Rotherham United manager Steve Evans has insisted that he isn’t thinking about seeing the Millers getting dragged into a relegation battle ahead of their trip to Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
A Gas win this weekend would see Rovers go level on points with Rotherham although the South Yorkshire outfit boast a considerably stronger goal difference.
Inigo Calderon’s side are just three points above the relegation zone while a run of six defeats in eight matches across all competitions for the Millers has dragged Saturday’s visitors into a concerning position.
Rotherham were expected to be in the promotion picture going into the season having spent the last two campaigns at Championship level while building a reputation for being able to bounce back immediately when relegated to League One. However, they currently occupy 15th place with 14 games to go.
Asked if his players could sleepwalk into a relegation battle by local media ahead of this weekend’s game against Rovers, Evans said: “I’ve not got those thoughts. I’ve got thoughts of getting a positive result at Bristol [Rovers] on Saturday and be in the top half of the table because, statistically, that can happen on Saturday within a hair’s breadth of it.
“So we have to remain positive. We know it’s tough. We only need to look at Bristol Rovers beating Barnsley a few weeks ago and they beat Burton who have been beating most in the league so they’re good at home. They’ve got a passionate support behind them but we’ll go there hoping and expecting to win.”
Although they’ve picked up one more point than Rovers on the road this season, Rotherham are one of just three teams to have won fewer away games than the Gas’ three this term with just two.
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Since Calderon’s arrival, Rovers have won three of their last five home games, taking 10 points from the last possible 12, and will be looking to extend their strong home form when they host Evans’ side with the Millers boss insisting that the Mem has always been a tough ground to visit.
“Bristol Rovers has always been a tough place to go,” the Scotsman added. “It doesn’t matter if they’ve been getting out of League Two into League One like a few years ago or in League One, it’s a tough, tough place to go.
“The new manager has brought a focus to get points at home and they’ve done that with three wins. We need to make sure it’s not four.”