THE FIGHT IS ON BUT LEAM’S LATICS LOOK IN TITLE MOOD
ROTHERHAM and Wigan are still favourites to take the two automatic promotion places, but it looks as though their closest rivals are going to make them sweat.
Just a month ago, it looked as though Rotherham were on easy street when front man Michael Smith, enjoying the season of his life, netted the only goal of the game at Plymouth.
It left the Millers with a nine-point buffer over second-placed Wigan (who had two games in hand) and thirdplaced MK Dons (who had played a game more), while Plymouth, who dipped out of the play-off positions, were a whopping
19 points behind having played one game fewer.
Heading into the weekend,
Rotherham had a mere single-point lead over Wigan, who still had two games to make up, a four-point advantage over the Dons and a sixpoint lead over red-hot Plymouth, who notched their sixth straight win with a solid 2-0 home success against Cheltenham in midweek.
After a fabulous February which saw Rotherham pick up 19 points from 21, March was largely a month to forget for the Yorkshire side. True, they reached Wembley in the Papa John’s Trophy, but one win in five league games has just given their promotion rivals a sniff.
The month was bookended by matches against Shrewsbury - and Rotherham failed to score in either. A 0-0 draw in Shropshire was followed by a shock 3-0 home defeat against the Shrews last Saturday.
A result that was perhaps more damaging was the 2-1 home loss against ten-man MK Dons early in the month. As well as denting their own confidence, it kept the Dons in the automatic promotion race.
With no game this weekend and the Papa John’s Trophy final against League Two Sutton next Sunday, the Millers may well find themselves off top spot by the time they return to third tier action at home against Charlton in two weeks’ time.
The break from league action may be just what the Millers need to reset for the run-in and bagging some silverware at Wembley next weekend could provide a confidence boost.
So, will the Millers continue their yo-yo form of recent season and bounce straight back into the Championship?
With the firepower of Smith and creative talents to provide the service he craves, plus Paul Warne’s calm leadership, you would still back them to seal the deal, if not the title. It promises to be a spicy April with games against the likes of Ipswich (Apr 16, h), Oxford (Apr 23, h) and Sunderland (Apr 26, a) still to come.
If any team is likely to topple Rotherham at the summit, then Wigan are the obvious candidates. After all, they are just one point behind the Millers with two games in hand.
With home games to come against Bolton (next Saturday) and Accrington (Apr 5) before the current leaders return to league action, Wigan have the chance to not only go top but also open up a lead at the summit.
After their travails of recent times, few would begrudge the Latics title success and impressive manager Leam Richardson has assembled a squad of players that look as though they can achieve precisely that. Any third tier squad with the likes of Will Keane, Max Power and James McClean in their ranks is going to be hard to stop.
The Latics put their Papa John’s Trophy semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat to Sutton quickly behind them by notching seven points from nine in the league and are in good shape going into the final month of the campaign. That powerful squad will be needed in a marathon nine-match April that includes a mouth-watering home game against Plymouth on April 23. Third-placed MK Dons have been a revelation under Liam Manning this term and deserve all the plaudits coming their way for their style of football as well as results. With Scott Twine and Mo Eisa at the forefront, the in-form Dons still have a chance of automatic promotion, though may have to settle for the play-off route. Their final day clash at Plymouth (Apr 30) could be a humdinger if there is still something on the line.
Likewise, Plymouth may have just left it a little too late to catch the top two. Six wins on the spin heading into yesterday’s tasty game at Ipswich was a great achievement and boss Steven Schumacher has shown he can cut it in the hotseat following the departure of Ryan Lowe to Preston.
Of all the sides in the battle, the Pilgrims have, on paper at least, the toughest run-in. Aside from mid-table Burton, they have still to face Oxford (next Saturday, h), Wycombe (Apr 15, a), Sunderland (Apr 18, h), Wigan (Apr 23, a) and MK Dons (Apr 30, h). If they can successfully carve their way through that lot, they will deserve promotion!
If Rotherham, Wigan, MK Dons and Plymouth share two automatic promotion places and two play-off berths between themselves, that leaves two play-off spots up for grabs.
If Ipswich, Portsmouth and Bolton don’t come with a late run, then it looks like it’s two from four out of Oxford, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe. There are just three points dividing them with seven games left, so it really is all to play for.
All have shown decent form of late, so it could come down to fine margins as to who can extend their season. Sunderland
have the top scorer in the division in Ross Stewart (22 goals) and that could be their trump card to make the difference, while Oxford have the goalscoring nous of Matty Taylor (19 goals) in their ranks.
The two meet at Oxford on April 9 and that could be a key game in the run-in, though Sunderland have also still got to play both Plymouth (Apr 18, a) and Rotherham (Apr 26, h). Oxford have got a mixed schedule, kicking off with a trip to Plymouth next Saturday. Meetings with MK Dons (Apr 19, h) and Rotherham (Apr 23, a) are also on the menu.
If Sunderland and Oxford slip up, it could open the door for Wednesday and Wycombe. The former have a reasonable run-in on paper, with testing trips to MK Dons (Apr 16) and Wycombe (Apr 23) potentially proving pivotal.
Gareth Ainworth’s Wycombe also appear to have a decent programme. They face several relegation contenders as well as Plymouth (Apr 15) and Sheffield Wednesday (Apr 23) on home turf.
PROMOTION VERDICT
1.Wigan 2.Rotherham 3.Plymouth
4.MK Dons 5.Sunderland 6.Oxford
THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
SADLY, it seems virtually certain that Crewe are heading for the relegation trapdoor. Pre-weekend, they were nine points adrift of safety with just seven games to go, so it’s going to take a minor miracle for them to stay in League One.
That leaves three relegation places to be filled and, realistically, five clubs in danger of the drop – Doncaster, Morecambe, AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham and Fleetwood.
Going into the weekend, just four points separated second-bottom Donny from sixth-bottom Fleetwood, so it is going to be a real dogfight to escape.
If there was one team I would back to break free, it would be Gillingham. Since Neil Harris took the reins at the end of January, the Gills have put some decent results together and become a tough nut to crack.
That means you need to perm three from four. Doncaster have improved under Gary McSheffrey but it looks as though they may just run out of time, while returning boss Derek Adams has his work cut to keep leaky Morecambe in the third tier.
After a 19-game winless run pre-weekend, it’s no surprise AFC Wimbledon are in trouble, though Mark Robinson has got some talented young players at his disposal and one win could make all the difference to their confidence. Fleetwood aren’t pulling up any trees either and may just fall the wrong side of the dotted line.
RELEGATION VERDICT
19. Gillingham 22. Doncaster
20. AFC Wimbledon 23. Morecambe
21. Fleetwood 24. Crewe