Rotherham United rescue mission facing Leam Richardson underlined in 2-0 defeat to West Brom

Barely 24 hours after he was unveiled as successor to Matt Taylor following an unflattering month-long search by the Millers, Richardson was in the dugout for his first Championship assignment, one that ended in a 2-0 defeat against promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion.

Richardson, the 44-year-old former Wigan manager who had long been touted as a contender for the Rotherham job but had to wait three weeks while bigger names came and went, has yet to have a training session with his new players so was going into this latest challenge in the fight for survival – against opponents looking towards the Premier League – with the odds stacked against him.

What he will have seen was plenty of huff and puff but very little in the way of attacking guile.

West Brom were passive in the first half, almost waiting to see what Rotherham had to offer going forward before deciding how hard they needed to push in response.

The answer from a Rotherham perspective, and something Richardson will be keen to address urgently, was not much at all.

And so West Brom pushed, only a little, mind, stepping up the intensity after the break to go close first through Jayson Molumby when he sliced wide, and then unlock the door on 54 minutes.

Molumby was the architect with a run down the right, and when his low cross was cleared from the edge of the six-yard box, Grady Diangana met it from 18 yards with a powerful drive that deflected past Viktor Johansson via a deflection off Sean Morrison.

Hard on Rotherham, but that’s the luck you get when you’re at the bottom.

What will concern Richardson most as he plots to get Rotherham out of the basement and three steps up to 21st was how the slightest increase in tempo from the Baggies changed the complexion of the game.

The second goal, Wallace thumping a free-kick in off the underside of the bar on 90 minutes, merely added gloss to the scoreline from West Brom’s perspective.

For Rotherham had barely threatened an equaliser prior to that, Alex Palmer the visiting goalkeeper not having a save to make.

Having been introduced to his players in the heat of Championship battle – even a game as pedestrian as this one was at times - Richardson will be eager to get to work. He has plenty to do.