Manager Keith Hill reflects on Saturday’s 1-0 pre-season friendly win over Stockport County…
“It was a superb work out for the players,” he told Dale PlayerHD.
“A lot of the demands that I’m putting on the players are now becoming evident, so I’m really pleased with the day’s training exercise, both here and at Curzon Ashton.
“We’ve worked on the defensive side of the game here [at Stockport] and I thought it was a reasonably good game. It gave me the opportunity to coach from the side, which is how I’ve treated the games – I treat them as a training session.”
Two trialist goalkeepers featured for Dale in the game at Edgeley Park, including Tony Thompson, who played in net for AFC Fylde on Tuesday night.
“I was really impressed with the way he warmed up on Tuesday, as well as his enthusiasm and his distribution. Enthusiasm can do a lot to please me, if you like. When I stepped onto the pitch at Fylde I watched him warming up and I thought he was superb. I knew he was available to come in on test so I brought him in. But we’re only early in the stages of having a look at him.”
And Hill was impressed with first year scholar Aaron Morley (midfielder), who played the full 90 minutes.
“He’s 16-years-old, wow. He was a like a duck to water. Sometimes you get a few ugly ducklings but he’s a duck to water. At times, I’ve got to look beyond the straight away. Like I said to him before the game, it could be the perfect steps on the ladder or it could be the worst steps on the ladder for him, and I think he took it absolutely superbly.
“The young players have got to catch up very quickly to the demands that I put on them and Aaron has done that today. One or two of the younger players are being found wanting. We’re a possession based side – we retain/ regain the ball and it’s important we allow players to rest while we’re in possession. One or two of the younger players tell me they can do it and they’re not doing it, but Aaron certainly did it today with aplomb.”
The full interview is on Dale PlayerHD.