HAK OF THE NET
Relieved Taylor left Odoffin his cap
HAKEEM ODOFFIN netted a priceless second-half winner to secure Rotherham’s Championship status – and get a huge monkey off their back.
In the past six seasons, the Millers have been promoted to the second tier three times but then been immediately relegated back to League One.
This victory over high-flying Middlesbrough allowed English football’s ultimate yo-yo club to finally break the mould amid emotional scenes.
Credit to boss Matt Taylor, who has performed a fine job since arriving from Exeter to succeed Paul Warne last October.
The Lancastrian, who was celebrating promotion from League Two just 12 months ago, said: “What’s been before for this football club makes staying up even sweeter. It’s fully deserved and if there is one thing running through this football club, it’s spirit and desire. Now I’ll be better equipped for what’s next and for a manager to achieve something after so much pressure, it’s an incredible release.
“My wife sent me a message the other day saying, ‘We miss you’ because I’ve been there for her and our eightmonth-old son but only in person.
“Now I have to make sure I’m a better husband and father in the next couple of weeks. I’m not an emotional person but my mum and dad were on the pitch at the end along with my wife and boy. It’s a great feeling.”
Rotherham were aided by the dismissal of Middlesbrough’s Anfernee Dijksteel on the stroke of half-time for hauling down Jordan Hugill.
Boro boss Michael Carrick argued that Darragh Lenihan was in close proximity and that Dijksteel was not the last man.
Carrick said: “It was soft. Darragh was covering and I thought it was strange that he pulled out a red.
“There wasn’t a lot of football played and the sending off changed the game in some ways. It’s tough with 10 men when you’re trying to control possession, but the boys did a lot of good things.” Riley McGree went close for Boro early on but Millers captain Richard Wood cleared his effort off the line.
Rotherham lost Chiedozie Ogbene (hamstring) and Shane Ferguson (groin) during the first half before Boro were reduced to 10 men.
Three minutes into the second half, imposing midfielder Odoffin collected a pass from Ollie Rathbone and lashed a 20-yard shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Boro, who head into the play-offs after a fourth-placed finish, pushed for an equaliser but Tommy Smith blazed over at the far post as Rotherham held on to spark wild celebrations at the end.