BBM to take no risks on talisman Hendo

ROCHDALE manager Brian Barry-Murphy has insisted that he will take a cautious approach with star man Ian Henderson after he suffered a hamstring injury last week.

The Dale talisman was forced to start on the bench in last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Oxford United, coming on as a secondhalf substitute but ultimately unable to swing the momentum of the match as the U’s ran out comfortable winners.

Dale come up against Bristol Rovers at the Crown Oil Arena today looking to bounce back after defeat to Karl Robinson’s men ended a run of three consecutive wins.

A win for BBM’s side – who currently sit 14th in the League One table – could potentially see them leapfrog their opponents, who sit in 10th having gone three games without a win.

However, the Dale manager won’t be forced into playing top goalscorer Henderson – who has already found the net eight times in the league so far this season – with the worry that pushing the 34-year-old too far could have negative implications further down the line this season.

Speaking to the club’s official website, BBM said: “For me it was a simple decision to have him on the bench [against Oxford].

“If we get this for the next two or three weeks, it is no issue as we have to look after the player for the rest of the season.

“That in itself will help us improve as a club but if we do push him through this part of the season where he is getting into excessive fatigue deep into the game then it becomes an issue and hinders ourselves.”

Dale lost at the Kassam Stadium in their last outing.