Very nearly a month has elapsed since our last home game, the 2-2 draw with Luton, so the match against Morecambe on Saturday cannot come soon enough for those starved of their regular Town "fix." Some of us will have a bit of catching-up to do, and look forward to the first home appearances of new players in the form of Steve Gritton and Peter Till.
We drew 2-2 at Morecambe earlier this season, thanks to goals from Gregor Robertson and Jamie Ward, and this is as good a place as any to wish Jamie every personal success with the next phase of his career. It's The Blades, though - I hope Jamie gets a hat-trick every week, and Kenny lets in four! Jamie left us with an average of a goal every other game and, out of the thousand and more players who have pulled on the blue, only eleven can better that.
The draw at Christie Park meant that our first three League games against Morecambe had ended all-square: whereas we'd drawn our first two against the likes of Cardiff, Leicester and others, we'd never drawn the first three before. Morecambe satin eighth place after the season's opening day but quickly fell away to scuttle about between 16th and 20th. Their last six away have ended with a win and two defeats, which is enough for only 16th place in the current form charts; that win was as long ago as November 15th, at Chester. Away from home, their attack ranks 24th in the league, and they've failed to score in 33% of their games. The defence concedes an average of 1.83 goals every away game.
On their away record alone, Morecambe would be 23rd in the division. A nailed-on three-pointer for us, then? Well, on home record alone, we'd only be 17th, so it won't be the foregone conclusion that Morecambe's away record suggests it should.
For us, a return for Derek Niven has been mooted; I'm confident the fans will blow the roof off the old place for Del, should he be involved. He's only played parts of two friendlies recently, so a start may be a way off yet. Rob Page is expected to be available after having recovered from an infected foot.
Morecambe have defender Stuart Drummond and midfielder Matt Blinkhorn available, but McStay and Howard will both miss the game with injury.
If you can't make it along to Saltergate, the game will be broadcast live on Spireites World, from around 2.50pm.
