Boss Matt Taylor hails Jordan Hugill as Rotherham United turn on the style in survival win over West Bromwich Albion

Jordan HugillJordan Hugill
Jordan Hugill
MANAGER Matt Taylor believes captain Jordan Hugill showed his mental strength to lead Rotherham United to a crucial victory over West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.

The skipper scored twice as the Millers destroyed the play-off-chasing Baggies in a 3-1 win that saw them take a huge step towards Championship survival.

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He had spurned two opportunities and also conceded a spot-kick to gift the visitors the opener before coming good in the sunshine at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

"It was important Jordan got his goals when he did," Taylor said. “The first half an hour for him was a test of character. He missed a couple of chances and gave away the penalty. But chances kept coming his way."

Rotherham played with an urgency and intensity that West Brom couldn't contain and could have won by a far greater margin as they moved closer to safety.

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Hugill bagged his double after John Swift had converted Albion’s penalty and loanee Tariqe Fosu wrapped up the triumph with his first strike for the club.

Taylor added: "We know this formation (4-3-3), if it functions well, can and will create chances. 

"How we were behind I’ll never know. It was so, so important we got back in the game so soon after going behind. The equaliser was a big moment. We did not feel too bad about ourselves for too long.

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"We just seemed to enjoy our game today. There was spice and fight. Our intent was spot on and we kept going forward. But also I really liked our backline. They won’t get the headlines but they were a platform for us to build on.

"I feel like this was the best we have played in a long time. We are going in the right direction. If we play like we did today, we will keep giving ourselves a chance.”

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan admitted his side had been well beaten.

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"Today is a day for us to be disappointed with the result and the performance," he said.

"I think Rotherham found a way to be better than us. We did not win enough second balls.  We could have conceded more goals than the three we did. There are things we need to do better."