Life in League One ‘getting difficult’

KEITH Hill admits Rochdale are finding life in League One increasingly difficult – and has challenged his players to resist relegation with everything they’ve got after Saturday’s 5-1 thrashing at Plymouth.

Dale were second best throughout the first half at Home Park but superb goalkeeping from Andy Lonergan kept the scoreline to 1-0 at the break.

Matt Done levelled early in the second period, but Ethan Ebanks-Landell’s dismissal soon after turned the contest away from the visitors. It was their third successive loss and left the club languishing third bottom of the division with 12 games to play.

“We know where we are – we’re struggling in League One,” said Hill.

“We’re trying our best to keep our heads above water but it looks as though, on evidence, that we’re resigned to relegation. So don’t fear it, embrace it, accept it, challenge it in the 12 games that we’ve got and go against it. Realise that it [relegation] is more than a possibility and take it on.

“League One is getting the better of us financially and player wise. I’m not blaming anybody – that’s the economics of football and it has been like that last 113 years at the club. “It’s a hard fight at this moment in time.” Argyle made the extra man pay to devastating effect after the sending off of Ebanks-Landell. But Hill was more frustrated by the first-half performance.

“They were better in the first half, there’s no question about that,” said Hill.