Rochdale manager Keith Hill has praised the Spotland pitch ahead of his team’s crucial home match against promotion rivals Burton Albion tonight.
The Football League awarded the Spotland playing surface top marks last month, and Hill believes it has contributed massively to his side having the best home record in the league
Dale have won 11 home matches out of 16 this season and another win against Burton tonight will lift them to second in the league.
Hill believes the pitch is just as important as the fans in helping his team.
“We often talk about the crowd being the 12th man well the football pitch is as well,” Hill told The Dale Player. “It has been outstanding and it will only get better next season because we can build on it now with respect to further investment.
“I think our current home form is a result of the investment in the pitch, the investment with respect to money and what the ground staff are doing.
“The pitch is as important as any player recruitment, for the style of football that we are trying to promote.”
Saturday’s game against Morecambe, which Dale won 2-1, went ahead despite adverse weather conditions and Hill admitted that in previous seasons the game would have been postponed.
“Two or three years ago the fixture would’ve been called off because there would’ve been standing water on the pitch,” he said.
“But because of the investment in the pitch and the good work that the ground staff have been doing it was game on.
“The pitch was as perfect as it could’ve been for this time of year under the weather conditions we have experienced.”
The Burton clash looks set to be a pivotal fixture, and while a win would move Dale into second, defeat would see them leapfrogged by the visitors in the table.
However Hill he expects to be a tough test for his side.
“We’re in a good place and there’s no great expectation from my point of view,” he added. “There will be no over confidence, we will be preparing ourselves to meet a very good side.”
