Keith Hill says he won’t make any drastic changes to his Rochdale defence despite their concession of eight goals in the last three games.
Dale conceded three goals at home for the first time this season on Saturday as Lee Evans, Devante Cole and an Olly Lancashire own goal secured the win for Bradford City.
Peter Vincenti netted his sixth goal in seven goals but Hill was more concerned with the performance of his rear-guard as Rochdale prepare to face Chesterfield at Spotland tonight (7pm) in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy northern section second round.
“We’re getting really punished and we’re making bad mistakes.
“We conceded five goals in eight games and now we’ve conceded eight in three.
“When we actually analyse those eight goals in three, it’s us. I haven’t seen a spectacular goal from any opposition, so that’s the problem.
“I’ll trust them and I’ll believe in them.
“Unless one the players comes to me and says ‘look, I’m a bit down on confidence, I’m making too many mistakes and I need to come out of the team’, then we’ll go with what we’ve got.”
Despite the defeat, Dale remain in the play-off places in sixth place but only by virtue of goal difference.
Hill was not too concerned with his team’s overall performance and put the defeat entirely down to individual errors.
“There wasn’t an awful lot in the game and the third goal concludes it.
“I’m more disappointed about that because up until that point I think there were two teams who were wrestling and it was a good battle.
“I’m not too disappointed with the majority of that game but the game is taken away from us from what we’ve stabilised in the first half.
“We’ve had to come from 1-0 down, and I wasn’t convinced that the opposition deserved to be 1-0 up, and when we got parity I was really, really pleased. I thought we would go on, but we can’t make the mistakes that we did.”
Image courtesy of Official Rochdale via YouTube, with thanks.
