Preview- Rotherham United vs Southend United

It has been a terrific start to the season for Steve Tilson’s men as they shot up to third place last Saturday with a 3-1 demolition of Tranmere Rovers at Roots Hall. Promising youngster James Lawson grabbed goal number one, and will presumably continue to keep both Freddy Eastwood and Wayne Gray out of the starting line-up, whilst Shaun Goater bagged another two goals as he looks set to aim for twenty goals this season. And Bermudan international Goater was thrilled with the win, telling the clubs official site “If we can continue to be positive at home and pick up points on our travels then the finishing in the top half of the table should be a certainty.”

In a completely different part of the country, Mick Harford’s Rotherham United are clipping at the Blues’ heels. Sitting in 8^th place, Rotherham are already looking capable of bouncing back to the Championship following relegation – despite two in-different results recently. After a disappointing but hardly embarrassing 2-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest in League One last Saturday, the Millers crashed out of the Carling Cup in midweek to local rivals Leeds United by the same margin at Millmoor. However, Harford believes that his side can fight back, telling Rotherham’s official site "We have just had two disappointing games but the lads are in a positive frame of mind and they are confident they can get back to winning ways.” Of course the Shrimpers were not in midweek Carling Cup action as their appalling League Cup record continued when they lost at the hands of Championship side Southampton.

Rotherham have also been boosted by the news that they have recently signed under 19 international Grant Ledbitter from Sunderland. Ledbitter will go straight into the Miller’s squad for the clash unlike Blues’ latest signing Jemal Campbell-Ryce. JCR, as he is commonly known, has of course moved from the Millmoor Stadium but will not be able to feature for the Shrimpers until the 1^st October.

Whilst Rotherham have been boosted by the news of Ledbitter they have been dealt a blow when it was announced that their influential defender Phil Gillchrist had been ruled out with a dislocated shoulder. The former Leicester City and West Brom left back picked up the injury against Leeds United in the Carling Cup in midweek. Despite the news that Gillchrist is out, Rotherham supporters will be pleased that Andy Monkhouse and former West Ham and Benfica star Scott Minto will be included.

Southend of course have their own injury worries with Mark Gower and Carl Pettefer struggling to make the team. Although it looks as if Pettefer will be available for the clash it is unlikely that the man who started every game last season, will start the game against the Millers’. In fact should Gower not make it, as he hinted in the local press on Friday evening it is likely that the frustrated Mark Bentley will move into the right side of midfield. Bentley has of course been without a place in the team since he was injured against Bradford City and has been denied by the tenacious Luke Guttridge in the centre of the park. The rest of the Southend side is likely to remain the same as the side that beat Tranmere just seven days previous.

The last meeting between the Millers and the Shrimpers came on the 8^th April 2000 at Millmoor, when the crowd of just over 4,000 witnessed a drab 0-0 draw, in a season that ultimately saw Rotherham win promotion.

That was just one of four draws the Seasiders have picked up in ten meetings at Rotherham’s theatre of dreams – and they have only managed one victory as well. At Roots Hall things have been marginally kinder for the Blues’, four wins and three draws out of nine fixtures isn’t a bad record at all. However, Southend fans will be concerned to see that the last time Southend did win in Rotherham was back in the 1990/91 promotion campaign – not a pleasing fact at all.

On current form, Southend are only second best to Swansea City in the entire division – something the Blues can certainly be proud about. From their last six, Steve Tilson’s men have won four and lost two, whilst Rotherham have won three and lost three. Rotherham have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six whilst Southend have won twice, drawn three times (a lot I know) and lost just once.