How Ollie Rathbone has helped the Rotherham United cause heading into the Sheffield Wednesday derby

Rotherham United's Ollie Rathbone celebrates his goal against Coventry City at AESSEAL New York Stadium last night. Picture: Jim Brailsford

The influential midfielder, who scored with a superb stoppage-time strike to seal a 2-0 win, went into the clash with Coventry City on four bookings and facing a one-match ban if he picked up a fifth yellow card.

He escaped another caution and can now take his place in the side for Sunday's South Yorkshire showdown against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Rathbone has been arguably Rotherham's best outfield performer this season and is much needed by the injury-hit Millers who will kick off at Hillsborough in 22nd spot, two places above the division's basement side.

Manager Matt Taylor praised the performance of the 27-year-old and also that of the team as a whole as they proved too much for Coventry in a scintillating second half in which defender Lee Peltier also hit the target.

"I thought that was Ollie's best game, because he had the right players around him and in front of him," the boss said. "You can do only so much in an individual capacity.

"You need strength around you. There is no surprise that when he's around ‘Caf’ and Christ (Tiehi) he plays better."

The Millers are down on numbers but, with a couple of senior players available again after a spell in the treatment room, were able to name a decent bench against the Sky Blues even though it was one man light.

Seb Revan, Hakeem Odoffin and Georgie Kelly all came on to telling effect.

"Contrast the substitutions I made tonight to what I made at the start of the season," said Taylor. "It is night and day."

The Millers are five points adrift of safety but have a game in hand on all of the teams immediately above them and have targeted the five matches between international breaks as an opportunity to pick up results.

The Coventry contest was the first of those and next up are the Owls, Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town at home and, finally, Watford away.

"It's a big three points," said Taylor. "Now we have got to keep backing it up. This block of games is huge. We have to perform and pick up points."