Rochdale are hoping to take full advantage of the visit of strugglers Torquay United tomorrow to record their third win of the campaign.
Dale head into the match on the back of last week’s 1-0 derby victory over Bury at the Spotland Stadium, a result that lifted the Dale one point above their rivals into 13th place.
Keith Hill’s men will be confident following their most recent performance, which saw them hold onto their lead despite being reduced to 10 men, with a second yellow card shown to winger Peter Vincenti in the 38th minute.
The Rochdale boss told the club’s website: “The result was all that mattered on Saturday, spirits were high and it was very competitive and once the sending off occurred it was all about protecting the lead.
“I make no apologies for that because so many times we have been the victim of playing good football and ending up with nothing. We had already achieved the end of the game result at half time, it was simply a matter of protection and it was beautifully played out by the players.”
Hill’s decision to bring in Scott Hogan from Hyde FC on a free transfer during the summer looks to be paying off, with the 21-year-old’s winning strike against Bury bringing his season total to three goals in six games.
However, Hill will again be without injured captain Peter Cavanagh, who was due to return from a three-match ban for the Bury fixture but could be out for up to six weeks with an Achilles problem, while Vincenti is serving a one-match suspension.
Torquay are also not without their problems, having lost last week’s fixture away at Fleetwood 4-1, and they currently sit in 19th with only one win from six games.
Image courtesy of Texaco, with thanks.
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