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The Blues travel to South Yorkshire tomorrow, needing to turn round their fortunes against the Millers. Carlisle hoping to improve on a record which has seen them lose 20 and win just seven of the 32 games contested at Millmoor.
The last time the two teams met in Rotherham was in September 2002, with the home side running out 3-1 winners in a League Cup first round match. Carlisle's 80th minute goal from Brendan McGill made the score 2-1 after earlier strikes from Andy Monkhouse and current Millers manager Mark Robins for Rotherham, in front of 2,902 spectators, before Paul Warne netted in injury time to confirm a second round place for the Millers.
In the League the two sides last played each other at Millmoor in Division Four in the 1999-2000 season, the Blues receiving a 4-2 thumping on that mid-February afternoon. Leo Fortune-West scored the first two goals for the home side on 22 and 32 before Stephen Halliday pulled a goal back for the Cumbrians just before the break. Sadly the first-half score was repeated after the interval as Surinam-born Brian Wilsterman made it 3-1, as 4,271 fans looked on, before Steve Soley netted for Carlisle on 69, Fortune-West then completing his hat-trick just four minutes later to end the scoring.
The Blues have only been victorious in one of their seven games at Millmoor by more than one goal, that match coming in the old Third Division in 1978-79 when Carlisle won 3-1. United coming from 1-0 down at half-time to win the contest thanks to a David Kemp brace and a single goal from Michael Tait in front of 3,908 spectators.
Carlisle have had a few thumpings in South Yorkshire over the years but by far the worst one happened in 1947-48 in the Third Division North when the Blues were trounced 7-2 as 11,631 fans looked on. Both goals for the Blues that day, one coming from the penalty spot, scored by John Linsday. Incidentally, as if that wasn't bad enough, the Cumbrians were hammered 8-1 by Rotherham at Brunton Park the following season.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
| 2006/2007 | Sat 04 Nov | Carlisle | 1 - 1 | Rotherham | LGE1 |
| 2002/2003 | Tue 10 Sep | Rotherham | 3 - 1 | Carlisle | LGEC |
| 1999/2000 | Sat 19 Feb | Rotherham | 4 - 2 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 1999/2000 | Sat 27 Nov | Carlisle | 0 - 1 | Rotherham | LGE2 |
| 1998/1999 | Sat 17 Apr | Rotherham | 3 - 1 | Carlisle | LGE2 |
| 1998/1999 | Sat 21 Nov | Carlisle | 0 - 0 | Rotherham | LGE2 |
| 1995/1996 | Tue 26 Mar | Carlisle | 2 - 0 | Rotherham | LGE1 |
Recent respective form guides
Rotherham have had an average home run of late, winning and losing three each of their last six games at Millmoor. The Millers have scored a healthy ten goals in these games, but have also conceded an alarming twelve.
The away form of Carlisle however is much more impressive, tasting just one defeat in their last six outings on the road and picking up four good wins. The games have constituted a decent return of eight goals for the Cumbrians and seven against.
After going into administration in May last summer Rotherham started the season on minus ten points and are stuck down in the League One drop-zone because of that with a return of 38 points from their 42 games thus far. Without that ten point penalty the Millers would currently be in 19th place, four points above the relegation spots.
Carlisle lie just outside the play-off positions in the League One table, the Blues sitting in eighth spot, four points behind sixth-placed Oldham, after picking up an excellent 65 points from their 42 games so far.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Current form guides: | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Rotherham | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| Carlisle | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 13 |
FootyMad's prediction ...
Carlisle are in great form out on the road, so much so that the Madmen confidently predict a comfortable three points from their visit to Rotherham.
Away win
| Sequence statistics: | |
| Rotherham | Nine games since last home draw. |
| Carlisle | Won last four matches. Five games since last away draw. |