Dale need cup run cash

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Keith Hill could travel to Hillsborough without the services of Adam Le Fondre.

With the financial situation at Rochdale well documented, Keith Hill's men need the cash from a cup run if they are to add to their squad and avoid having to sell their top players to generate income.

An FA Cup run is likely to generate more cash, and it is arguably easier to reach the third round and beyond, but for now Hill and his players are concentrating on the Carling Cup, and a tough first round to trip to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.

"It's an opportunity to go there and give a good account of ourselves," said Hill. "We're a good footballing side and we showed that on Saturday [in the 1-1 draw at Port Vale]."

By the time Dale travel to Hillsborough they will have seen the match video of Wednesday's 2-2 home draw with Barnsley at the weekend, a match in which the Owls surrendered a two goal lead. Hill said: "We've got the DVD of Sheffield Wednesday's game and we've got a Power Point presentation already set up so we'll be well versed in what they do. We've got to make sure we know what we're going to do and we will go there and try and create opportunities."

Hill has no fresh injury worries following Saturday's opening day draw, and is likely to field the same starting line-up that took to the field at Vale Park. The only player that Hill could be without is Adam Le Fondre, who came close to joining Rotherham over the weekend, and whose future seems to change almost every hour. Hill has so far not been moved to comment on the situation regarding his top scorer of last season, but the subject is sure to be breached with the Dale boss in his post-match press conference tomorrow night. Whether or not Le Fondre remains a Dale player at that time remains to be seen.

Sheffield Wednesday meanwhile, were left licking their wounds from a disappointing home draw with Barnsley on Saturday. They burst out of the traps and into a two goal lead through Jermaine Johnson and Michael Gray, but surrendered their advantage in the second half.

Both sides fell at the first hurdle in the Carling Cup last term, with Dale going out at home to Oldham on penalties, while Wednesday suffered similar spot-kick heartbreak at the hands of Rotherham. Indeed spot kicks have been a reoccuring theme for Dale in this competition, with their last three games in the competition decided from the penalty spot. Last year's defeat came on the back of the previous year's spot kick win over Stoke City, and then penalty defeat against Norwich in the second round.

Dale last faced Wednesday in this competition in 2002, when an early Gerald Sibon goal for Wednesday separated the sides.