New Year test for Millers

ROTHERHAM United expect their match against Port Vale at Don Valley Stadium to go ahead on Saturday, giving them a chance to steal a New Year march on one of their main promotion rivals.

The Millers are two points and two places behind second-placed Vale in League Two with a game in hand, despite seeing their Christmas fixtures against Stockport and Accrington frozen off.

Having played only once in the last five weeks due to the weather, Ronnie Moore's side are desperate to get back into action and look likely to do so with temperatures on the rise ahead of Saturday's top-end clash and Monday's trip to Macclesfield.

Chief operating officer Paul Douglas said: "The forecast is good and if there are no surprises then we will definitely be playing at the weekend.

"Port Vale is a good match to come back to because they are a top side and so are we and hopefully the people who have been waiting for a game over Christmas will now have one to watch.

"There was no chance of Tuesday's match against Accrington match going ahead because the pitch at Don Valley Stadium was totally frozen.

"We've had a thaw and there's a lot of moisture on the surface at the moment but there is no problem at all."

The Millers have lost four games to the weather so far and will also have a blank weekend next Saturday because scheduled opponents Stevenage are involved in the FA Cup that day against Newcastle United.

Both this weekend's games start at 3pm.