Manager’s big risk pays Dale dividends
HILL’S MEN OUT OF THE DROP ZONE THANKS TO FORMATION CHANGE
ROCHDALE moved out of the League One relegation zone after a 2-0 victory at home to Peterborough United.
Goals from Calvin Andrew and Callum Camps earned Dale the win and moved them up to 19th place, much to the delight of boss Keith Hill, after he trialled a new system in the match.
“The formation was a big risk, but we tried to come up with a solution within our squad for the opposition and it made common sense to do it,” he said.
“We kept a clean sheet, we’ve scored two goals and in the second half we possibly could have scored more on the counter attack.
“If I take away results, I want a certain character to play positions and I’ve had a group of characters on the field who performed good characteristics of the way that you need to win football matches.”
BURY had to settle for a point in Chris Lucketti’s first match as boss as they were held to a 0-0 draw at fellow strugglers Northampton Town.
Neither side could make the breakthrough at Sixfields, although the point has seen Bury climb from the bottom of the table, moving one place up to 23rd.
OLDHAM boss Richie Wellens has every faith that his strikers will be back in the goals very soon.
The goalless draw at Gillingham was the second straight clean sheet, but after gaining the same result against Wimbledon in midweek it has raised worries over the sudden lack of prowess in front of goal.
Wellens can justifiably point to a host of chances that have gone begging in both of those matches, with Queensy Menig going closest at Priestfield when only a superb clearance prevented him netting what may well have been a second winning strike in Latics colours.
“We could easily have gained four points from the last two games and I’m disappointed not to have got at least that,” said Wellens, whose men are now 17th in League One, only three points off the top half of the table.
“But we were conceding goals at an alarming rate while also scoring at a very high rate.
“We have stopped shipping them in – now we have to score. I have every confidence in my players, especially the strikers, to start scoring.
“We are unbeaten in four now. Let’s see if we can go another seven or eight games unbeaten and keep that points total ticking over.
“The disappointment here is, when you are playing one of your rivals, you want to pull away from them.”
WIGAN ATHLETIC moved to the top of the League One table after a 3-1 victory at Rotherham United.
Goals from Will Grigg, Alex Bruce and Michael Jacobs helped leave Wigan two points clear of secondplaced Shrewsbury.
In the Championship, BOLTON WANDERERS suffered an emphatic 5-1 defeat at Wolves.