| Wrexham look to end a run of three straight
defeats with the first of two home games over the festive period when we
play a Rochdale side for a second time in a month.
The first game was anything but a football feast with
Rochdale manager Keith Hill criticising Wrexham's style of play as we
frustrated Rochdale into a boring goalless draw at Spotland.
Both teams have had mixed fortunes since then with
Rochdale recording two victories where as we beat Bury before going on
the current run of three straight defeats with three goals conceded in
each game.
Rochdale are one of the form teams in the league and
away from home have recorded three wins in their last five games.
This is complete contrast to our home form where we
find ourselves bottom of this particular form league and have the worst
overall record with our last win at the Racecourse coming against
Lincoln at the end of September.
Rochdale had made a slow start to the current campaign
but with only one defeat in their last nine league games, Dale have
slowly climbed the league table to be on the fringe of the play offs.
Their game at home to Barnet on the weekend was
postponed due to a frozen Spotland pitch and this meant Rochdale lie in
eleventh position with a return of twenty eight points from only
eighteen games.
This has left Rochdale six points adrift of
Chesterfield in the final play off spot but Dale do have two games in
hand on teams above them in the table.
Former Wrexham player Keith Hill has been in charge of
Rochdale for twelve months after previously holding the position of
youth team coach at Spotland.
When Hill took over this time last year, the club were
languishing one place above the relegation zone but Hill steadied the
ship in his first managerial job and steered Dale to within five points
of the play offs come the end of the season and this form has continued
into the new campaign.
Hill has stressed that his tenure at the club is a
long term project with his assistant, David Flitcroft, as he attempts to
build up the club from top to bottom and has pleaded for patience from
Dale fans.
Rochdale have also been celebrating their centenary
year throughout 2007 and play in a black and white striped kit to mark
this occasion.
The game also means we come up against Lee McEvilly for the third time this season.
McEvilly was released by Wrexham at the end of last
season and joined his former club Accrington but failed to score when
the two sides met at Stanley back in October.
He later joined another of his former clubs when
Rochdale took him on loan and has so far scored twice in three
appearances for his new club.
Recent Encounters:
The first game this season ended goalless at Spotland
and Rochdale have had the better of us overall last season in
the three games between the sides.
Rochdale left the Racecourse with a 2-1 victory with
an early Chris Llewellyn strike cancelled out by two second half goals
from Chris Dagnall.
Rochdale returned to the Racecourse a few weeks later
in the Johnstones Paint trophy with Dagnall again on target for Dale.
Matt Crowell did score an equaliser but Rochdale went through 5-3 on
penalties after the game ended 1-1.
We looked to be gaining revenge on Dale when the two
sides met at Spotland on Boxing Day with Lee McEvilly and Chris Llewellyn
giving us a 2-0 second half league but Murray and Doolan replied to earn a point for
the home side.
Overall in league matches, we are currently ahead of
Rochdale with 51 victories compared to their 39 and there have been 22
draws in the 111 games between the sides.
Team News:
Wrexham are without the suspended Matt Crowell along
with the injured Eifion Williams and Danny Williams.
There are no fresh injury worries from the weekend but
there will be at least one change in midfield with Crowell beginning a
three game ban. David Perkins is unavailable for
Rochdale as he is midway through a three game ban and John Doolan is
struggling to be fit with a hamstring injury.
Striker Chris Dagnall is the other absentee with a long term knee
injury. |
