Instead of reflecting on a hat-trick of instant returns to the third tier following promotion, the Millers are savouring Championship survival instead, with the club joyously clinching their safety on Monday after a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough.

Stewart, whose side have retained their status with a game to spare, told The Yorkshire Post: "If we went down this year and didn't stay up, then I'd have been embarrassed.

"It's like when you do the long jump and fail after three attempts, you have to pack it up. We have been up-down a few times and I just felt we had to stay up - for me just to keep my face.

"As I don't know what I would have said had we gone down. If I'd said 'we are going to go back up', it would have felt indefensible, if you like.

"It would have taken some explaining as a chairman. I could have that echo in my head 'Are you wasting your time or what? because you are really a League One club if you come down..’

"We have proved we can stay up and I think the difference was made with regards to the signings we made in January."

On where staying up ranks in his eventful tenure at the club, he continued: "Having got to where we have brings a big joy to it as I think everybody thought (last summer) 'Rotherham have gone up and they'll go down' and you wouldn't argue with that as we have done it so many times.

"It's up there with Wembley (wins) really. To do it in our hometown ranks in the top two, three or four after all the excitement with Rotherham in the last 15 years.

"It was a full house with a nice day and everyone seemed full of the joys of spring, but deep down, they were thinking that if we could get this sorted, we could walk to Wigan with our heads held high and that would be it. It was the perfect day."

Tony Stewart: Another relegation for Rotherham United would have been 'indefensible' and left me 'embarrassed'