Hill’s preparing for magic trick

ROCHDALE boss Keith Hill admits the club does not have money to invest in new recruits during the January transfer window.

The Dale boss accepts that he is being called on to work a ‘little magic’ and the introduction of new faces into the squad will mean moving players out of the club.

Dale are second bottom of League One, six points adrift of safety following Monday’s 2-1 defeat against Blackpool at the Crown Oil Arena.

‘There is no money left to invest in new recruits so it will be outs and ins’

Hill’s men are in FA Cup third round action today at Doncaster Rovers, while fellow survival battlers Bury, Oldham and Northampton all have league fixtures.

Hill acknowledges his side face a tough fight in retaining their League One status – but insists he has faith in the squad to turn things around.

At the same time, he is keen to inject momentum into the squad via the transfer market.

“The board have given me as much support as they possibly can. We will have to try to work a little bit of magic within the budget we’ve got,” he said.

“There is no money left for us to invest in new recruits, so it will be outs and ins, if at all possible, but it’s whether we get that within the course of the next two or three weeks – it will probably be last minute.

“There is a layer cake system and we are fully aware of our standing in that.

“The position we are in in the league doesn’t help us with respect to recruiting players where it has done in the past – this time last year we were fourth.

“But we are going into what is a week or two of cup games where there is a little bit of pressure off and the chance to progress in two competitions.

“I haven’t lost faith in the players and the ability of the club to bounce because we have done it before.”

And Hill said he would not be shirking his responsibilities in the fight ahead.

“I have to manage this group of players with the same values that my Dad and my family brought me up with. I’ve been relatively successful throughout the course of life and I intend on continuing to be,” he said.

“It’s a fight, but we’ll all stick together and there’s no way that I’ll stand back from my responsibilities. If anyone is starting to put pressure on the situation at the football club then they should put it on me and not on the players, because the players ultimately have to perform to turn the form around and they need support.

“Everybody needs support when they are most vulnerable – they don’t need kicking.”