Rotherham boss Matt Taylor reckons his side’s early goal was vital in their 4-0 win against Rovers.

Hakeem Odoffin put the hosts in front after just 33 seconds with a ruthless strike from the edge of the box.

Ollie Rathbone, Shane Ferguson and Conor Washington were also on target as the Millers secured all three points.

Taylor felt the early goal gave his side a “shot in the arm” and is delighted with their performance against “a quality outfit”.

He told the club’s website: "It feels good. It’s not felt good for the last six weeks or so. We’ll certainly enjoy this moment.

“We had the early goal to hold onto, it gave us belief. We were ugly at times, but we were where we needed to be on that football pitch. We competed so, so well. We kept them at arm’s length.

"It’s gone against us recently and we’ve felt ourselves at a low in the first five minutes of games, so to be ahead in that manner – a really clean strike – you can just see what it did to the whole place. The whole feel of football is underestimated and sometimes it’s difficult to change.

"That goal gave us a real boost, a real shot in the arm. And we grew in confidence as the game went on.

"It was a really good strike from Ollie. Our first two goals were really quality strikes, really clean strikes. We were aggressive at times and had to withstand a bit of possession from the opposition because they’re a quality outfit and they could trouble us.

"We can’t underestimate how we’re feeling after that, we’re really positive in relation to the result."

It was an important three points for Taylor’s Rotherham, who sit just above the relegation places.

Meanwhile, Rovers were unable to make it three wins on the bounce following the recent victories against Cardiff and Norwich.

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