EASY this management lark, isn't it?

Roberto Martinez is unlikely to have been sipping Spanish sangria in celebration - this was, it should be stressed, a fairly comfortable victory against a rock-bottom Rotherham side careering towards League Two at a rate of knots.

But Swansea City's new manager will have nonetheless taken great satisfaction from his first game in charge as he oversaw an end to the poor run of results that had heralded the departure of his predecessor at the Liberty Stadium, Kenny Jackett.

Goals in either half from Pawel Abbott - his first for the club - and Lee Trundle secured the visitors a first win in seven games that should encourage the Swans faithful to believe promotion really is still achievable this season.

A cold and windy evening at Millmoor deprived Martinez of any kind of fanfare on his return to the League One club.


But a warm welcome should be guaranteed for his Liberty Stadium homecoming on Saturday after the Swans moved back up to seventh, within two points off the final play-off spot.


After the insipid defeats against Scunthorpe and Yeovil, finally some real signs of life. Swansea improved on their recent displays with a classy showing that should have yielded more goals such was their supremacy over largely toothless opponents.


The only stain on the evening was Martin Woods' late free-kick which somehow squirmed past Willy Gueret.


Overall, however, it was a case of job well done.

Swansea's new leader will now hope to have his preferred coaching team in place for the weekend visit of Leyton Orient. Martinez had coach Colin Pascoe and physio Richard Evans for company in the dug-out last night, but there was no sign of Kevin Nugent, the man who had taken caretaker charge after Jackett walked a fortnight ago.


Martinez suggested he did not think much of Nugent's decision to axe Gueret for Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Huish Park as the Frenchman was restored in goal, Andy Oakes unfortunate to find himself back on the bench after fine display in Somerset. Was it something Oakes said?


Otherwise, the team pretty much picked itself as the unavailability of nine first-teamers - defender Kevin Austin becoming the latest absentee as he missed this twice-rearranged tie with a chest infection - gave Martinez little scope to try something new.


With Ian Craney restored to the starting XI, returning hernia victim Tom Williams and untried youth-team midfielder Dion Chambers made up the numbers on the bench.


Martinez would have ventured down the tunnel at half-time a happy man.


Inferior opposition Rotherham may have been - the Millers went into the game anchored to the foot of the table and 12 points adrift of safety after losing eight of their previous 10 games - but Swansea had taken this game by the scruff of its neck.


A welcome sight in the wake of recent performances.


From the moment Craney pounced on a loose ball to fire a low, left-footed shot marginally wide in the ninth minute, the visitors posed by far the strongest attacking threat.


There was one scare for the Swans when Richie Partridge produced a 20-yard effort that did not look fierce enough to trouble Gueret.


But the keeper failed to hold it and Kevin Amankwaah had to thrash the loose ball clear before a second Rotherham boot made contact.


Low on confidence given their desperate plight, Alan Knill's men kept making elementary mistakes - and Swansea were in the mood to punish them.


Painter seized on red-shirted hesitation to set up Trundle with a delicious deep ball.


Swansea's top scorer applied a classy touch of his own, deceiving keeper Gary Montgomery with a trademark lob that dipped a fraction over the bar.


With just under 20 minutes gone, Swans punished Rotherham's profligacy in possession.

A sparkling Leon Britton, giving left-back Paul Hurst a torrid time with his directness and his trickery, picked up a misplaced Millers' pass and hooked the ball beautifully into the path of Amankwaah as the right-back ghosted past a dozing Woods.


And Amankwaah lofted a perfect cross to the far post that Abbott nodded into the back of the net.


Finally Abbott's Swans career has ignited, the former Poland Under-21 striker showing some other neat touches here - winning headers and dropping deep to collect and distribute the ball - that showed why Jackett paid £150,000 to sign him from Huddersfield last month. Double figures must be his aim now as this was only his sixth goal of the campaign.


For their part, Rotherham were pretty clueless. A couple of silly bookings - dished out by replacement referee Dave Coote after original official Clive Oliver picked up a pre-match injury, delaying the kick-off by five minutes - summed up the South Yorkshire side's frustration, though Swansea were unable to make another first-half mark on the scoresheet despite their superiority in terms of possession and final-third penetration.


After a quiet first period, Andy Robinson became more involved in the second half as he found ample space out on the left. And he almost found the net on two occasions.


He was about to turn to celebrate on 49 minutes when he beat Montgomery with a sweet lob before Ian Sharps appeared from nowhere to hoof the bouncing ball clear.


Five minutes later Robinson had a low shot saved by the Millers' keeper, panic then spreading through home ranks when Craig Fleming's clearance struck Abbott before rolling onto a post.


Sandwiched in between Robinson's efforts, however, was a warning that Swansea needed to remain vigilant as Stephen Brogan unleashed a firm 20-yard shot that had Gueret leaping across his goal-line as the ball flew wide.


Trundle, though, effectively made the game safe when he sent a rising 18-yard effort beyond Montgomery's reach after drifting and dribbling in off the touchline to reap the rewards of more impressive approach play from Amankwaah and Britton.


Swansea could have added more as Trundle spurned a chance when one-on-one with the keeper and Montgomery made a double save from Robinson and Britton.


Deep into stoppage time, Woods hit back with a stunning 30-yard free-kick that Gueret perhaps should have stopped.

Luckily for Swansea, it was too little, too late for Rotherham.