Rochdale AFC manager Keith Hill has emphasised the need for a balanced side when Doncaster Rovers visit Spotland Stadium for their League One encounter on Saturday.
Hill was less-than-impressed with his team’s frenetic 2-1 FA Cup victory over Northampton Town on Tuesday night, and made his feelings known to the players during and after the game.
However, the weekend offers an opportunity to regroup and for Hill to better understand how to deploy his men when beset by injuries and absences.
Speaking to the official club website, Hill said: “You can make yourself vulnerable as a manager by being too honest at half time but I think my appraisal of the game and the first half was correct.
“It’s difficult when you’re without key players because you’re always trying to come up with a balanced side – a balanced side is a winning side.
“I have to make sure that I strike the right balance between the players that we’ve got available so we can get it right when we’re without players like we were on Tuesday night when we were without Jack O’Connell, Peter Vincenti and Ian Henderson.”
Henderson is still absent serving the final match of his three-game ban after receiving a straight red against Northampton, while Vincenti remains a big loss for Dale as he recovers from a knee injury.
However, there is some positive news for Hill as centre back O’Connell is likely to return to the matchday squad, having being refused permission to play in the FA Cup tie by parent club Blackburn Rovers.
Rochdale are currently eight in League One having slipped outside the play-offs following their defeat at Port Vale last time out.
Visitors Doncaster are sat 17th following an inconsistent start to the season, but will be buoyed by a convincing 4-1 win over Weston Super-Mare in the first round of the FA Cup.
There is additional excitement surrounding Spotland as teenager Johny Diba was rewarded with his first professional contract earlier this week.
The 17-year-old goalkeeper secured his future with the club until the summer of 2017, with manager Hill confident Diba has the potential to be a future Dale star.
“We know Johny and we’ve worked hard with him. He has learnt so much in his first six months,” said Hill.
“He probably wasn’t ready [to make the step up to the first team in the summer], but I said no, he’s going to be part of our first team from the get-go, and we’re going to turn him into what we need him to be.
“It’s reward for Johny that we’ve offered him the contract and it’s also reward for the plan that we had for him as well. He’ll go on to play a lot of games for the first team in my opinion.”
Main image courtesy of OfficialRochdaleAFC via YouTube, with thanks.