Boss gets creative with depleted Dale
ROCHDALE head into the Christmas and New Year fixture programme just two points outside the National League play-off positions – but with the squad down to the bare bones, closing the gap is going to be a tall order.
Today’s trip to Halifax is followed by a Boxing Day home game against Fylde, with a full house anticipated at the Crown Oil Arena on the back of the club’s £1 ticket offer.
The David Kilpatrick Main Stand, Smith Metals Family Stand and Sandy Lane Stands are all sold out with tickets made available to home supporters in the Willbutts Lane Stand this week.
The reverse fixture takes place at Fylde on New Year’s Day.
Before then, Jim Mcnulty will be hoping for some favourable festive fortune for his depleted squad.
Midfielder Adam Clayton was the latest casualty when he hobbled out of last weekend’s clash against York City, joining the likes of Devante Rodney and Kairo Mitchell on the sidelines.
Mcnulty started this week’s preparations with just 13 fit players and with finances stretched at the club, the chances of significant strengthening in the transfer market are slim, a scenario which threatens to undermine what has been a decent start to the season.
“I hope it will get better but that will depend on how much I can support it from a circumstance point of view,” he said.
“Adam Clayton got injured and that takes us down to 13 fit players, which is unlike anything I’ve heard before. I’m so proud of the squad despite those circumstances.
“I was listening to (York manager) Neil Ardley talking about how he had 28 players on the training pitch and how that was difficult and I was thinking ‘must be nice,’ we’ve got 14! I heard Dave Challinor over at Stockport saying they really need the fans because he was going to have to roll out the same 11 again because the 16 or 15 behind them were not pushing enough. I thought that must be nice!
“We’ve played great football at times, the players have been really brave and someone told me a stat that we’ve scored two goals in eight consecutive games, the first time for a Rochdale team since 2008/2009 and that’s purely through bravery. It’s not through punch or power because the squad doesn’t have that kind of depth where we can just roll guys on, roll guys off who are having a bad day and someone else comes on.
“We’ve had to be really clever. On Saturday we finished with a fullback playing in the number 10, a fullback playing in midfield, a midfielder playing up front – we’ve had to be so creative because of the challenges that we face.
“I’ve felt happiness at times watching them play, the style they play and the bravery they play it with. At times we’ve been caught, been punched because of it, but I feel we couldn’t have played any other way. I don’t think we could have just stood and had a fight with teams, otherwise I think we’d be bottom of the league. Our fight has to be in another way, our fight has to be through bravery and I think they’ve showed it in abundance and I just hope we can get to a stage where we can begin to help them more.”
One of the success stories of the season so far has been 17-year-old central defender George Nevett.
Following last weekend’s draw against York, the youngster, having been named the man of the match, was likened to former England and Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand by one member of the press pack. While Mcnulty felt it was too early to make such lofty comparisons, he agreed Nevett is an eyecatching talent.
“That’s a big comparison, isn’t it, because we’re talking about one of England’s greats there. I wouldn’t like to go too heavy-handed into that same comparison but what I would say is I think George is a brilliant footballer.
“I think all the noise at the start of the season when I chose to start George as a 17-year-old, an unseen prospect, that’s quietened now because people have seen George.
“I knew there was real pressure, our first game of the season on TV, a big opening day – we were playing Ebbsfleet and they had powerful forwards on the pitch who would be a challenge.
“A lot of people said George would struggle in
this league but for what I want to do and what I want us to look like, how could I choose anything other than George for that particular game?
“He took his chance after a brilliant pre-season and he’s not looked back. He’s shown moments to being 17 at times but why shouldn’t he? He’s 17!
“I think George epitomises Rochdale this season – really brave, playing
on the edge of risk but right on the edge of a ward as well. We’ve shown some vulnerabilities but those vulnerabilities have also come from the circumstances that we’ve all been in. I wouldn’t say he’s been a stand-out because I think the team has stood out in terms of what they’re trying to do and in the circumstances they’re trying to do it in. George has kind of epitomised
that character and belief and ability for the style of football that we’ve tried to play all season.
“He’s had a wonderful season thus far, massively helped by the man playing next to him – Ethan Ebanks-landell. I don’t think without playing Ethan alongside him he could have had such a smooth transition into the team. They’ve partnered really well this season.”