Miller: Strong defence the key to promotion bid (From Chelmsford Weekly News)

Miller: Strong defence the key to promotion bid

1:52pm Wednesday 1st February 2012 in Local Sport

CHELMSFORD City right-back Justin Miller has admitted that the Clarets haven’t been “firing on all cylinders” recently.

But he points to one of the best defensive records in the Blue Square Bet South as a reason why Glenn Pennyfather’s side are still fighting for promotion, with Weston-super-Mare next in their sights.

City take on the West Country outfit at Melbourne on Saturday and the South African favourite believes it’s still all to play for despite the increasing gap behind leaders Woking.

Chelmsford are in fourth position, tightly ranked with Dartford, Welling United and Sutton United in the top five after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Welling.

Miller has formed part of an established rearguard with former Leyton Orient team-mate Aiden Palmer on the opposite side, as well as ex-O’s defender Adam Tann in the centre to partner Kenny Clark.

At Welling, Miller moved into the centre to cover for Tann’s absence through injury, but he fared well thanks to his time in that position during an earlier stage of development at Ipswich Town.

He said: “At Ipswich and Orient I was more or less playing as a centre half anyway, so it’s not foreign to me. “I’ve enjoyed it. It was a good point at Welling, but looking back it was probably more two points lost.

“It always helps when you know the type of players you’re lining up with and what to expect of them.

“Clarky is still young and has been excellent, Tanny adds that experience and Aiden is still desperate to get back into the league.

“We’ve kept a lot of clean sheets together but just have to keep going out for each game looking to keep another.”

Justin left the Clarets from his first spell to return to Johannesburg part of the way through the 2008/09 campaign having impressed the fans with his performances.

When he came back to England he initially joined Rushden & Diamonds, before re-joining City to combine part-time football with his academic commitments. He thinks the respective squads compare well.

“I take my hat off to Glenn,” he continued. “If you have loads of cash it’s easy to get players.

“Glenn’s got to pick and choose his players and do research into every single one of them.

“We’ve got a good squad, which is not much different in standard to the last one I played in.”

“We’re doing well but maybe should still be doing better.

“We’re still quite a new side but on our day in this league there are none who can touch us.

“I think in the last two to three weeks we’ve not been firing on all cylinders but you have ups and lows over the course of a season.

“We should be winning this league, or at least challenging. The play-offs should be a worst case scenario for us.”

Justin began his career as a trainee with Ipswich, making over 60 appearances for the reserves over four seasons and captaining the side before joining Orient in 2002. He spent four years at Brisbane Road, which saw him play nearly 200 times.

He joined Port Vale at the start of 2007/08 and, the following season, was a part of the Chelmsford side.

Of more immediate priority is the game against an arguably overachieving Weston side who are just outside the play-off places.

Tann’s fitness will again be assessed, while Glenn has two more players at his disposal after the addition of goalkeeper Alex Rossis and on-loan Dagenham & Redbridge forward Alex Osborn. Miller is taking the Seagulls’ visit, and City’s sequence of home results, very seriously.

“For some reason our home form has been letting us down,” he summarised. “Perhaps we try to force the issue more at home whereas away there’s more emphasis on the home team to attack, which is our bread and butter.”