Rotherham United will be without Leeds United loanee Harry Gray for their trip to Lincoln City tomorrow, after he has picked up a hamstring injury.
Gray has been carrying the fight for the Millers since his loan move from West Yorkshire.
How Has Gray Done At Rotherham?
It’s quite a rare occurrence to see a 17-year-old go out on loan, but Gray isn’t like any other academy prospect. The England U17 international, who is incredibly highly rated at Elland Road, was fast-tracked into the Whites U18 side. His rapid development continued with first-team involvements during the summer of 2024, before debuting in the Championship last year.
Success in the shape of the National League Cup saw Gray continue to make headlines, scoring in their final triumph over Sutton United. Days later, he was back on the bench for the senior side as they won the Championship at Plymouth Argyle. Following limited first-team opportunities after a bright pre-season, he joined Yorkshire rivals Rotherham in the winter window.
After scoring in consecutive January victories over Northampton Town and Exeter City, Gray has been scoreless in his last eight starts. With his first experience of regular senior football coming with the relegation-threatened League One side, that should perhaps have been expected. And the Millers have struggled for goals this season, with Sam Nombe the only Rotherham player to score more than three times.
New interim Millers boss Lee Clark gave an update on the young forward, along with a troubling admission about their overall injury situation.
“It’s a very common practice with loan players, especially when you’re dealing with young ones. 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 [Thursday] for the first time, I saw probably as many players in the medical room as there are available for selection.”
Troubling Times
This loss could hardly have come at a worse time for Rotherham, as they face the League One leaders tomorrow afternoon. With the Imps 21 games unbeaten and looking to move a step closer to confirming promotion, anything other than a comfortable home win would send huge shockwaves through the third-tier.
Rotherham will be fighting hard given their predicament at the other end of the division, with a six-point gap to safety to make up. Recent good results for the likes of Leyton Orient, Wigan Athletic and Doncaster Rovers have made their hopes of survival even more difficult, and their midweek hammering by Peterborough United proved the final straw for Matt Hamshaw.
One small grain of hope this weekend is Rotherham’s fantastic record against the Imps. Not since the turn of the century have the South Yorkshire outfit lost a league match at Sincil Bank. And with 13 victories in 15 league meetings, they will be hoping to be a bogey side for Lincoln once more tomorrow afternoon.