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Millers wrecking Crew(e)

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The Millers look to extend their winning run against Dario Gradi’s Crewe on Saturday.

Vital Quotes:

Rotherham Manager Alan Knill is hoping for a fourth straight league win against Cup weary Crewe,he said,
‘Crewe are a good side, as they showed against Manchester United in midweek, but a win would give us a total of 12 points for October and that would be excellent’.
A Millers victory and defeats for Bournemouth and Cheltenham would lift Knill’s side out of the bottom four.

Rotherham United Team News:

Scottish under 21 left back Gregor Robertson is still out with an ankle injury.
Paul Hurst will continue to deputise.
Otherwise it’s a clean bill of health for Alan Knill’s side, as Striker Dave Hibbert and Midfielder Justin Cochrane are both available for selection again after
recovering from injury.

Player to watch: Will Hoskins


Rotherham United’s top scorer Will Hoskins is enjoying the best campaign of his career – having reached double figures before the end of October.

‘It’s been a really good season for me so far,’ the 10-goal Millers striker told BBC Sport.

‘There was a lot of talk beforehand about whether it was a make-or-break season for me, as I’d not had a good couple of seasons.

‘But I thought ‘Right, I’ll show a few people what I can really do’.’

Former England Under-20 international Hoskins is in double figures from just 13 league and cup starts in 2006/07 as Alan Knill’s side have confounded many pre-season predictions after a year-long battle for survival on and off the pitch.

Having narrowly evaded relegation last term, the Millers were handed a 10-point deduction by the Football League after they entered a Company Voluntary Agreement with their creditors in May in order to stay afloat.

But they have collected seven wins from 15 league games and their away record is one of the best in League One – although the deduction means they are still down in 23rd place.

‘A lot of people thought we’d go down, but we’re out to prove people wrong and I think we’re doing it so far,’ Hoskins, 20, continued.

‘If we’d been on a bad run from the start, the minus 10 would have made it really hard, but we’ve put the wins together, we’re in the ‘plus’ points and we’re off the bottom.’

Despite losing 12 players over the summer, Knill has been able to replace experience with experience in key areas.

Striker Delroy Facey and defender Ian Sharps arrived from Tranmere, as did midfielder Eugen Bopp from Nottingham Forest, defender Pablo Mills from Derby and ex-Liverpool winger Ritchie Partridge from Sheffield Wednesday.

‘I think a lot of the players who came from Championship clubs could still do a job in the Championship,’ Hoskins asserts.

‘The manager’s brought in the right players and it seems to be working.’

The summer exodus from Millmoor has also given some younger players the opportunity to shine – and Hoskins has taken the chance with both hands to more than double his career goal tally.

‘Last season when Martin Butler and Deon Burton were here, I was always going to be on the bench as they’re players who’ve been in the game a while and know their job,’ he explained.

‘If they weren’t scoring, then I’d get chucked in – whereas this year it’s been Delroy and me as a partnership.

‘I didn’t play in the first game as I was injured and I thought ‘not again’, but I came on against Blackpool and scored – and I’ve been in the team ever since, apart from when I was sent off at Bradford and got suspended.

‘The boys have got faith that we can do it. There’s some good team spirit, and the feeling is, ‘Take 10 points off us, we’re not bothered, we’ll stay up’.’

Crewe Alexandra Team News:

The main injury worry for Dario Gradi’s side is young starlet Billy Jones who is struggling with an hamstring problem.
Blackburn loanee Andy Taylor suffered concussion during the Manchester United game, but Rodney Jack who missed the match with an heavy cold returns to the squad.
Luke Rodgers also returns from injury, but Captain Neil Cox, and Midfield pair Gary Roberts and Michael O,Connor are suspended.

Player to watch: Luke Varney

Crewe player Ryan Lowe told BBC Sport about the qualities shown by the Leicester born jet heeled striker Luke Varney.

Luke has come from Quorn in the Midland Football Alliance which is the same standard I was at a few years ago when I was at Burscough.

He has done so well to make the step up so easily and there is more to come from him I am sure.

Again you hear that clubs are looking at him but he is the same as the others – not bigheaded at all. They are not talking about which clubs are watching them, they just get on with things and are enjoying their football.

Luke is a player who has bags of pace and knows where the goal is too.

There are still a few things he needs to pick up but the best place for him to do that is Crewe. He has the basic elements he needs in place and can only improve further.

Dario is so good to learn from – and of course the players listen to him, you only have to look at the players he has brought through to know it is worth your while.

He does coach you and improve you and I just wish I was here a few years ago when I was a bit younger and maybe things could have been different for me too.

