Brentford's win over Rotherham might not have been a classic but, at the end of the day, a win and three points is just what the doctor ordered.

Lee Carsley barely had time to hand over the development squad to Kevin O'Connor before he was taking charge of the first team against Birmingham and then, after a brief recovery session, face Derby.

Given that context, it's not surprising the Bees were in a poor state in those games, meaning yesterday's game with Rotherham was a better opportunity to see how the new head coach was doing.

Brentford were on the back foot for large spells in the game but were much more solid in defence than they have been, although the Millers are a side who are likely to be in and around the relegation zone at the back end of the season.

And, in Alan Judge, they have a goalscorer who can win games as his brace proved to be decisive, despite Joe Mattock's equaliser. Below are five key points to take away from the game.

Carsley is a character

Lee Carsley

Lee Carsley is a bubbly character and has a sharp sense of humour but is also straight-talking and honest.

Alarm bells rang when he said that he didn't want the job on a permanent basis as he doesn't believe he is ready for it at this time, nor does he believe he's the best man for it.

That honesty though can also pay off for the players as, if they know they're going to have to impress a new head coach/manager their first task is to perform for Carsley in order to make themselves more selectable under a new boss.

His sense of humour also shines through and I've enjoyed more than one light-hearted discussion about the progress of Josh Clarke with him.

Indeed, the head coach brought up the Barnet loanee's form yesterday after the game and I took great pleasure in informing him that he'd scored against York. His response, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, was to say what a wonderful managerial decision it was to let him leave on loan.

It's clearly in the 41-year-old's personality to smile and have a bit of fun, which will hopefully rub off on the players and they start to enjoy themselves more on the pitch. This, of course, is also brought about by winning games.

New faces, old profile

With the exception of Marco Djuricin, the Brentford starting XI all came from English clubs, meaning a greater understanding of the requirements in the game.

If we compare that to Marinus Dijkhuizen's last game in charge; there were three players feeling their way into the Championship – Djuricin, Konstantin Kerschbaumer and Lasse Vibe.

Jake Bidwell, Harlee Dean and Alan Judge all had originally joined the Bees on loan, impressed and were signed permanently.

David Button had gone from pillar to post on loan moves and was given a chance by Brentford to be number one and has gone on to be one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship. Nico Yennaris was also plucked from the Arsenal academy

James Tarkowski and Ryan Woods were signed from sides below Brentford in the league system, leaving loanees Sergi Canos and John Swift as the young players from Premier League clubs out to impress.

Djuricin suffered from a lack of service for most of the game. His talent is there but he still needs to adapt to the frantic and physical English game.

Maintaining that core will only stand Brentford in good stead.

Canos will soon be on Klopp's radar

Andy Gogia replaces Sergi Canos

Carsley's decision to start Liverpool loanee Sergi Canos was vindicated as the Spaniard displayed his trickery.

There's a lot to like about the 18-year-old attacker, especially his raw enthusiasm for the game and getting stuck in.

New Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is renowned for the way his team presses and Canos loves to do the defensive side of the game, throwing himself into tackles and winning the ball back as high up the field as possible.

Canos just loves to play football and get the ball. It's not a trait you can coach but it is one you can nurture and allow to flourish; which Carsley and predecessor Marinus Dijkhuizen were keen to do.

Every player in the Championship has an imperfection in their game – if they didn't have those flaws then they would be playing in the Premier League, La Liga etc.

Canos is not ready for first-team duties at Liverpool yet as he needs to build up enough match fitness to play up to three 90 minute games in a week and, currently, the longest he has played for the Bees is just over an hour.

If he continues to make those improvements, his high intensity style will certainly put him on the German's 'one to watch' list. It would be no surprise to see Canos being part of Liverpool's wider squad next season.

Solid Swift

Caught the eye: John Swift

It was the first chance to get a glimpse of what Chelsea loanee John Swift could do from the start and he didn't disappoint.

There was plenty to be pleased about his performance, notably his lung-bursting run in the first half that almost teed up Djuricin for the opener. Had that gone in the run and assist would have been talked about for a long time.

Chelsea have a poor reputation when it comes to bringing academy players through but Swift has already demonstrated he is a good young player and can thrive at Championship level already in his young career.

Maybe, in time, he will be given a chance at Stamford Bridge to strut his stuff.

Yes to Yennaris

Brentford had not won any of the seven games Nico Yennaris started before yesterday.

Any time the former Arsenal man started, it appeared the team would produce a notably bad performance; Colchester, Charlton and Oxford. The 2-0 loss at Derby wasn't great either but Yennaris produced a decent performance.

It is this fact that has, possibly, clouded people's judgement about the full back, who spent the end of last season on loan at Wycombe.

However, he produced an assured performance against the Millers to prove to everyone that he can play in the Championship.

Carsley has breathed fresh impetus into Yennaris' career and, maybe with a run of games, he can continue to improve.