Keith Hill believes he needs a gagging order in his bid to add the two ‘get out of jail free cards’ needed for his Rochdale deck as the manager prepares to shuffle his pack for the visit to Chesterfield.
The Spotland boss has added familiar faces Tom Kennedy and Stephen Dawson to his squad this week – but he is hammering his phone to bring in the pair of players who will give him a full house to take on League One.
After narrow defeats to last year’s play-off losers Peterborough United and Preston North End in the Capital One Cup, Hill believes the crucial difference between competing and winning in the third tier is key to their survival hopes as they take on fellow new boys Chesterfield.
“I have been texting and texting and constantly phoning one manager in particular. I think I’ve got an injunction against me because I’m pestering him so much and I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, particularly for one key player to finish off the good possession we’ve got,” said Hill.
“At this time, it’s unfortunately proving fruitless.
“There’ll be no excuses or ‘get out of jail free cards’ for anyone then. At the minute, arguably there is as we try to adapt to what is already a better League One than the last time we were in it.”
Kennedy and Dawson both featured at Barnsley under Hill – who also knows left-back Tom from his earlier spell at Dale.
Dawson also captained rivals Bury in the past and will add steel to the centre of the park.
But fans are clamouring for striking options after shot-shy Dale drew a blank in both their competitive fixtures so far.
And Hill claims his squad needs a double addition to start picking up the points they need to avoid the drop.
“We’re very close on every front,” he said.
“But we do need two more players and I have stressed to the board the importance of getting them.
“I think if we get those two players there can be no excuses for us to be able to win in League One. At the minute, we are competing in League One.”
“I believe with the two signings, the squad we’ve got and two more players, we’ll be able to win in League One and that’s the important thing for this season.”
The quest for three points continues at old sparring partners Chesterfield tomorrow – and the Proact Stadium was where they lost their League One status in a 2-1 defeat back in 2012.
Hill will again be without Matty Done (ankle) and new attacker Jack Muldoon (groin), while skipper Oliver Lancashire (groin) has also been ruled out after pulling up near the end of the 2-0 defeat to Preston.
