Date – 21/2/2015
Venue – Molineux
Kick off – 3pm
Wolves prepare for the first of a hectic run of five games in fifteen days as they host Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon.
This is a crucial run for Kenny’s men and if he is serious about aiming for a playoff spot, then picking up points and going on a winning run needs to start here.
Simply put, Wolves were dreadful against Norwich and fans were understandably gutted to see a good result against Huddersfield undone only mere days later.
Bakary Sako did little to show why we kept hold of him and risk losing him for free in the summer and Benik Afobe had to feed off scraps alone, with his tame effort in the second half being our main dangerous attack of the game.
Despite there only being a two point difference between us and the Carnies when we played, they looked better than us in every department. Opportunities on goal were few and far between and Norwich seemed comfortable latching onto the loose balls, directing the flow of the game and generally eased to victory. Much improvement is needed for the visit of Rotherham as Wolves yet again have shown their lack of ability to create chances in games.
There were no such problems creating chances when we faced the Millers at home last season as Wolves ran out winners in a 10 goal classic that will not be forgotten about for a long time. With the game level at 4-4 goals from Sam Ricketts and Kevin McDonald won it for Wolves in the dying moments to put us on the cusp of the League One title. Only fans running onto the pitch during and post-match marred what was one of the most special days in Wolves recent history.
Of course Rotherham did follow us up that season when they gained promotion through the playoffs, but have since found life in the championship the toughest out of the three promoted sides despite beating us 1-0 earlier on in the season.
Sitting only four points outside the relegation zone, Rotherham managed a creditable draw against Derby County on Tuesday night but should have really got all three points after leading the match 3-1 and will be looking to bounce back from that disappointment.
While the majority of fans weren’t thinking of promotion at the start of the season, it is a shame to see our side deflate and lack the bite and passion we showed at the beginning of the season. This is game is a real chance to go on another successful run that could very well end up in a playoff campaign.
Danger Men
Wolves
Tomasz Kuszczak has made the position between the sticks his own in recent games since coming in for fan favourite Carl Ikeme. A magnificent performance away to Huddersfield was followed up by some great saves against Norwich which prevented the score looking a lot more embarrassing than it might have been. Kuszczak could give Jackett a real selection headache when Ikeme comes back into the fold.
Nouha Dicko will start against his former club and will be looking to match the hat trick he got in last season’s 6-4 thriller.
Rotherham
Connor Sammon has become Rotherham’s main threat up front and his goals will be the difference between survival and relegation for the Yorkshire side. Since joining in January on loan from Derby he’s averaged a goal every other game.
Wolves fans will recognise Adam Hammill from his time at Molineux during the most recent premier league era where many expressed that he never got the chances he deserved to prove himself under Wolves management. On loan from Huddersfield, Hammill has only managed short spells off the bench since arriving at Rotherham although he may be in line for a start and could well continue the trend of ex-players scoring against us.
Match odds
Wolves 10/11
Draw 5/2
Rotherham 3/1
First Goalscorer
Nouha Dicko 4/1
Bakary Sako 5/1
Benik Afobe 5/1
Connor Sammon 8/1
Danny Ward 8/1
Matt Derbyshire 8/1
Ways to follow the match:
@OfficialWolves and @TimNash_star will provide live updates on the match.
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