'Work to do,' says new boss Matt Taylor as Rotherham United mark the start of his reign with a draw

Matt Taylor at New York Stadium tonight. Picture by Kerrie Beddows

The Millers looked good early on as tonight's Championship clash with Millwall ended 1-1 but the visitors had much the better of the contest after the break.

Taylor was given a rousing reception by supporters before kick-on on a evening when his side moved up a place to 13th in the table.

"I enjoyed it." he said of his first taste of managing in the second tier. "I really enjoyed the first half an hour. With our physicality, we dominated that first period. It gave us a platform in the game.

"From that point on we were a little bit open and a little bit chaotic. We lacked a bit of quality at times. I couldn’t fault the amount of energy those boys put into it.

"There's lots to work on. I think certain aspects of our game can be improved straightaway."

Rotherham went ahead in the ninth minute through Dan Barlaser's penalty only for Zian Flemming to hit the top corner from 30 yards just before the break.

"We have to be honest, most of the game was in our defensive half. But Millwall haven’t cut us open," said Taylor who left League One Exeter City to become the successor to Paul Warne who departed a fotnight ago.

"Our set-pieces were poor today. We didn’t create anything on the back of those."

"It was important to get something on the board after Saturday (a 2-0 home loss to Wigan."

The appointment of Taylor and assistant boss Wayne Carlisle was confirmed only yesterday. The duo were eager to make their mark and opted for dugout duties rather than a watching brief among the crowd.

"We could have taken the easy option tonight and sat in the stands and judged from afar, but we wanted to be part of it," the manager said.

"We wanted the players who took the team last week (Richard Wood and Lee Peltier) to concentrate on their job and play, it was important we took responsibility."

On his reception from supporters, he said: "I can only thank the fans, I think they have got an idea of what I stand for.

"They saw that in the team straightaway: forward running, forward play. But we have also got some layers to add to the team."