Manager Keith Hill looks ahead to Saturday’s League One fixture v Sheffield United at the Crown Oil Arena…
“Football matches are won and lost by small margins,” said Hill.
“You need a little bit of luck, you need refereeing decisions to go appropriately and you can’t make mini-mistakes.
“We’re more than capable of beating anyone with any formation or permutation of players because they are honest and they are hard-working, but if we make mini-mistakes and we don’t get the rub of the green, then we’re vulnerable to losing football matches, which has happened in the last seven or eight games.
“Concentration levels will be at optimum, hopefully. The players are well versed and we know what we’re coming up against.
“We’re at home, so there’s no fear and we’ll take the game to Sheffield United, but we’ve got to be better than we have been.
“It was difficult to assess and evaluate last week’s game at Peterborough, but what I did evaluate was how far we ran, the commitment and the never give up attitude shown by the players.
“Looking back on our last home game, we need to nullify the mini-mistakes that we made against Charlton and if we do that, then we’ll get back to winning ways.”
Saturday’s visitors are seven points clear at the top of the Sky Bet League One table and Hill expects them secure promotion as Champions.
“I don’t know how long it has taken them to be in this position, but for a club the size of Sheffield United, I think they’ve got it right.
“The appointment of Chris Wilder was the best they could have expected. He understands and taps into the supporters’ mentality, and he has delivered a team and a strategy that befits the supporters.
“He’s an excellent manager, as is Alan Knill. The did brilliantly at Northampton but they have really connected a team with the supporters at Sheffield United.
“Is it difficult to get promoted from League One? If you’re a club of Sheffield United’s stature, with the level of budget that they’ve been running at for the last four or five years, then something has probably gone wrong for them not to have been promoted before now, but Chris has shown great intelligence in his recruitment and the way that they play.
“They’re honest and they’re showing honest energy. They’re reflecting the manager but the manager is reflecting the demands of the supporters, so, for me, I think they’ve got it right, although they should have got it right four or five years ago.”
Following Tuesday night’s postponement, Dale still have 14 games left to play this season and Hill is looking forward to them all.
“It comes down to two lots of seven, which is brilliant from our point of view. The benefits of playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday is that it’s ticking over time on the training pitch so you can roll into games. So whether it’s a positive roll or a negative roll, there’s another opportunity just around the corner.
“I’m seeing daylight at the end of the tunnel with one or two of the injured players coming back, and by the second week in March, we should have players back in contention for playing. That’s really important because we’ve been missing key, influential players.”
The full interview is on Dale PlayerHD.