Rotherham United boss Paul Warne pleased to see Sheffield Wednesday selection gamble pay off

The club-record buy striker had fallen out of favour after surprisingly handing in a transfer request during the January transfer window.

But with Will Grigg sidelined for a long time with a hamstring injury, Warne opted to hand the jersey to Ladapo at Hillsborough, ahead of Josh Kayode.

And it turned out to be the right decision as Ladapo, who scored a memorable winner at the Owls’ last season, earned himself further club folklore status by putting his side ahead in the second half.

Michael Smith went on to grab a late second and earn a win that moves the Millers 11 points clear of MK Dons in third.

"I knew if I put Freddie in the team I would get dog's abuse from half our fans but I get paid to make decisions I think are right for this club,” the boss said.

“I thought Freddie was really good, deserved his goal and caused them a problem, as did Smudge, and Smudge gets his fiftieth league goal for us.

"I thought Smudge was much better second half as well.”

Smith came into the game on the back of winning Sky Bet League One player of the month for January and notched yet another goal.

Warne added: “Good finish. He'll have better games as well.

"I was right behind it and as soon as he hit it I thought, that's in. Then I just spent the next 15 minutes virtually watching the clock.

"I was just glad to get over the finish line.

"I got (Jordi) Osei-Tutu on as well - he looks ace, so I was pleased with that.

“And it allowed me to push Cheio (Ogbene) up front and he automatically looked a lot happier, like an under-16 playing under-12s.

"We finished the game really well. Overall I'm not buzzing, but I'm pleased.”

On Grigg, Warne says he will see a specialist on Monday.

"He's got a grade three (tear),” Warne revealed.

“The best-case scenario is eight weeks and it could be worse. I hope not but they're the cards we've been dealt.

“He may require surgery. We saw him on Friday for the first time since Tuesday night. He's limping, which is obviously a bad sign, and he's really disappointed about what's happened.

“Sometimes you have a muscle injury where your walking is fine and it's only running at speed that bothers you.

“It shows the enormity of the injury. He's alright in himself. He's an experienced pro. He knows injuries happen.”