Protecting play-off spot Dale’s priority
ROCHDALE head to Mansfield today with clear instruction from manager Robbie Stockdale – maintain your place in the play-offs.
Last weekend’s 1-0 win against Tranmere lifted Dale up to fifth in the table. Northampton’s midweek win saw Dale slip to sixth, but Stockdale’s target is to stay in among the top seven.
“That was the challenge to the players before the Tranmere game – I said I wanted to finish in the play-off positions,” he said.
“In my experience it’s always easier to stay in there than try to claw your way in and that’s the next challenge now. I’m always pushing and challenging the players and I’m sure they get sick of me at times saying ‘have we done enough’ but it’s been a really good period of games, six unbeaten and at any level that is good. Now can we increase that?”
Stockdale is starting to see signs the squad is taking on board what he has been implementing these past two months.
“It’s always going to be a long process,” he said. “It’s getting all the players to a level of fitness that they can play how how I want to play. But it’s not just the eleven on the pitch.
“I lean very much on the senior players in that sense because they have a massive part to play in the changing room. We’re a young squad, so when they see people like Matty Done doing it right and Jim Mcnulty, there’s no come back for them. If those boys are not in the team what’s the excuse for anyone else? There’s plenty of others – Aidan White, Jay Lynch. This is what I’m trying to get to and we’re still short of that but it’s getting there.”
Dale take on the Premier League big guns of Burnley next Tuesday int he Carabao Cup, but Stockdale insists the priority is very much on the Stags at Field Mill.
“It’s great to have those games and the players deserve the game at Burnley but honestly, the only focus for us is on the next league game,” he said.
One of the welcome quandaries facing the manager is team selection. Danny Cashman came on from the bench to score last weekend’s winner against Tranmere and is pushing hard for a starting berth.
The Coventry striker, on a season-long loan at Dale, is staying patient and insisted showing the right attitude is vital.
“Whenever the gaffer needs me he knows I’m here, he knows I want to play as much as I can but I have to prove to him that I deserve to start,” he said. “Whether I start or not at Mansfield I’ve just got to have a good attitude towards whatever decision he makes, respect it and do the best I can.”
Cashman said the recent run of results has been richly deserved for some of the football the squad has produced so far.
“We haven’t been lucky in in these games, I feel we’ve dominated pretty much all of them,” he said. “Some of the draws we’ve had should be wins – we set pretty high standards in the changing room. We’re in the play-offs now and that’s where we want to be, up there and challenging for the title, even the play-offs, that’s our main goal.
“As long as we stay in there and keep fighting, that’s all we can do.
“Seeing the club up among the play-off positions spurs us on even more. It was our target at the start of the season, to get promoted back up to League One. We started a bit edgy, probably didn’t get the results we deserved. But that luck has changed. The fans can see what we’re trying to do and how we’re tryting to play. Most games we are dominating possession and I think we’re top of the league in terms of most chances created so I think everything is being put together now.
“There has been a lot of players come in this year and it has clicked very quickly. Everyone has got on board with the gaffer and his ideas. Players have come in to certain positions and they fit that role well, there’s lots of competition for places and that helps each other and when it comes to being on the pitch it helps us get three points.”