Paul Warne reveals what he thinks will keep Rotherham United in Championship

The Millers are back in the second tier, hoping to avoid a fourth successive relegation as they continue to yo-yo between there and League One.

They almost beat the drop two seasons ago, only for an 87th minute goal in their final game of the season to condemn them to relegation.

Warne’s side would easily have stayed up, though, if they had a clinical striker as a number of squandered opportunities cost them.

The Millers have already recruited Conor Washington but are looking for several other frontmen having seen Freddie Ladapo and Will Grigg depart.

The club are also waiting to hear whether Michael Smith will commit to the club.

And Warne knows it will be those strikers that could prove the difference.

“The gap is what the gap was last time we were up and we didn't collect enough points to stay up,” he said.

“I think we lost 14 games by just one goal so we weren’t a million miles away, but we still got relegated.

“I just think fundamentally we defended very well, the essential part is that you need strikers who can score at that level.

“In League One you might create five chances and take one, in the Championship you might only create three good chances and if you don't have a striker who is going to take one of them then you just don't win games.

“That is what I think the biggest difference is, the quality of strikers. If you go through all the teams' top two and you compare them to League One, there's a reason they earn four times more money.

“They are more reliable, take more chances and they are the ones that win the games. The physicality, the players are bigger, stronger and technically better, you are competing with a lot.”