Middlesbrough's Chris Wilder and Alan Knill one of football's best double acts says Rotherham United manager Paul Warne

As players, the trio had similar careers in roughly the same era. Each did the hard yards in the lower division circuit and dipped their toes at second-tier level.

They will share many mutual acquaintances and stories no doubt. Warne was a former team-mate of Knill's at Rotherham as well. In their second footballing careers in the dug-out, they have also been on the same patch in South Yorkshire, of course.

The respect between the trio is strong. While Boro's difficult start to the season has contrasted markedly with the Millers' eye-catching form - which has equalled their best ever start to a campaign at this level in 57 years, Warne is reading little into his opponents travails so far in 2022-23.

He knows Wilder and Knill well enough to predict that it will change. His hope is that it is not this evening.

Warne told The Yorkshire Post: "I do know Chris quite well and I spoke to him a couple of times when he was out of work. I spoke to him in the summer about Hally (Grant Hall) and went straight to the horses' mouth, so to speak.

"I speak to Knilly quite a lot in fairness. I said: 'When the window shuts, we'll meet for a coffee' Obviously, I also played with him, so I am pally with him.

"Every season when Chris used to do the journalists’ thing (Christmas party) at Sheffield United, he would always be there and trying to make me go out later with him, which is obviously a no-go with me as I know my drinking capacities!

"I have always admired their partnership from afar and I like them and there will be no arguing on the side of the pitch I think."

The mood music in the week could not have been more different. While the Millers walked off to a standing ovation at the end of their 3-0 victory over Blackpool, Boro were booed off at half-time 24 hours earlier when they embarassingly trailed 3-0 to Cardiff at home.

That performance stung everyone, not least Wilder. Millers chief Warne, who was there watching, is wary of facing the equivalent of a wounded animal tonight.

He added: "Unbelievably, I left when it was 3-0 and I got to my car and it was 3-2, absolutely typical!

"Sometimes, it takes time to bed a team in and unfortunately, everyone wants success now. But it would not surprise me now if Boro went on a six-game winning streak. That's how crazy it is as Knilly and Chris know exactly what they are doing.

"I reckon if you average everyone's managerial career out, Chris and Knilly, collectively on points per season, have got to be up there as one of the best of all time. So they know exactly what they are doing.

"You have to keep the teams quiet away from home for the first 10 minutes or it can give the home fans so much energy. I thought the Boro fans were excellent (on Tuesday).

"They booed them off at half-time, but there is not a set of fans in the country who would not boo their team off at 3-0 down. They came out after a pie and pint and got behind them.

"Every time they won a corner, they were on their feet clapping. No-one is more frustrated when the team does not do well than the owners and management team and players and the fans feel it and I thought they stuck with the team really well, hence why they probably got two goals back.

"If it felt toxic, they might have ended up losing five. I am aware they will see playing us at home as not a must-win, but a game they would like to win.

"In the same way, when we are in League One and our fans turn up and think of some teams 'we are going to turn them over.' Football is never like that."

A sub-plot to this game sees Matt Crooks, a hugely popular player in his time with the Millers, face his former club for the first time since moving north in July 2021.

One who made the reverse journey this close season in Lee Peltier is also desperate to feature despite a hamstring niggle.

Warne quipped earlier this week that it wouldn't surprise him if Peltier ‘took 32 pain killers to play’ on his return to Teesside, where his contribution earned praise from Wilder.

Warne said: "Crooksy was excellent for us and can play at the level and it does not surprise me he has done well. I don't think he's significantly better. He's always been a very, very good player.

"He plays in a good team and place and I don't think it will make any difference for Crooksy to play us at their place.

“Although it's a different fixture when he comes here when he will have ‘dry-mouth syndrome’. Which you always get when you play your old team (away).

"He was good the other night and a handful on set-pieces as always. He probably could have scored a couple. We’ll have to keep him quiet.

"Luckily, some of the dressing room know his strengths, but knowing his strengths and stopping him are two different things.

"You know (Erling) Haaland is really good, but stopping him from scoring? All the best... To get anything out of the game, everyone will have to be at their best.”