City's winning run to be given a very tought test
By Nathan Jackson
February 21 2008
City's 5 match winning run will face it's most difficult hurdle when the Imps travel to Rotherham United, the game coming just over a month after the Millers beat City 3-1 at Sincil Bank. City haven't beaten the Millers competitively since the 1999/2000 season, although the Imps did beat them 1-0 in a pre-season friendly not so long ago.
Just over one month ago Derek Holmes showed City how to take chances. It was a pretty even game throughout but the quality of Holmes' finishing was the difference as the visitors went away from Sincil Bank with 3 points. Little did we know that 7 games later we would have gained 18 points from a possible 21, not a bad record at all really. Rotherham on the other hand have won just once since their victory at Sincil Bank and now face an uphill battle to regain their place in the automatic promotion race.
In what is Peter Jackson's last game in charge before he goes off for his treatment, City will be aiming to move 15 points off of the drop-zone and potentially just 7 points off of the Top 7. A win could see City move up to 13th but a defeat could see us slip back down to 16th.
City go into the game with no new injury worries. The Imps welcome back Louis Dodds after the striker missed the Macclesfield game through suspension. He will more than likely come into the side in the place of Shane Clarke, who made an indifferent performance against Macc.
Probable Starting XI: Marriott, Green, Beevers, Hone, Ridley, John-Lewis, Dodds, Kerr, Forrester, Stallard and Wright
Rotherham's season has been blown into decline due to their bad form and their financial worries. They have served notice to appoint and administrator, meaning a 10 point deduction as soon as that happens. It would almost certainly rule out automatic promotion and even the Playoffs might prove a bit much for them then.
The Millers have suffered several heavy defeats at home this season, including a 3-0 loss against Forest Green, 2-4 against Rochdale and a recent 4-1 loss to Stockport. Rotherham have only won once at home so far in 2008 and that was a convincing 3-0 win over Macclesfield on New Years Day. Since then they've recorded 1 draw and 3 defeats on their home turf.
The starting XI for their game against Wycombe last Saturday was Warrington, Tonge, Coughlan, Pettigrew, Joseph, Hudson, Harrison, Mills, Holmes Taylor and O'Grady.
Their only former ex-Imp is Peter Holmes, a midfielder who spent some of last season on loan at Sincil Bank from Luton.