Rochdale defender Joe Rafferty admitted that promotion from League Two this season would be one of the best moments not just of his career but of his life.
Dale, who take on play-off hopefuls York City on Saturday at Spotland, are closing in on a return to League One after a two-year absence and currently sit top of the table with six games remaining.
They are nine points clear of Fleetwood Town, who head the pack chasing automatic promotion and Rafferty spoke of his and the squad’s desire to see the job through.
“Promotion would be a big thing for me this season I don’t think I’ve wanted anything more in all my life,” Rafferty told MM.
“I think that’s why we’ve been so successful up to now, I think the lads really do want promotion badly.
“It would mean a lot to me to go up but we’ve just got to keep our feet on the ground and keep playing well and try and win every match we go in to.”
Rafferty has played at right-back for Dale for most of the season and can often be seen marauding forward down the right flank at Spotland.
Although he stressed his number one duty is to defend Rafferty admitted he revels in Dale’s offensive style of football.
“It’s great to play in an attacking team,” he said.
“The manager obviously wants us going forward and it’s great to be given the license to go forward because I know other players in the team will be able to cover me if I do lose the ball.”
Keith Hill’s side are the top scorers in League Two, with 64 goals from 40 matches, but fired a rare blank last week in a 0-0 stalemate at Fleetwood.
The clean sheet did nonetheless extend Dale’s run without conceding a goal to over six hours.
Rafferty hopes this run can continue against York on Saturday and is confident the forward players will come good once again this weekend.
“We’ve got great attacking players in the team so we know we are going to score goals,” he added.
“It’s just up to us defenders not to concede and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Saturday’s visitors to Spotland, York, are the only team in League Two in better form than Dale themselves.
The Minstermen are unbeaten in 11 matches winning eight of them – a run which stretches back to February 1 – and have kept six consecutive clean sheets.
Nigel Worthington’s side began the New Year separated only by goal difference from the relegation places, but a remarkable run that has included just two defeats since has catapulted them up to eighth in the league.
The Yorkshire club played out a 0-0 draw with Dale at Bootham Crescent back in November and both sides will be looking to improve on what was a scrappy encounter last time they met.
Main image courtesy of OfficialRochdaleAFC via YouTube, with thanks.
