No rest for Rotherham United new signing Tyler Blackett, says manager Matt Taylor whose team face Preston North End this evening

The former Manchester United centre-half joined the club last week, having not played since last November when his stint in MLS football in America with FC Cincinnati came to an end.

He made his debut as a second-half substitute at Birmingham City last weekend and manager Matt Taylor is keen to use him again in the Championship Millers' home clashes with Preston North End tonight and Cardiff City on Saturday.

"It's a hard week to get him fully up to speed," the boss said. "We'll probably do it by playing him on the pitch."

Blackett, aged 28, was brought in after Rotherham were hit by injuries to centre-back trio Sean Morrison, Grant Hall and Bailey Wright.

"He offers balance on the left," Taylor said. "I thought he looked quite bright when he came on. It was really positive to get him out there. He has good distribution. There's a reason why we brought him to the club."

The Millers lost 2-0 in Birmingham after picking up seven points in their previous three outings and Taylor is calling on his side to bounce back this evening against opponents on a six-match unbeaten run.

The Millers were well beaten in the opening period and conceded twice before performing much better after the break and coming close to forcing their way back into the contest.

"I learned a lot about the group and they will have learned a little bit more about this league in that first half," the manager said.

"Similar to what Birmingham did to us, we want to make it really uncomfortable for Preston and put them under pressure."

Rotherham are eight points clear of the relegation reckoning with ten fixtures left to play.