Manager Keith Hill looks ahead to Saturday’s League One fixture against Barnsley at Oakwell…
The Tykes, relegated from the Championship at the end of last season, are challenging for a return to the second tier at the first time of asking, with the side sitting comfortably in the play-offs at this moment in time.
“It was a tremendous Club to work for and they’re pitching it right,” said Hill, who spent nearly 18-months in charge of the South Yorkshire side before returning to Dale for a second spell in January 2013.
“They’re an excellent Football Club, they’ve got a great team, they invested very wisely in recruiting players, and it’s good to see them doing well.
“They’ve got one of the best budgets in the league and one of the best squads in the league. They should be getting promoted with the squad of players that they’ve got and the investment they’ve made, but we’ve got to try and upset the form guide at the weekend, and we’ve got a plan to try and do that.
“We’re looking forward to the game, and, for me, there are a lot of positives. It has been a good week and hopefully we will roll into results as well as performances.
“The league is getting difficult, and with the opposition in the league, as a Club like Rochdale, you can look at the fixtures and wonder where the next win is coming from, but we can quickly pick up wins. It all comes down to confidence, composure and know how. The lads are training really well and it’s important they show that belief on matchdays.”
Ahead of the fixture, Hill has confirmed that Kgosi Ntlhe sustained an ankle and a knee injury as a result of a hefty challenge in Dale's Lancashire Senior Cup tie against Everton and will now be sidelined for between four to six weeks.
Meanwhile, there’s better news for Ollie Rathbone who has missed the last two games due to the groin problem that brought an early end to his match against Manchester City U21s in the Checkatrade Trophy.
“He has been on the training pitch this week but we’ve got to make sure that we get him up to speed,” said Hill.