Money bags Posh earns a Cup bonus

After the strength-sapping opener in last Saturday's heat, the Millers had a bit of a bonus in terms of an extra couple of days' rest before turning out last night against Wednesday.

Now, they find themselves squeezed and get just a couple of days before returning to League Two action on Sunday.

Their opponents at Millmoor (2pm), Peterborough United, have done it the other way round this week.

Just over 48 hours after walking off their London Road pitch with a 3-0 win over Rochdale , they were pitching up there again to take on Southampton in the Carling Cup.

Like the Millers, they picked up a 50,000 fee for the live TV coverage and enjoyed a shock 2-1 win over their Champion-ship opponents.

It immediately gave manager Darren Ferguson - son of you know who - a high profile victory and his best one since taking the managerial reins in January.

Peterborough - under rich chairman Darragh McAnthony - were installed pre-season as everyone's favourites for one of the three automatic promotion spots.

This was not just down to the acquisition of two players who helped Walsall to promotion from League Two last season, central defender Chris Westwood and midfielder Jason Keates.

They have dipped successfully into the non-league market and took that route again in the summer including paying 100,000 for Rene Howe from Kettering.

One of last season's signings, striker George Boyd from Stevenage, set a non-League record at 265,000 and this surpassed the 150,000 they paid Gray's Athletic for another striker Aaron McLean.

Yet another striker, Craig Mackail-Smith, joined from Dagenham in January - and in 13 games he finished the club's top scorer with eight goals.In addition, there is also Danny Crow, the enigmatic striker, who scored when Posh knocked Rotherham out of the cup last season.

In midfield they have added the experience of Micah Hyde, now 32. The former Watford midfielder joined Peterborough from Burnley for 75,000 last January.

Ex-Millers defender Guy Branston is still with them but unlikely to play whilst boss Ferguson has registered himself as a player but is not expected to be pulling on the boots again barring an injury crisis.