Millers winger eyes festive points bonus

WINGER Anthony Forde is gunning for a six-point Christmas bonus when the Millers face Burton Albion in another Championship basement scrap tomorrow night (7.45pm).

Although Paul Warne's side still have it all to do to claw their way to safety, the Boxing Day beating of second-bottom Wigan and Burton's defeat at Aston Villa trimmed the gap between the teams to nine points.

Rotherham will have the fourth-bottom Brewers anxiously looking over their shoulders if they can beat them at at the AESSEAL New York Stadium and complete their first back-to-back Championship victories since last spring.

FORDE IN ACTION FOR THE MILLERS

Looking forward to the challenge, Forde said: "It's a massive game and another win would be a great Christmas present, to get six points over the period. It will be tough, as every game is, but we'll prepare right for it.

"We have to just keep doing what we've been doing. Even the games we haven't won, we've been playing a lot better. Hopefully that will carry on until the next game and we can push our way out of the relegation zone."

It was all hands to the pumps for Forde and his team-mates in the second half against Wigan as they struggled to protect their 3-0 half-time lead, eventually coming through 3-2.

"We hurt Wigan so many times in the first half we could have had four or five," added the winger.

"We started OK at the start of the second half but we dropped off and let them attack us instead of keeping the momentum from the first half and making it easier for ourselves.

"We'll look back and work on it but the main thing for us was the three points. We showed good character to hold on in the end."

Burton, meanwhile, could be without five first team players and will run fitness checks on defenders Ben Turner  and Kyle McFadzean and former Sheffiled United striker Jamie Ward.

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