Rochdale hit the road for the fourth time in succession this weekend with a long journey south to face many of the pundits pre-season favourites for promotion Southampton.
However, Southampton with just one win and a draw from their first three League games are in turmoil after the Saints board brought to an end the tenure of manager Alan Pardew, his first team coach Wally Downes and goalkeeping coach Stuart Murdoch on Bank Holiday Monday.
It leaves the club under the caretaker management of Dean Wilkins for the visit of Rochdale this Saturday and he'll be hoping his first league game in charge will go better than his first cup game.
His side ended on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline against Swindon Town in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, a game that saw substitute striker Lee Barnard dismissedfor an 80th minute lunge leaving him sidelined this Saturday.
Two other players Lee Holmes and Frazer Richardson are back in training but are believed to be some way off just yet.Adam Lallana is described as doubtful with a knee problem which could allow Guly Do Prado to keep his place in midfield.
Closer to home and the big news this week as far as Dale fans are concerned was the sale of promising young defender Craig Dawson to West Brom on transfer deadline day.Dawson has signed a three-year deal with the Baggies for an undisclosed fee though he won't join the Premier League outfit until next summer after signing on loan for the rest of the season.
Dawson's delayed departure from Spotland pays testament to the excellent work of messers Keith Hill and Dave Flitcroft in developing players and they continue to establish not only themselves, but Rochdale AFC in League One.
An excellent showing against Premiership side Birmingham in the Carling Cup, followed by a resounding 3-1 win at Brentford last Saturday may go some way to proving pundits who predicted a tough campaign ending in relegation from the division, wrong.In just three years Hill and his managerial nous together with his team behind the team, have turned a side battling for its league life into one that looks quite capable of holding its own in League One.
Perhaps some would say it is a bold statement to make just a few weeks into the new season, but Hill took the reins of an ailing, ageing racehorse in December 2006 and turned into a thoroughbred that finally raced past the winning post placed last season and the signs are good.The development has continued has team Rochdale continues to evolve but as the manager stated just last week, this is a different side in a different division and it will require patience from all quarters if Rochdale AFC is to progress, something deemed too much of a luxury this season for Saints boss Alan Pardew.
The bookmakers don't share our optimism for the future and see Dale as 'also rans' this Saturday and despite the turmoil at St. Mary's have Southampton clear favourites at 1/2 to win this one.Rochdale are 6/1 to take three points back north with our betting partner Coral and 3/1 for the draw.Those odds could prove very tempting in a two horse race, especially with one 'jockey-less' at the moment and the other, well see above!
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Keith Hill will have a full squad to choose from after Jason Kennedy served out his one match ban following dismissal for a second yellow after celebrating his first goal for the club last Saturday.
Joe Thompson also returned to the starting eleven at Port Vale on Tuesday night following a bout of illness and there are no reports of additional injuries from that Johnstones Paints defeat in midweek.
For the stato's out there Dale have never won at St. Mary's mainly because we have never played there!However, we have met on four occasions at the club's old ground The Dell, three in the League Cup and one in the league, sadly we haven't won any.Rochdale's only league visit in February 1959 ended in a 6-1 defeat whilst the most recent trip was in the October 1990 in the second round of the Rumblelow's League Cup, losing 8-0 over two legs.
As always if you cannot make it to Southampton the next best thing is full live and exclusive from St. Mary's only on Dale Player. Commentary begins at around 2.50pm and further details can be found here if you want to tune in.
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