Magic Millers on the survival march ... on-the-whistle report: Rotherham United 3 West Bromwich Albion 1
The striker hit the target twice and turned in a man-of-the-match display as the Millers climbed a place to 18th in the table and put significant daylight between them and the drop zone ahead of the 3pm programme of fixtures.
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Hide AdHe'd bagged his double by the time fellow January signing Tariqe Fosu rounded off proceedings with his first strike for the club.
It's the only time this season Rotherham have come from behind to win and the victory was a telling statement of intent in their mission to stay up.
The visitors were the first side to threaten and goalkeeper Viktor Johansson had to be at his flying best in the third minute to tip away Daryl Dike's fierce drive from the right.
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Hide AdA minute later the Millers should have been in front. The ball dropped kindly for Jordan Hugill in front of goal after Chiedozie Obene's low cross had created penalty-area pinball but the striker was guilty of a glaring miss as he somehow sent his shot wide.
A welcome sight before kick-off had been Ollie Rathbone warming up on the pitch. The key midfield man was finally back in the squad after being sidelined for more than a month by groin trouble
There were splashes of pink all around the stadium as supporters paid their tribute to Ruby Tucker who tragically died recently at the age of just 21 months. Boss Matt Taylor and his staff were wearing special ribbons in her memory.
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Hide AdIn the 16th minute applause rang around New York in memory of teenage Millers fan Andy Wood who lost his life in February.
West Brom had started the contest in ninth spot, five points away from the play-off reckoning. Their away form hadn't matched their home dominance and they were without a win on their travels since mid-January.
They looked a dangerous side but, in glorious April sunshine, it was Rotherham who again came close to taking the lead.
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Hide AdA 20th-minute piledriver from Leo Hjelde was spilled by keeper Josh Griffiths only for Tariqe Fosu to fail to take advantage of the rebound as his follow-up went over the bar from around six yards.
Bailey Wright limped off five minutes later to be replaced by Tyler Blackett as Rotherham's injury situation took yet another turn for the worst.
Soon afterwards the Millers had another sight of goal when a slip by old boy Semi Ajayi let in Jamie Lindsay's whose first-time effort forced a sharp stop from Griffiths,
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Hide AdThe Baggies, unbeaten in their last four outings, went in front just after the half-hour mark when Hugill was judged to have brought down Conor Townsend.
Johansson went the correct way but another old boy, John Swift, squeezed the spot-kick into the right-hand corner in front of the North Stand.
Shane Ferguson was denied a swift reponse by the alertness of Griffiths who was quickly out to block the winger's shot but the equaliser Rotherham deserved wasn't long in coming.
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Hide AdIn the 42nd minute Hugill headed in Conor Coventry's corner and the home side had opportunities to go in front as they finished the first half with a blaze of attacking.
Ogbene's low shot on the turn was kept out by Griffiths and then Fosu thought he'd scored after a Hugill header had come back off the bar.
The midfielder's effort looked to be in but goalline technology ruled otherwise.
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Hide AdThe Millers had made two changes to the side that had started last Saturday's 0-0 stalemate at Hull City.
Right-back Lee Peltier missed out because of a back problem and was replaced by Wes Harding while at left-back Leo Hjelde was preferred to Cohen Bramall.
Rotherham's set-pieces had been causing the visitors' defence problems throughout the opening period and it was a similar story after the break as the men in red and white swept into the lead.
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Hide AdFerguson sent over a 50th-minute free-kick and Hugill did the rest with a pinpoint header beyond Griffiths and into the corner of the goal.
The centre-forward was denied a hat-trick soon after when he was clean through but the keeper blocked his attempted lob.
Rathbone came on to rapturous applause in the 65th minute as the Millers remained in the driving seat and the roars were even louder ten minutes later when Fosu thumped in the third goal.
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Hide AdMatt Taylor's team remained in control. Ogbene whacked the outside of the post from the edge of the area, Harding had a shot saved and then Ogbene's effort on the turn came back off the bar.
The sun was shining in more ways than one as fans rose in acclaim at the final whistle.
And the gap to the bottom three? Five points, for a couple of hours at least, on a great Millers day.
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Hide AdRotherham (4-3-3): Viktor Johansson; Wes Harding, Bailey Wright (Tyler Blackett 25), Cameron Humphreys, Leo Hjelde; Jamie Lindsay (Hakeem Odoffin 87), Conor Coventry, Tariqe Fosu; Chiedozie Ogbene, Jordan Hugill, Shane Ferguson (Ollie Rathbone 65). Subs not used: Josh Vickers, Cohen Bramall, Georgie Kelly, Tom Eaves.
West Brom (4-4-2): Josh Griffiths; Darnall Furlong (Tom Rogic 57), Semi Ajayi (Kyle Bartley 57), Eric Pieters, Conor Townsend; Jed Wallace, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Nathaniel Chalobah, John Swift (Marc Albrighton 57); Daryl Dike, Brandon Thomas-Asante (Karlan Grant 74). Subs not used: Alex Palmer, Jovan Malcolm, Jamie Andrews.
Goals: Hugill 42, 50, Fosu 75 (Rotherham); Swift pen 32 (West Brom).
Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex).
Attendance: 11,098 (2,191).