Rivals sensing blood of Dale
ROCHDALE will run the risk of further fatigue injuries today as Keith Hill’s threadbare squad take on Swindon Town at the Crown Oil Arena.
Dale progressed to the second round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win against Maidstone United in the midweek replay – but the win came at a cost.
Midfielder Andy Cannon was forced off at half time with a hamstring injury and Hill is conscious of the demands he is putting on the players available for selection.
But with Peter Vincenti, Ian Henderson and Jamie Allen and Cannon injured, Calvin Andrew and Niall Canavan suspended and several players struggling to shake off the effects of a winter bug which has swept through the Dale camp, Hill has little option when it comes to freshening things up.
“It’s pretty difficult at this moment in time and I think there has to be some understanding of that.
“We are in a cycle, we’re trying to get players fit and ready but without rushing them. Oliver Rathbone probably shouldn’t have been involved on Tuesday but out of necessity he had to go on. Andy Cannon was injured and we wanted to go through to the next round –we can’t throw away these cup ties.
“We’ll just have to pick an eleven out of the players that we’e got and I don’t now what that will be.
“I don’t think the authorities could show any sympathy or understanding, the fact of the matter is at this moment in time some League One clubs will look at the facts and think we might be easy pickings.
“I sensed that from Bradford last Saturday, but we were very competitive for forty minutes, I thought we were excellent. A few concentration mistakes cost us in that game and then the second half, with the sending off of Niall Canavan, was very difficult for us to manage our physical output against ten men. But I do
‘Some clubs will look at us and think we might be easy pickings’
feel opponents are sensing a little bit of blood at the minute.
“We know when you have game after game after game you do want to change it, to freshen things up. I freshened things up on Tuesday by changing goalkeeper because you should be able to do that. Conrad Logan is a player. Josh Lillis has gone through a concentration period there of game in, game out and for me outfield players and goalkeepers should be same.
“We need to freshen up and I don’t have the players to do it , so I am pushing the likes of Andy Cannon and other players into possible fatigue injuries because of the way we play.” treated the