Nyal Bell became the latest in a long line of Academy players to make his first team debut for the club after coming off the bench in Saturday’s win over Coventry City.
Dale’s current squad is made up of seven players who have progressed through the club's youth ranks and Hill says the journey is just beginning for these players.
“Calvin [Andrew] was ill at the weekend and it was an ideal situation to put Nyal Bell on the bench.
“It won’t happen on a regular basis, but it was a little bit of an appetiser. It’s only the beginning and the hard work will now continue - it has got to develop.
“You get so many ex-players who at 17,18, 19 or 20 years of age may have made their debut. They may have made a fleeting appearance and scored a great goal, but then you think whatever happened to him. So, that’s only the start.
"So many people think that they’ve arrived, they’ve done it, they’ve made it, but it’s just the start and that’s what’s so encouraging about players like Scott Tanser and Jamie Allen.
“The journey is just beginning, it’s not ending. They’ve not reached the top of the mountain, they’ve reached base camp. Nyal Bell hasn’t even reached base camp.
"We’re still going to absolutely put him through the mill to try and create this player that we want for next pre-season so that I don’t have to recruit and that I can recruit from within, and I believe that he’s on the right track.
“He was on the wrong track and if he had carried on doing what he was doing up until we really got hold of him, and I wouldn't say that's our fault, then come the end of the season, if he was doing what he was doing six weeks ago, then he would have been released. But we've really got a hold of him and we've made him a priority."
The full interview is available on Dale Player.