Chester v Rochdale Preview

Rochdale AFC logo

Up to one thousand Rochdale supporters are expected to flock to Chester this evening as their team bid to extend a 100 percent away record in 2008.

Confidence is sky high in the squad following Saturday’s 1-0 win over top of the league MK Dons after playing nearly eighty minutes of the match with ten men.

The form book suggests that Dale’s remarkable run away from home will continue with Chester having netted just one point from their last six fixtures and have lost their last three home games, but then Rochdale games seldom go according to the form book these days.

Against the odds Rochdale have recorded victories at Milton Keynes, Chesterfield and Wycombe in their last three matches but managed to lose their last home game to lowly Lincoln.

Rochdale also have a revenge mission on their hands after they were robbed by Chester at Spotland earlier in the season. With the game locked at 1-1 late in the game Adam Le Fondre turned in a Chris Dagnall cross to give Dale the lead, only for the linesman, to the disbelief of all in the ground, to raise his flag for offside. Television replays suggested that Le Fondre was well onside. Chester promptly scored an unlikely winner to compound Rochdale’s misery.

Rochdale go into the game with almost a full compliment of players available, with the exception of long term injury Chris Dagnall. However, quite how much the MK Dons game will have taken out of the team remains to be seen and Keith Hill might well hand starts to some of the players who did not run themselves into the ground on Saturday.

That could mean recalls for wingers Adam Rundle and Ben Muirhead. Kallum Higginbotham was carried from the pitch by Dale assistant boss Dave Flitcroft at MK because of cramp, while 33 year-old John Doolan may struggle to play a second game in four days. David Perkins could come into central midfield from the right wing, leaving Muirhead to occupy the right wing spot.

Nathan Stanton will certainly miss the game after his sending off but Marcus Holness performed admirably at centre half as a substitute and should come into the starting eleven.

The Dale fans will be keeping a close eye on how Peterborough (who play Rotherham) Chesterfield (vs Stockport) and Wycombe (vs Dagenham) perform as they could move into the playoffs if they beat Chester and one of those results goes in their favour.

Chester meanwhile have lost their last three games by a 1-0 score line and have lost their last three home games without scoring a goal.