Prediction League Game 12; Rotherham (home)

Div3North · 10-10-2010, 17:04

Accrington Stanley

V

Rotherham United

Prediction League – Game 12; v Rotherham (home)

Nine out, seven in was the Millers’ summer dealing; striker Drewe Broughton to Lincoln perhaps the best known departure, they raided Bury for ex Grimsby, Rochdale and Leyton Orient left back Tom Newey and defender Ryan Cresswell (a two-season regular in the heart of the Shakers’ defence with Efe Sodje and Ben Futcher), signed defender Johnny Mullins from Stockport (who spent 2 seasons at Kidderminster during which they went out of the League, 2 more at Mansfield (who did the same) and 2 years at Stockport (who got relegated); nothing personal, but we don’t want to sign him

); Welsh born midfielder Mark Bradley from Walsall (where he spent 6 seasons) and young striker Tom Elliott on loan from Leeds. Their danger man is, of course, goal-machine Adam le Fondre – ex Stockport (19 goals in 70 games) and Rochdale (36 goals in 108 games) – who scored 29 in 50 games for Rotherham last season, and is current joint top scorer in League 2 with 9 from 12 (alongside Ryan Lowe) – 93 goals in 240 matches.

They finished 5th last season on 73 points, in the ruck with Morecambe (73), Aldershot (72) and Dagenham and Redbridge (72); many fancied them to go up, but having comprehensively seen off Aldershot over 2 legs, they then lost the Playoff Final 3-2 to the Daggers. This is their 4th season in League 2, and they’re fancying themselves to get back to League 1, which they left in the season we came back into the League. We’ve played them 6 times over the last 3 seasons – losing 1-0 at home in 07/8, but winning at their ground by the same score (courtesy of a Craney 25 yard ‘screamer’), again losing at home 3-1 in the next season but drawing 0-0 away, and last season losing the opening game at the Don Valley to a 90-something-th minute winner but beating them at Fortress Crown 2-1 on a March Tuesday night, with goals from Symes and Ryan (Incidentally, who else thought Symes was lucky only to get a yellow when he appeared to lead with his arm in yesterday’s game against Brighton?) Played 6, W 2, D1, L3; scored 4, conceded 6; don’t see this one ending up 7-4, somehow …………..

So far this season their league record is W5, D5, L1 F19 A12, leaving them 3rd on 20 points. Highlights have been a 6-4 win over Cheltenham, a 3-3 draw at home to Burton and a 4-1 win at Barnet; the rest of their games (not counting the 4-1 loss at Peterborough which put them out of the Carling Cup at the first hurdle) have been nil-nil twice, 1-0 four times (including their only league defeat at Shrewsbury), 1-1 twice and 2-1 twice (two of those being JPT results (1-0 over Lincoln and 2-1 over Burton)). That means they’ve hit 13 in three League games, but only 6 in the other 8 ………. Hmmmm! Their last 3 matches have been draws – 0-0 at home to Bradford, 1-1 at home yesterday to Stevenage, and 1-1 at Bury. Make of that what you will …. 23 goals in all competitions so far; 10 for le Fondre, 3 each for Cresswell and midfielder Kevin Ellison, and the rest shared in ones and twos. Stop le Fondre, you may stop the team ……….

The deadline for entries is, as ever, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 16th October. Tight game? 10 or 11 goal thriller? Punch up on the side lines? Red cards galore? Who knows? Not me, on current form ………

Good luck to everyone ………… and thanks for playing!