Rotherham United must find a level of consistency if they are to stand any chance of promotion.
When the Millers were promoted to League One last season, the feeling around the New York Stadium was that they were suited to football in the higher division, and would soon find their feet.
For the most part, the fans were proved right. They went unbeaten in their first eight league games, claiming the scalp of local rivals Sheffield United along the way.
October proved to be a Halloween nightmare for the Reds though, losses to Swindon, MK Dons and Leyton Orient, as well as a disappointing draw at home to league strugglers Tranmere, saw the Millers fall sharply down the table, undoing all of their hard work in a matter of weeks.
Rotherham manager Steve Evans acted quickly and brought in three loan signings: a much needed injection of pace in striker Nouha Dicko from Wigan, as well as talented Newcastle United pairing James Tavernier and Haris Vuckic.
The loan moves invigorated the Millers, who bounced back to form with a bang. 17 points from a seven game unbeaten run launched them back into the playoff places.
But just when it seemed like they might crack on and really drive their season forward, inconsistency struck again. A routine FA Cup tie against League Two Rochdale, the perfect chance to boost confidence and morale before a tricky Christmas period.
Lee Frecklington gave them the lead early on but, not for the first time, United failed to see the game out, much to the anger of Evans, “I’m upset. We’ve tried to get a bit of play going but we’ve failed to do so, then we get caught at the far post which we’ve seen a few times at the New York Stadium this season.”
Only time will tell if Rotherham can iron out the creases in time to mount a real promotion chase. A tough Christmas period, which will see them face Wolves, Bradford, Port Vale and Coventry in the space of two weeks, will either make or break their season.
The New York faithful will be hoping that the spirit of Frank Sinatra will carry them all the way to a playoff final at Wembley.