Match Facts & Stats

Crewe arrive at Millmoor with just 2 wins from their last 6 games and have only managed 1 away win this season at Brighton.
Rotherham on the other hand have won 4 from the last 6 including the last 3 on the trot.
However Crewe have a great record at Millmoor, having been unbeaten in the league there since 1969, a total of 12 games.
League Results
League Championship
22.01.2005 Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Rotherham Utd
28.09.2004 Rotherham Utd 2-3 Crewe Alexandra
Division One
03.04.2004 Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Rotherham Utd
13.09.2003 Rotherham Utd 0-2 Crewe Alexandra
21.04.2002 Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Rotherham Utd
30.10.2001 Rotherham Utd 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
Division Two
25.01.1997 Rotherham Utd 1-4 Crewe Alexandra
29.10.1996 Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Rotherham Utd
20.04.1996 Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Rotherham Utd
04.11.1995 Rotherham Utd 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
10.12.1994 Rotherham Utd 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
20.08.1994 Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Rotherham Utd
Division Four
28.12.1991 Crewe Alexandra 0-1 Rotherham Utd
31.08.1991 Rotherham Utd 1-2 Crewe Alexandra
Division Three
30.04.1991 Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Rotherham Utd
09.04.1991 Rotherham Utd 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
31.03.1990 Rotherham Utd 1-3 Crewe Alexandra
21.10.1989 Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Rotherham Utd
Division Four
27.03.1989 Crewe Alexandra 1-3 Rotherham Utd
26.12.1988 Rotherham Utd 1-2 Crewe Alexandra
05.03.1975 Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Rotherham Utd
15.02.1975 Rotherham Utd 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
29.12.1973 Rotherham Utd 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
08.09.1973 Crewe Alexandra 1-8 Rotherham Utd
Division Three
25.04.1969 Rotherham Utd 3-0 Crewe Alexandra
30.11.1968 Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Rotherham Utd
Division Three (North)
17.03.1951 Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Rotherham Utd
28.10.1950 Rotherham Utd 2-3 Crewe Alexandra
06.05.1950 Rotherham Utd 0-0 Crewe Alexandra
05.09.1949 Crewe Alexandra 4-1 Rotherham Utd
09.04.1949 Crewe Alexandra 0-3 Rotherham Utd
13.11.1948 Rotherham Utd 6-1 Crewe Alexandra
07.02.1948 Rotherham Utd 5-1 Crewe Alexandra
20.09.1947 Crewe Alexandra 3-3 Rotherham Utd
08.02.1947 Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Rotherham Utd
05.10.1946 Rotherham Utd 5-1 Crewe Alexandra
29.04.1939 Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Rotherham Utd
29.08.1938 Rotherham Utd 4-1 Crewe Alexandra
30.04.1938 Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Rotherham Utd
18.12.1937 Rotherham Utd 1-0 Crewe Alexandra
10.04.1937 Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Rotherham Utd
05.12.1936 Rotherham Utd 3-2 Crewe Alexandra
27.04.1936 Crewe Alexandra 4-1 Rotherham Utd
18.04.1936 Rotherham Utd 3-1 Crewe Alexandra
27.04.1935 Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Rotherham Utd
15.12.1934 Rotherham Utd 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
17.02.1934 Rotherham Utd 3-4 Crewe Alexandra
07.10.1933 Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Rotherham Utd
11.02.1933 Rotherham Utd 5-0 Crewe Alexandra
01.10.1932 Crewe Alexandra 8-0 Rotherham Utd
26.12.1931 Rotherham Utd 0-2 Crewe Alexandra
25.12.1931 Crewe Alexandra 5-0 Rotherham Utd
02.05.1931 Rotherham Utd 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
01.09.1930 Crewe Alexandra 2-3 Rotherham Utd
22.03.1930 Crewe Alexandra 6-1 Rotherham Utd
16.11.1929 Rotherham Utd 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
17.04.1929 Crewe Alexandra 3-0 Rotherham Utd
06.10.1928 Rotherham Utd 1-2 Crewe Alexandra
07.04.1928 Rotherham Utd 2-0 Crewe Alexandra
08.02.1928 Crewe Alexandra 3-2 Rotherham Utd
15.01.1927 Crewe Alexandra 2-2 Rotherham Utd
28.08.1926 Rotherham Utd 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
01.05.1926 Rotherham Utd 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
19.12.1925 Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Rotherham Utd
14.03.1925 Rotherham Utd 1-3 Crewe Alexandra
08.11.1924 Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Rotherham Utd
29.03.1924 Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Rotherham Utd
17.11.1923 Rotherham Utd 1-0 Crewe Alexandra

Ref Watch:

Mr David Foster from Tyne and Wear.

This is David’s first year on the official Referee’s list.

His games so far this season are…

Competition Date Home Score Away Y R

League 2 Sat 05 Aug 2006 Rochdale 0-1 Walsall 1 0

League 2 Fri 18 Aug 2006 Stockport 1-1 Accrington Stanley 0 0

League 2 Fri 01 Sep 2006 Chester 0-2 Swindon 4 1

League 2 Sat 09 Sep 2006 Mansfield 4-1 Hereford 0 0

League 2 Sat 23 Sep 2006 Bury 2-2 Barnet 3 1

League 2 Sat 14 Oct 2006 Notts County 1-2 Bristol Rovers 1 0

Total Games : 6 Yellow cards 9 Red Cards 2

He will be assisted by P E Curry and I Nolan

4th Official is M A Sutton

Match Prediction:

Rotherham to end their Crewe jinx and record their 4th straight League win with a single goal victory. 2-1

Next Fixtures:

Saturday 4th November 2006
Carlisle United v Rotherham United

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