Dale out to resist rivals’ leapfrog bid
HAVING not played since the first week of January, Jim Mcnulty will be hoping to close the month with a positive result at Aldershot this afternoon.
Dale kicked off the year with a loss at Fylde and a home win against Kidderminster, but have since been without a fixture, sitting out the action on FA Trophy weekend and then seeing games against Wealdstone and Altrincham fall foul of the wintry conditions.
Today they take on a Shots side who will be looking to leapfrog Dale into the National League play-off spots. The two clubs head into the encounter on 41 points,
Dale sitting two places above their opponents on goal difference.
Should Jimmy Keohane feature in this weekend’s game, it will be his 200th for Rochdale Football Club.
He joined five years ago, having signed on 1st February 2019, initially on a short-term deal until the end of the 2018/19 season.
Keohane has played in every outfield position during his time at the Crown Oil Arena, earning him the nickname Swiss Army Jimmy.
The 33-year-old has predominantly played at full-back this season, scoring six times for Mcnulty’s sideso far, taking his Dale total to 21.
He’s also joint top of Rochdale’s assist chart this season with five, alongside Adam Clayton, Kairo Mitchell and Louie Moulden.
173 of Keohane’s 199 games have come in the league, with the remaining 26 being played in other competitions.
In his debut season, 2018/19, he made eight appearances, featuring at right-back, particularly towards the end of the campaign.
He helped Dale claw their way out of the League One relegation zone, surviving with a game to spare.
Keohane signed a twoyear deal in the summer of 2019, following his halfseason spell at the Dale.
His first full campaign saw him rack up 38 games, again featuring mostly in defence.
Keohane featured at left-back, right-back and centre-back, as well as picking up a couple of appearances in midfield.
During that season, Keohane partnered up with Mcnulty at centreback against Manchester United in the EFL Cup, as Dale took the Red Devils to a penalty shootout.
In the 2020/21 campaign, which was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Keohane made 50 appearances. He also scooped up three awards for Dale at the end of the season – the Dale Supporters Trust Player of the Season award as well as the Players’ Player of the Season and Goal of the Season award for an effort against Accrington.
Dale’s number 13 penned a two-year deal at the beginning of the 2021/22 season but suffered a broken foot in November of that season, sidelining for the best part of three months.
Towards the end of the campaign, the Irishman underwent surgery on his shoulder following a longterm problem.
Despite his injury struggles, Keohane added another 31 appearances to his Dale tally whilst bagging two goals. His luck with injuries didn’t go away, with Keohane agonisingly injuring his ankle in Dale’s final preseason game against Port Vale just before the start 2022/23 season.
He made his return after missing the opening six league games going on to add 42 games and three goals to his Dale total.
Keohane signed a new one-year deal at the beginning of the season.
Keohane has been everpresent in Mcnulty’s side ever since he became the Dale head coach. Dale’s number 13 has started every game bar two this season, coming on as a substitute in both of those games.
With 30 appearances in total this season, the Dale man is now only one appearance away from making his 200th for the club – and given his reliability, not to mention the fact Mcnulty’s squad is down to the bare bones, he looks set to hit that landmark today.