DERBY have received mixed news ahead of tomorrow's home game with Preston.

Defender Michael Johnson is eligible to play after having the red card received against Walsall rescinded, but Paul Boertein is ruled out for the season after suffering a cruciate injury in the same game.

ROTHERHAM players have been given a 48 hour break ahead of the vital home game against WATFORD, who have suffered a hammer blow with the news striker Heidar Helguson is out for at least two weeks with knee ligament damage suffered at Burnley. Skipper Neil Cox is also out for another week with a sprained ankle.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST manager Joe Kinnear is banking on home form to see his side to First Division safety.

Kinnear said: "We have two home games to come against Millwall on Saturday, then Wigan, which I think are winable.

"I do think we need at least another point, but all the pressure is on the teams below us."

GILLINGHAM fall into that category, and ahead of tomorrow's tricky home game against Ipswich, player/manager Andy Hessenthaler insisted: "We have to hold our nerve.

"We probably need two more wins and the game against Ipswich is the toughest of the four games we have left."

WALSALL, who travel to Norwich tomorrow, have a much tougher run-in compounded by the news that manager Colin Lee is now in talks over the vacant manager's job at Plymouth.

CREWE boss Dario Gradi is calling for two more points to assure his side of safety ahead of the trip to Reading.