Sport

Keith Hill’s FA Cup dream? Rochdale to meet and beat ‘The Special One’ (then enjoy a red wine with him)

By Josh Nicholls

Keith Hill hopes to play fantasy football in the FA Cup with Rochdale this season and go head-to-head with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

Goals from Scott Hogan and Peter Vincenti were enough to see off Torquay United 2-0 on Saturday and send Dale into round two.

But cup romantic Hill was already looking to the third round and the introduction of the Premier League teams.

“My FA Cup dream is to meet Jose Mourinho,” Hill told The Dale Player.

“He’s one of the greatest managers to have ever walked the earth.”

“That’s my little dream to meet him in opposition and then get the opportunity to share a glass of red wine with him after the match and actually talk to him about football.

“I want to fulfil that ambition in my career and we’re a step closer in the FA Cup.”

If the Rochdale players are to make their manager’s wish come true, they must first navigate a tricky second round tie at Rotherham.

The Yorkshire side are currently tenth in League One and dumped local rivals Bradford City out of the competition with a 3-0 victory on Saturday.

The tie will take place on December 7 but Hill will hope to keep opposing sides guessing in the meantime as he devises ad-hoc tactics for each game.

“I think we’ve become too see-through, stubborn managers stick with one game-plan we’ve got to have more than one game-plan,” he said.

“I don’t believe we have to stick with one mantra. The values of the team remain the same but the tactics and the strategies will alter.”

Image courtesy of Official Rochdale FC via YouTube, with thanks.

For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.

Related Articles