Steven Davies has been reflecting on the season so far, as Rochdale head into a busy Christmas period.
The forward, who penned a season long deal in August, is pleased that Dale currently occupy fifth spot in the division and says this is an important time of the footballing year.
“You look at the points we’ve accumulated and our performances this season, and it could have been more. We’re now going into the Christmas period where we’ve got a lot of games, so I think if you had offered us the chance at the start of the season to be fifth in the league at Christmas then we would have taken it.
“I think the key at this time of year is to keep picking up points. With the games coming so quickly, if you lose a couple of them, then the rest of the pack can catch you up.
“We’ve got a couple of home games that we’ll roll into and we’ll be looking to get all three points from each of them. It’s a tough time of year because you’ve got to recover quicker to get yourself back up to speed for the next game, but that’s part of the job when the games come thick and fast.”
Rochdale’s home form this season has been excellent, with the side having won their last eight consecutive league games at the Crown Oil Arena.
Davies says the group will go into the two home games over Christmas with confidence.
“The confidence, ever since I have been here, has always been high. I know we started off slowly but we were always confident that we would turn results around. We had confidence in each other because we knew what we had in the dressing room.
“The manager sets us up to play and we’re a difficult side to beat at home. We’ll go into the two home games with the same attitude and the same mentality that we have done all season, and try to get six points from six.”
The 28-year-old has scored 10 goals for Dale this season and has become an ever-present member of the matchday squad. Davies says he is really enjoying his time at the club.
“It was no secret that I had stopped enjoying what I was doing over the last couple of years – it was a tough time.
“I was at Blackpool when they were struggling and I didn’t enjoy it. I then went to Sheffield United on loan from there and I enjoyed it. I was working with a manager who I know quite well and he started to get the best out of me again. Last season, I enjoyed Bradford, but when you’ve got kids and a wife at home, and you’re travelling four hours on a round trip every day, it isn’t ideal. This season, being here is a perfect fit for me. I’m 45 minutes away from home, I’m enjoying spending time at home and I’m enjoying coming into work – I’m really enjoying it.”
And Davies believes that Manager Keith Hill is also getting the best out of him.
“Me and the Gaffer have got a relationship where we understand each other. The day I signed, he spoke about how highly he rated me and how he has followed my career from when I first started.
“He knows what I’m about and he knows that I’m not in the mould of the players that he normal takes on. He normally has high energy young players, but I’m obviously 28-years-old now and I don’t have the same energy as some of the younger lads, but the way I play compliments what they do and we help each other.”
With two young kids, he’s looking forward to Christmas in the Davies household.
“The Davies household is probably much like every family home at this time of year - it’s very hectic, getting stuff ready for the kids. This year we’re going to my Mum and Dad’s for Christmas dinner, when everyone normally comes to ours.
“Games are a part of the Christmas period and the Boxing Day game is a big event for us – the whole family will be coming to the game. It’s a time of year when you want to be at home with your family, so being at home with your children on Christmas Day is the best thing any parent can ask for, and then next day you get to play football so there are definitely no complaints.”