Andy Dawson dodges questions about Hull City job after seeing his side earn the right to entertain

The Tigers were more superior to the Millers than even the 4-2 scoreline at the New York Stadium suggested, playing some lovely fluid football combined with the work ethic that was perhaps missing too often at times earlier in the season.

That he has coaxed it out of them has made caretaker coach Dawson look well qualified to take the job permanently, even if he did his best to knock down the idea.

He was, though, delighted with the attitude his players showed.

"You can't always determine the result but you can always determine the performance," he stressed, not for the first time.

"More often than not if you perform consistently when you've got the ball and when you haven't got the ball, with the quality we've got, the results come.

"The last two games have been really, really pleasing.

"We worked our way into it and dealt with the first bit first. We dealt with their aggression, their physicality, their second balls, their set plays, all those things you have to do to get into the game.

"You can't just think, 'Oh we'll come and have a game of football at Rotherham' because if you don't do the out-of-possession stuff they'll run all over you and you'll be out of the game before you know it.

"We earned the right to play and when we did that we showed the quality we have.

"Rotherham are a really good team. They're good at what they do, especially here. It's a difficult place to come.

"I've got to give our boys credit in the first half for the out-of-possession stuff. They really had a go and put us under pressure with the second balls and to a man we stuck with it."

Hull dominated the first half and when Jacob Greaves scored his first senior goal in the 45th minute, it was no less than they deserved. But Dan Barlaser's equaliser before the sides went in at the break could have had a demoralising effect on Dawson's men.

"I was gutted for the boys but we had to get them in, calm them down, take all the emotions away from it and say you've done some really good stuff in the first half, stick to the plan, keep believing," he said. "And the second-half performance was top drawer.

"I really enjoyed watching some of the football, some of the chances we created, I thought it was excellent.

"We grew into the game the second half, we were brave and we started to stretch them a little bit and some of our football was a joy to watch."

Inevitably, Dawson was asked after the game if he wanted the job and just as inevitably he dodged the question.

"I don't know what's going to happen," he said. "We've had a three-game week.

"I speak to Tan (Kesler, the vice-chairman) after each game. It really doesn't matter to me who's at the front of the technical area. If this football club wins a game and performs and everybody gives everything and the the fans go home happy I'll go home as happy as them.

"It was a great day for everybody. It's not about one person.

"It's not about any player or member of staff, it's about a group and a city even coming together.

"Everybody will feel good about themselves.

"I've been part of this football club for a long time so seeing it win on a Saturday night even when I was at Scunthorpe, that was the first result I looked for. Now I'm back part of it, whatever part it is, that will still be my first focus. That will never change."