Goals, not sickness, for Jordan Hugill as Rotherham United head into Birmingham City clash
IT took him until his after-match press conference to make his first mistake of the afternoon.
Jordan Hugill had just scored his first goals for Rotherham United and turned in a man-of-the-match performance as his new club gave their Championship survival prospects a major lift by beating Queens Park Rangers.
Now the January signing was talking about his exploits and his aim for the rest of the campaign in the media suite at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
“I’m here not just to score goals but to help us get promoted,” he said.
He realised straightaway ...
“Not promoted,” he corrected himself to laughs all round. “What am I saying? I’m here to help us climb the league.”
That’s something he’s already doing. The centre-forward has led the line so well in his seven matches so far that Rotherham are up to 18th spot and this Saturday head to Birmingham City, one of the teams they leapfrogged last weekend.
Two goals against QPR were a just reward for his efforts but his dry start to life with the Millers hadn’t worried him at all.
“It’s good to get off the mark but ultimately I’m not too bothered about scoring.” he said. “Obviously, it’s probably a bit strange to hear a striker say that, but I’d like to think I’ve played well since I came here and been that focal point for the lads to get us up the pitch.”
The 30-year-old doesn’t shy away from a physical battle and had given QPR centre-backs Rob Dickie and Jimmy Dunne more trouble than they could handle.
In fact, he relishes coming out on top in the rough stuff as much as he does seeing his name on the scoresheet.
“It’s one of the parts of the game I enjoy,” he said. “I give everything and I like getting involved. As you can probably see, it puts a smile on my face.”
With 11 fixtures remaining, Rotherham, who have lost only twice in their last nine outings, look ready to end a sequence of three successive Championship relegations and establish a foothold in the second tier.
“We’ve got momentum and that’s a big thing,” Hugill said. “I feel that, as a team, we’ve progressed since January. We’re adding another layer to our game.
“It’s about the lads getting used to me and all the other new players. I feel as though that’s happened. Hopefully we can keep improving.”
Such has been his impact, he was the figure boss Matt Taylor turned to when skipper Ollie Rathbone was ruled out of the Rs clash by a groin complaint.
“It’s the first time I’ve been captain in my career,” the frontman said. “It really means something to me. When the manager told me before the game it was quite special. Hopefully I’ve proved I’m up to the job with the victory.
“I get on well with all the lads. I think I’ve got the respect of everyone to push them and make sure they’re all doing their jobs right.”
He looked bright and perky as he sat fielding questions, in stark contrast to the sorry sight of him in his second Millers appearance, last month, when a chest infection picked up just days after his move north was hitting him hard.
“I think you’ve all seen the Blackpool game when as soon as I came off I was being sick everywhere!” he said. “It wasn’t ideal when you’ve just come to a new club and all you want to do is play. If you heard me round the training ground for the first two weeks, I was barking like a dog.
“I’m over that now. I feel fully fit. My minutes on the pitch are going up with every game as well so I’m happy with that.”
Player and club both in good health.
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JORDAN Hugill is the top centre-forward of his kind in the Championship, says Rotherham United manager Matt Taylor.
The attacker isn’t the second tier’s most prolific hitman but his work around the pitch makes him stand out from his rivals in the eyes of the Millers boss.
“Box to box, he’s the best in the league,” Taylor said. “He gives us a platform to play into, play off and play around.”
The striker’s robust approach means he is often in the firing line of defenders who are prepared to resort to foul means in a bid to lessen his contribution
“He’s certainly targeted and gets whacked more than anyone else in the division,” Taylor said.
“Because they know how good he is in the air and with his hold-up play, opposition players are changing their line of running and ‘bodying’ him before the ball gets to him. It’s going to be interesting to see how the officials deal with it.”
Rotherham put together the most lucrative package in their history to tempt Hugill, who had other suitors, to move to AESSEAL New York Stadium when he left Norwich City in the January transfer window.
