'We need crowd behind us' says Warne

The Good Friday clash is a chance for two out-of-form teams to put points on the board.

Relegated Rotherham go into it on the back of a club record ten straight defeats while Birmingham have slid down to the Championship under Gianfranco Zola and still need a win or two to be sure of safety.

Millers boss Paul Warne knows that a good result would calm the club's restless fans who have gone three months without seeing their team win. But, he says, strong support from the stands could make all the difference to a group of players who have taken so many knocks.

Warne told the Advertiser: "Birmingham aren't in the best of form, they've been similar to us, losing games by the odd goal and they were the better team against Derby last week. They possibly have a bit more quality but it's a good game for us at home.

"I've been saying for a few weeks we need to get some points on the board and give the club something to cheer about. I'm trying to take the positives from the game at Wigan last week when we created a lot of chances and the lads just need to carry that into this one.

"I understand Birmingham are under similar pressure to us and have some games they think are winnable for them to stay up. What we need is the crowd right behind us to give the players the encouragement to go out and play some positive football and not feel inhibited."

Fitness checks will have to be run on Anthony Forde (ankle) while Tom Adeyemi is pushing for a return against his former club. Goalkeeper Lewis Price misses out with tonsilitis while Lee Frecklington is expected to be out for two to three more weeks.

The action starts at 3pm.

Catch today's Advertiser for in-depth Millers coverage and follow our live blog for all the action before, during and after the match.