Coventry City v Rotherham United - Millers enjoying ‘Halley’s Comet’ moment says Paul Warne

Goal difference is all that separates the division’s in-form teams, and the Sky Blues have a game in hand. While manager Paul Warne admits being top of the table is a nice feeling for a club for whom titles are “like Halley’s Comet”, he is not attaching too much importance to the Millers being at the head of the division, so long as they get back to the Championship at the first attempt.

Warne’s father died in pre-season, and Richard Wood, Matt Crooks and Dan Barlaser have lost relatives or close friends during the campaign, putting the pressure of a title race into perspective. Adam Thompson’s father died last week and during Saturday’s 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley an away fan’s heart stopped during a severe asthma attack, although medics were able to restart it.

“It (playing) is a release,” commented Warne. “When Thommo came in and trained on Thursday and Friday he was just happy to get away from his thoughts for a bit, the same with Rich (Wood).

“Rich had five or six days at home then he just wanted to get out of his own brain, he just wanted to come back to work.

“As awful as it sounds, it’s the truth life goes on. It does put it into context.

“I harp onto the lads all the time about how short life is and how short careers are, and how you’ve got to enjoy your life. That’s the sort of environment we have here.

“It’s a much more enjoyable life when your job is football and you’re winning.”

He does not attach too much importance to leading the pack with 14 games remaining.

“It doesn’t really matter,” said Warne. “It’s nice to be driving into work thinking you’re top of the league.

“You then become the hunted a little bit but I think the lads enjoy it and it’s nice that if you win you know you stay top of the league. If you’re in seventh and trying to get to sixth you can win and think it’s brilliant but then everyone else wins.

“If we can come out of Tuesday’s game with a positive result, it would be great. It is nice being top of the league, who wouldn’t want to be top of the league?”

They reached those heights on January 11 and bar a three-day period at the end of the month, have been there since. In their 94-year history, Rotherham have only ended two seasons as champions, winning Division Three North in 1951, Division Three in 1981 and Division Four eight years later.

“It’s like a Halley’s Comet, isn’t it? It’s pretty freakish,” said Warne.

“Getting promoted, you’ve always got a slim chance, but to be champions is something else.

“At the moment we’re in a good position but Coventry are in an even better position with a game in hand. But with 14 games to go, we would definitely have taken it in June.

“The lads’ away form has been pretty phenomenal and the home form’s picked up. I think they enjoy walking out on the pitch thinking they’re top dog but if you do that you have to back it up with performances. Recently they’ve been doing that.

“Especially at this time of the season, apart from if you’re lucky enough to play someone who’s 10th and has got nothing to play for – but they’re a danger because there’s no pressure on them – everyone’s fighting for something, trying to get into the play-offs or automatic (promotion), some trying to avoid relegation.

“There is definitely a pressure on every shot, every goal at the moment.”

With no fresh injuries to his “ridiculously fit” squad, Warne is looking forward to a good game between a Rotherham side with only defeat in their last 13 league games and League One’s best away record, and a Coventry team unbeaten in their last 11 and adapting well to playing home games at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s.

“It should be a good spectacle and a game both teams want to win,” commented Warne.

“I’d be lying if I said it’s just another game.

“If you win it you put a good marker down on the league. If Coventry do, they’ve got a game in hand so to be three points ahead of us, it’s a great night out for them then.

“But if you lose on Saturday, it’s all back again.

“If you said to me we’d lose this one but win nine of our next 11, obviously I’d take that.

“It should be an exciting game and we’d like to win it but once that’s gone and we’re back in here on Thursday we’ll be preparing for MK Dons.

“It’ll be a distant memory come the summer wherever we finish.”

Last six games: Coventry City WDWWWW; Rotherham United LWWWDW.

Referee: C Pollard (Suffolk).

Last time: Coventry City 0 Rotherham United 3, November 26, 2013, League One.