“The way the team have been functioning, the way he’s contributed to the team, to the dressing room, and the maturity he’s shown, I can’t speak highly enough of him,” Taylor said.
“We knew how good he was. That’s why we went above and beyond and more to get him to the club. We can build a team around players like Jordan.”
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ROTHERHAM United head to Birmingham City this weekend with manager Matt Taylor voicing his concerns over the state of the St Andrew’s playing surface.
The Millers jumped above the Blues in the Championship into 18th place last week and are looking to extend their unbeaten run to four matches.
Taylor said: “It’s a tough place to go to. It’s a pitch that hasn’t been in great condition recently. That might affect the state of the game.”
The Blues were a mid-table side earlier in the campaign but have slipped down the rankings as supporters’ anger continues to rise over the Hong-Kong-based ownership’s running of the club.
Rotherham have hit back from two defeats to take seven points from their last three fixtures.
“After two wins and a draw, the feeling around the place is greatly improved,” Taylor said. “We have to go to Birmingham, try and be ourselves and put on another performance.”
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One to watch
Scott Hogan is Birmingham’s top scorer, having hit the target ten times in 30 league outings this season. The former Brentford striker has been with the Blues since January 2020, first on loan and before signing permanently the following September. Now aged 30, he could Aston Villa £9 million when he left the Bees in January 2017.
Form guide
Blues: WLLLLD
Millers: DLLWDW
Birmingham haven’t won in five games since they were 2-0 home winners over West Bromwich Albion on February 10. Their last three matches have brought a 3-1 loss at Norwich City, a 1-0 reverse on their own soil against Luton Town and a 1-1 draw at Wigan Athletic.
Last time out
Richard Wood scored a goal in each half as Rotherham dominated against the Blues at New York Stadium in August and ran out 2-0 winners. The double took the centre-half’s goal tally to three in four games.
Recent meetings
April 18, 2021, Championship:
Millers 0 Blues 1
Sep 26, 2020, Championship:
Millers 1 (Kieran Sadlier pen) Blues 1
Apr 22, 2019, Championship:
Millers 1 (Matt Crooks), Blues 3
Oct 6, 2018, Championship:
Blues 3 Millers 1 (Jon Taylor)
Apr 14, 2017, Championship:
Millers 1 (Danny Ward) Blues 1
Oct 18, 2016, Championship:
Blues 4 Millers 2 (Ward, Taylor)
Feb 13, 2016, Championship:
Millers 0 Blues 0
Sep 26, 2015, Championship:
Blues 0 Millers 2 (Matt Derbyshire, Tony Andreu)
Birmingham dominate the win count in 40 matches between the clubs since 1919. They have 21 victories to the Millers’ seven while 12 games have ended even.
Opposition boss
John Eustace was a midfielder with Coventry City, Stoke City, Watford and Derby County before moving into coaching and becoming assistant manager at QPR under Steve McClaren and then Mark Warburton. Now aged 43, he took over at Birmingham last July following the departure of Lee Bowyer.
Man in the middle
County Durham’s Geoff Eltringham — a Sunderland fan — has been an EFL referee since 2009 and this season has issued 66 yellow cards and three reds in 19 matches. He last took charge of a Rotherham match on New Year’s Day 2021 when the Millers beat Bolton Wanders 2-1 in League One at New York.
The odds
The bookmakers are going against the Millers, offering evens on Birmingham winning and 13/5 on Matt Taylor’s men coming away from St Andrews with all three points. The draw is 23/10.
Birmingham:
1-0: 11/2
2-0: 18/1
2-1: 15/2
3-0: 14/1
3-1: 14/1
3-2: 25/
4-0: 40/1
4-1: 35/1
4-2: 60/1
Draw:
0-0: 7/1
1-1: 5/1
2-2: 12/1
3-3: 66/1
4-4: 200/1
Millers:
1-0: 9/1
2-0: 14/1
2-1: 12/1
3-0: 40/1
3-1: 25/1
3-2: 35/1
4-0: 125/1
4-1: 100/1
4-2: 100/1