Manager Keith Hill looks ahead to Dale’s Carabao Cup Round One tie against Grimsby Town at Blundell Park…
“It’s a game we want to win,” said the Gaffer in his pre-match interview.
“Every game is a priority. There’s no luxury for me of prioritising a tournament or the league - they’re all equally as important to this football club.
“The Carabao Cup could take us all the way to Wembley, could you imagine that! It has been done before when Bradford did it, so it could be an amazing tournament. You’ve got to plant the seed, and to plant the seed you’ve got to win games and eventually you might grow into a competition that might open up for you.
“We’re really looking forward to the fixture. We’re away from home but we’re optimistic.
“I expect certain values from my squad and my team, to represent the culture and the way that we play at Rochdale Football Club.”
The Mariners lost their opening game of the season 4-1 at home to Forest Green, but were victorious at the weekend, recording a 2-0 win over Macclesfield, and Hill is expecting a tough test.
“We’ve been monitoring what they’ve been up to all pre-season and it’s going to be a difficult game.
“For Grimsby to have avoided regelation, after the manager [Michael Jolley] came in at the late stage of last season, was testament to the way that he can manage and coach. He’s had a good pre-season to integrate his message to a group of players that he’s recruited well, and they had a really good victory at Macclesfield on Saturday.”
Will Hill make changes for the fixture?
“It does [give an opportunity], but the way we play doesn’t change, so those players, if given an opportunity, have to try and replicate the way that we’ve been doing things. I’ve got no problem relying on the squad.
“But do I really need to make those changes with everybody fit? I’m not too sure. We’re in the early stages of the season, so I’ve been reflecting on the possibilities, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow night.”
The full interview is on iFollow.