A top-six finish is not out of reach for Rochdale AFC this season despite their loss to Fleetwood Town at Highbury on Saturday, according to manager Keith Hill.
Josh Morris scored the only goal of the match for the home side, his third in three games, as Dale dominated possession but struggled to break down a resilient Fleetwood outfit.
The result sees Rochdale remain 13th in League One, six points off the play-offs with two games in hand.
When asked by BBC Radio Manchester about a potential top six finish, Hill said: “I don’t know to be honest. It is a possibility, it is not a probability.
“We’re in good spirits, very narrowly beaten today, and anything is possible in this division.
“I believe this is a sign of things to come, because the teams are getting so close in terms of how they can rival one another over 90 minutes on a match day.”
Rochdale posed the greater threat throughout the contest, with Jamie Allen, Ian Henderson and Joe Bunney all missing presentable openings.
Morris’ goal mid-way through the second half was barely deserved reward for an unimaginative, but well-organised Fleetwood side, with the Cod Army jumping up to eighth in the table.
Hill was left to rue Dale’s profligacy in front of goal, and highlighted a desire for his players to be more ruthless when looking to work the opposition goalkeeper.
He said: “I had forgotten it was 1-0 to the opposition to be honest. I think it was a performance that deserved more than being beaten.
“Because of the way we played, and because of the way we dominated possession, if we are guilty of one thing it’s probably not dominating enough of the opportunities.
“Our approach works. We have 58 goals – we’re the fourth highest scorers in the league and that is good product.
“If we make better decisions in front of goal and make better decisions during the course of 90 minutes we’ll win that type of game because we dominated possession.”
Rochdale face a trip to Notts County on Tuesday, with three points required if the promotion dream is to remain achievable.
Main image courtesy of Official Rochdale AFC via YouTube, with thanks.
