Warne's place in Millers folklore is assured, but the fact remains that the club did not manage to stay up on two occasions following promotions from League One under the former Rotherham chief, with it being Taylor who has managed to break the cycle.

The former Exeter City chief, whose feats have helped to ensure that the club have avoided a hat-trick of instant returns to the third-tier with a game to spare following Monday's cherished win over Middlesbrough, said: "You have to back yourself, in life and football especially. In this position, if you don't back yourself, you've got absolutely no chance.

"The experience of taking over from Paul Tidsdale, who'd been there (at Exeter) for 12 years gave me belief and having good people around me helped.

"It's also having an understanding of what this club's about. I'm a northern lad as much as I spent a lot of my career in the south.

"I'd like to think I'm pretty stubborn and gritty. I'm from Lancashire, I know this is Yorkshire but there's no difference - we know what we are.

"Hopefully now, I can add a little bit of quality on top of that."

Monday represented a proud moment in the career of Taylor who was afforded joyous scenes at the end of the season when Exeter were promoted.

On how the achievement ranks, comparatively, he continued: "They were different achievements at different clubs with different building time.

"My biggest achievement to date was keeping a club like Exeter going through a pandemic because you couldn't for one minute expect that to happen.

"Exeter actually came out of that period in a better position than they were going into it. That was health and people's livelihoods and lives.

"I am so privileged to get this opportunity, which is why we wanted to work so hard to increase the opportunity to stay at Championship level.

"It's easier said than done, next season will be as difficult if not even more difficult judging by the teams who are going to be at the level."

Matt Taylor on why he backed himself to break Rotherham United's cycle and where the Millers' safety ranks in his career