Rochdale defender Ashley Eastham has likened manager Keith Hill to his former boss Ian Holloway ahead of Saturday’s match against Morecambe.
Eastham played under Holloway as a teenager at Blackpool during the 2009/2010 season as the Lancashire club defied the odds to win promotion to the Premier League.
During Blackpool’s solitary season in the Premier League Holloway was often the darling of the national media and the defender believes Keith Hill is very much in the same mould.
“I’ve always said to all my friends and family whenever I talk about our gaffer he’s very similar to Ian Holloway,” said Eastham before Friday’s training session.
“He’s a very quirky character (and a) very likeable character but you also know not to mess him around, which is the best way to be as a manager.
“You’ve got to respect your manager but also you got to be able to get on with him and talk to him when you need to, and with our gaffer you can.”
The chatter-happy Hill will be looking for a reaction from his team following a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Chesterfield in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy last Tuesday.
A victory at Morecambe’s Globe Arena would be the perfect response and Eastham believes Dale are well-equipped to do just that.
“We’re hurting from the other night and I think the fans will see a response on Saturday,” Eastham said.
“It’s an away game so we’ll need to make sure that we’re watertight and we’ll be going for the win.”
With Morecambe fifth in League Two and Dale fourth the match looks set to be a pivotal encounter but Eastham expects his side to have the upper hand.
“They will fancy their chances but look at the league table, we’re above them. So the stats say that over the course of this season we’ve been just a little bit better,” he said.
“They’ll look to try and stop us playing (but) in a lot of games tactics go out of the window (and) it’s just who stands up tall and who stands up strong.”
The 22-year-old centre-back who had loan spells at Carlisle, Cheltenham, Bury, Notts County and Fleetwood prior to joining Dale is delighted to have started the last two games, after being on the bench for most of the season.
“It’s great to be back in the side, we’ve got a brilliant team here so I can’t complain when I’m not in the side because the team’s been fantastic this season,” he added.
“I’m just looking to keep training and working hard, impress and stay in the side.”
Image courtesy of Official Rochdale via YouTube, with thanks.
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