Torquay lost their 100% record and the leadership of npower League Two as their defeat at Southend saw Shrewsbury move to the top of the table.
Looking for a fifth straight league win, the Gulls were 2-0 down at half-time after conceding goals to Anthony Grant and Josh Simpson, the latter's first for the Shrimpers.
Chris Zebroski halved the deficit late on but it proved only a consolation for the visitors.
Unbeaten Shrewsbury took advantage of the slip-up to move a point clear at the summit. But Lionel Ainsworth's fifth-minute goal was only just enough against fellow high fliers Rotherham, who had a goal disallowed and saw home goalkeeper Chris Neal pull off a series of crucial saves.
Gigg Lane witnessed an early contender for game of the season as Bury and Gillingham served up a nine-goal thriller.
The home side led 2-0 at half-time thanks to Andy Bishop and a Ryan Lowe penalty. Both sides then went goal crazy for half an hour after the break. Adebayo Akinfenwa scored either side of Bishop's second to make it 3-2 and Danny Spiller equalised.
The topsy-turvy action continued with goals from Efe Sodja and Chris Palmer before Lowe netted what proved to be the winner. That moved Bury up to seventh, just inside the play-off zone.
Chesterfield climbed to third courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Lincoln. Dwayne Mattis and Craig Davies made it 2-0 before Ben Hutchinson scored a late consolation.
Namesakes Marc and Justin Richards both scored to help Port Vale to a comfortable 2-0 away win at Bradford as they moved up to fourth place.
Barnet hauled themselves off the bottom of the table and clear of the relegation zone thanks to their first win of the season, a 3-1 victory over Cheltenham. The home fans feared the worst when Frankie Artus gave Town a second-minute lead but the Bees never looked back after Phil Walsh's equalised, the striker scoring a second before Mark Marshall made the three points safe.
Source: PA
