Boss: Let’s sort the league first
ROCHDALE boss Keith Hill wants his side to take care of League One business between now and their FA Cup third round tie in January.
Dale’s 4-0 win against Slough on Monday set up a third-round clash at Doncaster Rovers next month – but Hill wants full focus on the league programme, starting this afternoon at Bradford.
Having already met in the EFL Trophy last month, the FA Cup tie against Rovers will come just eight days after the two sides face each other at the Crown Oil Arena in the league.
And Hill says it represents an opportunity to progress for both clubs.
“It’s an opportunity – Doncaster have just beaten Scunthorpe, who are an excellent side. I know Darren (Ferguson, Rovers boss) really well, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him and the way he wants to play the game.
“It’s potential for both sides to go through to the next round, so we’ll really look forward to it, but we need to take care of our league form between now and then.”
Hill was pleased with his side’s professional display at Slough.
“It was a big test of character and a test of our League One pedigree,” he said. “I’m pleased that we’re through to the next round, because there seems to be that little bit of extra pressure on me to make sure get through the early stages of the cup due to the revenue.
“We want that revenue to support our opportunities to be successful in League One.
“You’ve got to pay a lot of respect to the opponents, which we did in our preparation.
“It’s a good competition for the football club to earn extra revenue.
“We didn’t want it to be a banana skin, so it was a very professional performance, but that’s just the icing on the cake after a very professional week – we prepared really well for the opponents.”