ROTHERHAM UNITED vs ACCRINGTON STANLEY
Saturday 16th November 1500hrs
Football – England – League One
Pick Rotherham
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 1.75 (odds taken 15:03 GMT, 14 November )
Rotherham United are within touching distance of the League One play-off positions and Saturday’s clash against Accrington provides the Millers with an opportunity to get into the promotion mix. Paul Warne’s side are strong favourites to land three points and they’ve got strong form coming into the match.
Rotherham United Prediction – Will Millers Improve Home Form?
On first glance, it’s hard to recommend backing a team who have won just two of their seven matches at the New York Stadium. Rotherham have been struggling to accrue points in front of their own supporters and it’s been the team’s away form which means they sit tenth in the League One table.
Indeed, United have the second highest number of victories on the road, yet they’ve been turned over on home soil against Lincoln City, Wycombe Wanderers and Oxford United, while Tranmere Rovers and Shrewsbury Town have left south Yorkshire with a point.
However, if we look at more recent form, we’ll find that Rotherham are faring very nicely and there are mitigating circumstances for why they’ve lost a couple of recent home matches.
Oxford have been going great guns and so their 2-1 win on 19 October can be easily explained considering it happened in between 3-0 home drubbings of Doncaster Rovers and Rochdale. Similarly, the Millers aren’t the only team to have lost against a high-flying Wycombe side.
If we ignore Rotherham’s Football League Trophy results considering that competition can’t be taken too seriously, then Paul Warne’s team have won five of their past seven matches and the first team come into this clash off the back of convincing away wins against Gillingham and Maidenhead.
Moreover, this is a team who are pretty sound from a defensive point-of-view, with thirteen goals being conceded in fifteen games and much of that is down to the excellent Michael Ihiekwe who will come up against a team where he spent a chunk of last season on loan.
Daniel Iversen arrived on loan from Leicester during the summer and is proving to be a safe pair of hands between the sticks for the League One side, with midfielder Matt Crooks having an excellent season in midfield and the former Accrington player has eight goals on the board.
This includes seven in his previous seven encounters and a win for Rotherham could push the team as high as fourth in the League One table, with many regarding them as genuine promotion contenders this term.
Warne is an honest and likeable manager who has his teams fit as a fiddle and we’re expecting them to prove too strong for opponents who only have one away win to their name this term.
Accrington Prediction – Stanley Struggling For Points
By rights, Accrington Stanley are punching above their weight simply by being in League One, with the north-west club having one of the lowest playing budgets in the division although manager John Coleman has performed minor miracles with the club and they’re currently keeping their heads above water this season.
Stanley sit 19th in a 23-team division, with fifteen points on the board from sixteen games not a particularly healthy return although Southend and Bolton’s plight means that they may only need to finish above one of the other teams in order to guarantee their survival at this level for another season.
The season began pretty badly with just one point on the board from four games played, although there have been victories just when the team have needed a points boost, with Accrington having beaten MK Dons, Southend and Ipswich along the way.
However, three victories from that many games played is always going to leave you in a spot of bother and Stanley have tasted defeat on seven occasions this term, with four of those reverses occurring on the road. In fairness, the visitors have drawn as many and will be glad of a point at the New York Stadium.
That said, Coleman’s side are averaging less than a goal when they take to the road, with Accie being turned over at home to Crewe in the FA Cup last week and they were previously fortunate to cling on at St Andrews against a typically misfiring Coventry side missing key players.
Indeed, since that 2-0 win over Ipswich on 20 October, it’s been four competitive matches since the team managed to find the net, providing that you disregard the 5-2 League Trophy win over Liverpool Under-21’s which can’t be taken with a huge amount of credibility.
Defender Mark Hughes was sent off against the Railwaymen last weekend and will be suspended for this clash, with the goals having dried up for striker Colby Bishop in recent weeks and he’s managed to find the net on just three occasions in the last dozen encounters.
Key-Facts – Rotherham v Accrington Stanley
- Rotherham have won 6/9 matches
- Accrington have only won one away game
- Accrington haven’t scored in past 2 away matches
Betting Tips Verdict
It could be backs to the wall stuff for the visitors when they head to Yorkshire this weekend although we’re confident to back Rotherham to land a precious three points in their quest for League One promotion this season.
