Getting switched on for all occasions

ROCHDALE may be struggling for goals at the minute, but boss Keith Hill believes the defensive side of the game is on the right track.

While Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Rotherham was down to mistakes, it was the first goal Dale had conceded in six games and Hill has been pleased with his side’s improvement when it comes to shutting opponents out.

“It’s down to getting back to basics and just doing what you need to do to defend,” he said.

“It’s also down to attitude towards defending and I think we’ve got our attitude towards defending correct.

“There’s a little bit of luck involved as well, because some of the opponents have had opportunities, but we’ve kept clean sheets and it’s good at the minute.

“Attitude towards professionalism is very important. If I look at Sir Alex Ferguson, the first requirement of a skillset is effort and hard-work, and it’s no different whether you’re playing in the Premier League, the Championship or in League One.

“The application of the players at the minute is very good and there’s an ambition to making sure that we keep the ball out of the net, which is what you want as a manager.

“I’m trying to work with individuals on the concentration aspect of matchday application, because it has got to be an everyday thing.

“It can’t just be switched on, having made mistakes in training.

“So I’ve asked the players to make less mistakes in training and treat training as serious as a matchday experience.

“And if the players continue to do what I ask of them on the training pitch, then there will be continued improvements going into games.”