Will Rotherham be more of a challenge this time around?

Steve Evans felt humiliated by his sides poor second half against AFCB in the FA Cup Third Round. It will be his task to see if he can inflict a second defeat in a row on Eddie Howe's Cherries and he'll see this as a game where the Miller's can get something from it. Indeed, they need to get something from the game and Evans will install that in his players.

Rotherham look a much stronger side with all the new
signings they have made. the question is will they click straight away?

Rotherham are also expected to make a few changes to the team that they had out against AFCB in the cup as they had one or two loan players who were not allowed to play last time in the cup. Danny Ward has been signed on a month's loan from Huddersfield and he played in their last match against Brentford. A regular thorn in AFCB's side is Adam Hammill of Sheffield Wednesday who has also signed for Rotherham on loan until the end of the season. The Millers have also signed Derby's Connor Sammon on loan until the end of the season, having been on loan at Ipswich.

There will be some players though who did play for Rotherham in that FA Cup defeat who will have to play with the memory of it again. I was impressed with Jordan Bowery and Jonson Clarke-Harris in the cup game, but neither started in their last match against Brentford. It is likely that Matt Derbyshire will be involved foe them up front or as a sub, but he is not finding the net regularly. 

Rotherham's squad is one of the smallest in the Championship and Steve Evans is having to take on a Cherries side that can make changes and fit different players in positions without weakening their side. If the Millers make changes though their side is less likely to be as effective in many ways as they have not had the build up of understanding that Eddie Howe's team has built up over a much longer time.

Rotherham Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Are Millers still finding their scoring feet?

It probably escaped most Championship fans attention that Luciano Becchio landed up on loan until January at Rotherham Utd on transfer deadline day. The Argentine striker has some pedigree having played at Leeds Utd and Norwich City and he is not the only striker at the club now who is going to be a handful for the Cherries to deal with, because Steve Evans has been building his squad over the summer with Matt Derbyshire, Fabien Brandy and Paul Taylor from Ipswich. He even had a cheeky little stab at trying to sign Lewis McGugan and Lloyd Dyer from Watford!

The Millers have started okay in the Championship with wins against Wolves and Millwall who were both early form teams, but scoring goals has been a bit harder to come by than Steve Evans would have liked and against Derby, Watford and Brentford the team has failed to score. Adding the quality of Luciano Becchio could just make Rotherham a different proposition now.

The summer also a move for Aston Villa's Jordan Bowery who was the Miller's record signing at the time. While he has not among the goalscorers so far, I'm hoping that he is  not saving anything up special for Rotherham's visit to the south coast. Jordan has been kept on the subs bench quite a lot though in the first few games, because Alex Revell has usually been getting the nod. Alex has had 125 games at the Millers and has scored 23 goals for them in that time.

Having won successive promotions, Eddie Howe will not be taking Rotherham lightly. Whether they have yet knitted into a team that is confident at playing in the Championship yet is still to be seen, but as they get a few results their confidence will grow. The Millers have been in contention in all of their Championship games so far and have not been at all out-classed, so I expect a very difficult match.

Rotherham Away Form
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AFCB Home Form
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If you think you know what the score will be make sure you tweet it to me and for those who are confident of picking up some winnings take a trip to Free Bet Negotiator. Finally, good luck to Sam Matthews who has a month on loan at Poole Town.

The Cherries can end Forest's season

Who would have thought that Nottingham Forest would be needing a win at Bournemouth to stay in the play-off race this late in the season? Arguably one of the pre-season favourites for the title it all went a bit wrong for Forest causing them to part company with Billie Davies. All credit to their players though they have turned their form back around again and are coming to Dean Court with some good results behind them. It won't change the fact though that AFCB would love to stop them in their tracks.

Nottingham Forest players warm up at the City ground.

That won't be an easy task though. Forest have quality in just about every position and the side has probably slightly under performed at least if you talk to the bookies. Andy Reid has been their big threat for most of the season and just watching him play you can see what great skill he has on the ball while his shooting power is as good as any midfielder in the division.

The young man though that has been exciting to watch is Jamie Paterson and he looks like he could play at a higher level having steered Forest past West Ham's FA Cup select team earlier in the season and has continued his scoring run in the Championship. He is another quick thinking player and seems to pop up in the holes where defenders least expect so I would think that Eunan O'Kane will be looking out for him.

At Nottingham AFCB got a late equaliser from Marc Pugh.

Matt Derbyshire is also well known to our supporters from his loan period at Oldham Athletic in League One last year and he has been scoring for fun in recent weeks. The couple he scored against Leeds in Forest last away game showed his strength and the first came in the initial few seconds of the game. Henri Lansbury also scored a belter against the Cherries up at the City ground and Simon Cox is another player who will score the odd goal for them.

So where is Forest's weakness? It could just be in their over confidence. They expected to beat AFCB easily at home and yet they came unstuck. They are likely to be equally confident of taking all three points at Dean Court and that could well suit the Cherry to see them come at us, because on the break AFCB have scored some great goals this season. Away from home Forest have not been doing as well as when they play at home and the stakes in this game will be particularly high for Forest, while the Cherries may just like playing with a bit of freedom and no real pressure now.

Nottingham Forest Away form
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AFCB Home form
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