KITMAN Bernie Morton went from villain to hero as Cherries finally broke their Millmoor jinx.

April Fool's Day appeared to have come early for the popular team attendant who unwittingly played his part in this latest triumph, despite initially fearing he may have put his foot in it.

As he carefully laid the kit out ahead of kick-off, Morton was in a state of panic when he realised he had packed the wrong socks.

And as Cherries took to the pitch resplendent in their Navy blue shirts and shorts, their black stockings made for something of a fashion faux-pas.

But wearing the same coloured garments for the third game in succession, Cherries again pulled out all the socks and romped to another richly-deserved win.

Victory ended a run of five consecutive defeats at the South Yorkshire venue and also saw Cherries halt their bizarre sequence of two wins followed by two losses.

"I thought we played very well," said boss Kevin Bond, now a leading contender for the League One manager-of-the-month award after guiding Cherries to four victories in March.

"The conditions were really difficult and it was windy and bumpy. But I thought we played some really good stuff in the first half when we got the ball down and played.

"We gave it away a bit during the second half but stuck at it and maybe could have got a third goal. But I wasn't too bothered about that.

"I was absolutely delighted to get a great away win which has moved us a little closer to where we want to be."

Although Cherries were forced to weather a brief storm as the Millers made most of the early running, half chances for Chris O'Grady and Ian Henderson both went begging.

The same, however, could not be said as David McGoldrick emphatically gave Cherries the lead with a stunning 13th-minute strike which came right out of the blue.

McGoldrick let fly from around 30 yards after Steve Fletcher and Marc Wilson had combined to create the opening. And although nothing looked on as the ball bobbled at his feet, the teenager had other ideas, dispatching a venomous drive past Neil Cutler.

With the Millmoor faithful silenced, McGoldrick rubbed extra salt into their wounds when he decided to conduct a mysterious celebration routine right in front of them.

"I was just doing something for a good mate back home," said McGoldrick, as the plot continued to thicken. "I can't say what, but he knows."

Discussing his goal, he said: "The ball was popping about and their defenders didn't come to me so I thought I'd have a shot. Luckily enough, it went in."

Cutler hared off his line to deny McGoldrick a second scoring chance after Shaun Cooper's pass had split the Rotherham defence before referee Nigel Miller turned a blind eye to a strong penalty claim after Henderson had clearly handled Darren Anderton's cross.

Neil Moss, who turned in a commanding performance, was called upon to make his first save when Delroy Facey's header tested him at his near post midway through the first half.

But Cherries doubled their lead following their fifth corner in the 28th minute when James Hayter was on hand to ram the ball into the roof of the net after Cutler had scooped away McGoldrick's header.

"I always thought we might get a goal from a set-piece because Darren Anderton whipped in some fantastic corners and finally we got one," said Bond of Hayter's 11th of the season.

"I don't win too many headers," conceded McGoldrick.

"But it was a great delivery and I managed to get in front of my man."

Cherries' only real scare came in the 33rd minute when an heroic goalline clearance from Stephen Purches preserved their two-goal cushion.

The visitors were caught napping at the back as Josh Gowling initially appealed in vain for offside and then the otherwise excellent Shaun Cooper was given the slip by Facey.

But with Moss beaten for the first time in three games, Purches recovered to save the day.

"Those can be defining moments," admitted Bond. "Had it gone in, it would have been a very different story and we could have been on the rack."

The second half proved to be something of a damp squib, with Moss and the Cherries back four ensuring Rotherham would never find a way through.

"Mossy was terrific," said Bond, after his goalkeeper had kept his eighth clean sheet of 2007 and his third in a row. "He came for lots of balls and there's nothing better when your goalkeeper keeps taking balls because it really takes the pressure off."

Bond also felt stand-in central defender Cooper had "looked like he'd been playing in that position for years" before he perished with a hamstring injury in the 67th minute.

At the start of the second period, Cutler smothered at McGoldrick's feet following another gazelle-like run by the striker before the Millers goalkeeper beat away Hayter's ferocious drive.

Gowling and Henderson were both booked after tempers had flared following a 75th-minute goalmouth scramble, the Cherries defender taking umbrage after the midfielder had gone in late on Moss.

But for all their second-half possession, Rotherham almost conceded a third goal when Fletcher's header struck the woodwork following Luke Summerfield's cross five minutes from time.