Rotherham United forward ready to play after nine-match absence

Young attacker George Sebine will hand Rotherham United a huge boost on Saturday by returning to their matchday squad for the first time in seven weeks.

The 20-year-old has sat out nine matches with a calf injury after catching the eye in substitute outings against Bristol Rovers and Salford City following his loan switch from Huddersfield Town.

He has been back in training for the last 11 days and, barring any late mishaps, will be in the Millers' 18 for the League Two clash at Swindon Town this weekend.

"George is back in the squad, which is a big plus for us," said boss Alex Bruce who is hoping to see his side win for the first time in October.

Sebine, who is highly rated by his League One parent club, has pace and stature and could become a big influence at fourth-tier level.

His presence should help offset the blow of losing another frontman, Fabio Tavares, for the rest of the campaign with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

"George gives us something totally different, and we've missed him," said Bruce. "He stretches the play, he can run in behind. I can play him on the left, I can play him on the right. He gives us an option in a lot of areas on that top line.

"He also  gives us a bit of a physical presence with his height. Against Salford, he came on and had an impact, and we all thought: 'Hey, who's this?' We haven't had him since. Not having him available has been a big setback."

There is concern over another loanee, Klaidi Lolos, but Rotherham are optimistic the forward will be given the medical all-clear to be on the team bus for the long journey to Wiltshire tomorrow afternoon.

"He has had a little bit of illness but we're expecting him to be okay," said Bruce.

Centre-half Lenny Agbaire, out since the second league match of the season with hamstring trouble, may also make the trip.

After four straight losses, the Millers have steadied the ship with two successive draws, but they are still only one place above the drop zone.

This month has been a poor one for them and they are without a league victory since the 1-0 triumph at Northampton Town on September 19.

The draws came against Newport County and Shrewsbury Town, and Rotherham were 2-0 up in both of those games before having to settle for 2-2 and 3-3 results respectively.

Bruce believes his men would occupy a play-off spot had a number of needless errors not cost them dear.

"Sloppy mistakes from certain individuals, especially my defenders, have cost us," the head coach said. "They're the players that I want to be rock-steady and reliable. There have been too many individual errors, too many penalties against us. Silly basic errors in the opening 13 matches have probably lost us seven or eight points, which kills you.

It's a case of learning from it. We are a young group, a young set of lads. In the next block of 12 games, we need to minimise those mistakes."

The boss is encouraged by an improvement in form since fourth-tier defeats at Exeter City and Fleetwood Town and a home reverse at the hands of Gillingham.

"We had a bad couple of weeks, didn't we?" he said. "The losses at Fleetwood and Exeter were disappointing performances. I wanted a response in terms of performance, and I definitely feel as if I got it in the last two home games.

Last weekend, the Millers were cruising against the Shrews following two early Paul Mullin strikes, but a red card for Kian Spence altered the course of the contest and the 10-man home team had to come back from 3-2 down to salvage a point.

"I think we can take confidence from how we played," Bruce said. "We could have been 3-0 up in 18 minutes. That  shows you what the players are capable of. It's about getting it out of them more on a consistent basis.

"When you get a player sent off after 20 minutes and then the opposition score in the 21st, you think: 'Is it going to be one of those long afternoons?'

 "I think everybody in the ground could appreciate the fight and the spirit. There were a lot of positives to take from that and for us to build on."

Spence begins a three-match ban against Swindon, but he will be available for Tuesday's Jersey Mike's Trophy group-stage tie with Newcastle Under-21s at AESSEAL New York Stadium.