Rotherham United will be without a little magician this weekend as their trip to Sincil Bank is hit by an injury blow.
The Millers will arrive to face us without teenage forward Harry Gray, who has returned to Leeds United for treatment on a hamstring injury picked up in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Bolton Wanderers. The 17-year-old had started 11 consecutive matches since joining on loan in January, making him a regular fixture in their side during a difficult run of results.
Gray’s absence comes at a time when the Millers are already short on numbers, something new manager Lee Clark openly acknowledged after taking charge this week. The former Huddersfield Town boss, who replaced Matt Hamshaw following the heavy defeat at Peterborough United, admitted the scale of the problem was immediately clear when he arrived at the training ground.
“Harry can benefit from the medical facilities at his own Premier League club, especially with Leeds just being down the road.
“I’m looking forward to Harry returning with, hopefully, a few others. Injuries have blighted the season. When I came in this morning for the first time, I saw probably as many players in the medical room as there are available for selection.”
Gray, who scored twice in his opening four appearances but has since gone without a goal, was already absent for the 5-0 loss at Peterborough and will now also miss the trip to Sincil Bank. Rotherham are hoping to have him back after the upcoming international break, with a home fixture against Stevenage pencilled in for Good Friday.
Clark’s side sit in the relegation zone, six points from safety, and have just nine matches left to try and preserve their League One status. Despite that, he struck a defiant tone when discussing the task ahead, pointing to previous survival battles on his CV.
“I’ve been in this predicament before. At Bury, I kept them in League One. With Kilmarnock, I kept them in the Scottish First Division. With Birmingham, I did the same in the Championship.
“When the call came, it excited me. I know it’s tough and people might think I’m crazy, but I think I can get the job done.”
While managerial belief is one thing, the reality is that injuries continue to leave Rotherham stretched at a crucial point in the season. Gray’s return to Leeds is just the latest blow in what Clark himself described as a campaign heavily disrupted by fitness issues.
We face some issues of our own, with Adam Reach likely joining Adam Jackson, Freddie Draper and James Collins on the treatment table for the visit of the Millers, a side that have triumphed in 13 of our 15 league meetings this century.