Manager Keith Hill reflects on his side’s 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle at Home Park…
Dale went behind with just 43 seconds on the clock but responded shortly after the half hour mark through Matty Done to claim a deserved point.
“When you start like that and make the mistake we did for their goal then it’s an uphill task, but we settled into the game and took the game to the opposition,” said Hill.
“At half time, I would argue that it could have been 2-2, but equally so, it could have been 2-1 to either side.
“Going into the second half, we were confident because of the way we were playing, although we should have stuck to task a little bit more.
“But I thought there was a good response. We had a wobbly 5/10 minutes but I was pretty impressed with everything else.
“We played more like I expect us to. We’ve been working on a few things in training, and that gives me encouragement.
“It’s a positive point away from home. We’ve drawn four games on the trot away from home now, and if that supports winning at home, then it’s a great point.”
Dale now have a break from the league as attention firstly turns to the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday and then the Checkatrade Trophy a week on Tuesday.
And Hill says he’s pleased to be going into the week on the back of a positive result.
“It’s good going into two cup games – Bromley and Blackburn Rovers - having not been beaten or in the bottom four.
“I feel as though we’re turning a corner, but it’s important that we turn draws into wins because I believe we’re good enough.”
Saturday’s match against Argyle at Home Park marked Ian Henderson’s 500th career appearance and Hill congratulated his Captain for reaching the milestone.
“Ian is a top professional and he’ll go on to make many more appearances. He’s signed a contract, he’s our Captain and long may that continue. Well done to Ian for reaching that milestone. It’s a great milestone for any player.
“Ian is a talented footballer. He brings a belief and a professionalism that you only see at the top level. If you look at some of the players that I’ve worked with – John Stones and Danny Drinkwater, for example, then he’s up there with respect to professionalism and making sure that we try to win games.”
Watch the full interview on iFollow.