit of an anticlimax.

Oxford United’s dramatic win over MK Dons four days earlier gave fans reason to believe and 1,200 travelled to South Yorkshire with high hopes of another late play-off charge.

You could feel the anticipation before kick-off and Dan Barlaser’s tenth-minute own goal felt like the start of a triumphant afternoon, or so we thought.

But United’s threat petered out, Rotherham United got stronger and before you knew it the season was over.

READ MORE: Karl Robinson cryptic on where Oxford United could have improved

The U’s have spent most of the campaign in or around the Sky Bet League One play-off places and could end with 78 points, which would normally get you in the top six with games to spare.

With that in mind, for United to not even take their challenge to the final day of the season leaves a sense of deflation.

We all know the areas they have fallen short - some of the more obvious weaknesses have been the number of goals conceded, a lack of points against promotion rivals and failing to hold on to leads. All three of those came back to haunt the U's against Rotherham.

United have also improved in aspects of their play, such as game management, although they were arguably too keen to slow the contest down after going ahead – particularly against an out-of-form side stumbling towards promotion.

After Barlaser’s own goal, the visitors did not create another chance until Ryan Williams shot straight at Viktor Johansson 11 minutes after the break.

RATINGS: Every Oxford United player marked out of 10 for Rotherham display

By that time, the U’s had lost the initiative and the momentum was with Rotherham thanks to Rarmani Edmonds-Green’s header in first-half stoppage-time.

United’s promotion challenge has been dogged by conceding soft goals, particularly in the last month, and Herbie Kane surely needed to clear his lines with the interval just seconds away, even if he was nursing an injury at the time.

The winner was equally avoidable, as Luke McNally allowed Chiedozie Ogbene to pinch the ball at the byline before giving away a penalty.

Barlaser redeemed himself and Rotherham never looked like relinquishing their lead as they showed a relentlessness that has moved them to the brink of the Sky Bet Championship.

It is the tenth time United have failed to win after going ahead in League One this season. They lost seven of those games, which adds up to a lot of wasted points.

WATCH: Highlights of yesterday's game

Ultimately, a highly-competitive promotion race is all about fine margins and the U’s have not quite had enough in these moments.

In previous years they might have got away with it, but too many teams have been that little bit more consistent.

This near-miss should not detract from a generally positive campaign on and off the pitch. The challenge, as ever, is to improve next season.