Match Preview - Rotherham (Away)

Rotherham are club very much like ours. In a league where they're looked down on they are tipped for relegation most seasons. Ronnie Moore is the football leagues 5th longest serving manager but is still 14 years off our own Dario Gradi.

Moore has quite simply turned Rotherham around. Taking over as Rotherham were relegated from Division Two in 1997 he took them to a comfotable 9th place in Division Three in his first season. The former Cardiff player then led the Millers to a unsuccessful play-off campaign in 98/99.

But following automatic promotion from Division Three in 99-00 Rotherham weren't expecting to follow that up with yet another promotion. Shocking Division Two as they eased their way into division one, finishing 2nd behind Millwall in 00-01.

The Millers have for the past two seasons stayed above the bottom three, the first time being at the expense of us by goal difference. The Alex will be looking for revenge on Saturday, infront of TV camera's for the first time since Crystal Palace at home in the relegation season.

So far this season both teams have seen indifferent form. Both teams have seen their top striker sold for £1million and both teams site happily in mid-table. Rotherham sit 2 places behind us, in 17th place. They've opened the season with comfortable form but like us seem to find it hard to score, especially since Rotherham sold 20 goal striker Alan Lee to Cardiff for £1million.

So far they've fell to defeats to Wigan and Norwich whilst two 0-0 draws against Reading and Cardiff have been joined by just one league win over West Ham. They did howevere beat York in the Carling Cup.

With just 3 goals all season Ronnie Moore made it known that he needed a replacement for Alan Lee and so off he went and bought Martin Butler for £250k. The former Reading striker scored a respectable 32 goals in 80 games during his stint at Reading.

Moore has also been trying to take Darren Carter, Bryan Hughes and Curtis Woodhouse onloan from Birmingham City but has so far failed, blasting Birmingham for belittling them.

"Sometimes these clubs forget where they come from. I wonder if a bigger club had asked for the player on loan he would have been allowed to leave. Sometimes I think it's just because it's little old Rotherham."

In Rotherham's team we see a couple of familiar names. Goalkeeper Gary Montgomery will start for the first time since the opening day after a hand injury. The keeper was onloan at Crewe a couple of years ago and since was linked with Crewe as Ince's back up.

Also in there is the 'experienced' Scott Minto. The former Chelsea and Benfica left back signed for Rotherham last month. Rotherhams starting 11 will probably be not much different to the one that played their last game. Ony changes will be signing Martin Butler and Gary Montgomery.

Montgomery, Barker, Swailes, Branston, Minto, Sedgwick, Talbot, Millin, Monkhouse, Byfield, Butler.

As for the Alex. Since our last game there have been a couple of changes. David Wright will play his first game since revealing he was gutted at Leeds not bidding for him and left back Anthony Tonkin might make his debut. The cornish left back is ready to play should David Vaughan fail to recover from a toe injury he picked up, after kicking the goal post when training for Wales U-21s. Also out is Adie Moses(Hamstring) and Chris McCready. So partnering Foster at the back will be Richard Walker, who will play his first game of the season since picking up shin splints and a thigh strain.

Up front things are getting stretched. Jones and Ashton will, ofcourse, be the front two but the inexperienced Edwards, Varney and Robinson battle it out for a place on the bench after Allan Smart was ruled out for up to 5 weeks, although could strangely return in 2 weeks, and loanee Jon Walters returned to Bolton.

Starting 11:

Ince, Tonkin, Foster, Walker, Wright, Rix, Brammer, Cochrane, Lunt, Ashton & Jones.

COME ON!!!!!!!!