Rivals review - Rochdale

Position: 9th

Record: Played 35, Won 16, Drew 8, Lost 11

Recent form (earliest to latest): W,L,L,W,L,W

Manager: Keith Hill goes about his business in an unfussy manner. Not many

Hill... Top manager

people will acknowledge him as readily as the likes of Paul Ince at MK Dons, or Darren Ferguson at Peterborough because they are bigger names. But Hill has come in at Spotland and worked wonders. He arrived in the middle of a disappointing last term and turned things around with the Dale to transform them into late play-off hopefuls. This time they were ready from the start owing to Hill's excellence in the transfer market but above all, his tactical awareness and he has outclassed many managers this term, particularly away from home. A former Dale player, this is his first management job.

Top scorer: Adam Le Fondre, 11. Dale haven't built their side on one prolific scorer, and Le Fondre's hat-trick in their last outing only just pushed a player into double figures. But they have managed to share their goals so well, and Le Fondre has managed to deliver a lot of his reputation after hitting the limelight at Edgeley Park with sevral eye-catching shows. A good bit of business for Hill, Le Fondre is a fine finisher who just lacks a bit of consistency.

Strenghts: Their away form is amongst the best in League Two. Only the top three, MK Dons, Peterborough and Hereford, have accumulated more away points than Rochdale. It is their ability to hit teams on the counter-attack that

Jones... Midfield dynamo

has got them so many crucial away points. As mentioned above, the ability to share the goals is another key part of Hill's team.

Weaknesses: They don't draw many games. Many Notts fans will see that as a plus considering Notts' many draws that has seen them pick up less than the desired points, but if the Dale could eek out a few more draws compared to defeats, then that would make the crucial difference in the play-off race. It has been 15 games since they drew, and they have actually lost seven times since then. Those dropped points could be crucial.

Best win: 4-0 v Mansfield Town, Field Mill, March 8, 2008 and v Chester City, Deva Stadium, January 29, 2008.

Worst defeat: 3-0 v Peterborough United, London Road, August 11, 2007.

In form player: Captain Gary Jones. Hit a brace in the recent thumping win at Mansfield, and has been a lynchpin all season. The midfielder also netted in the last outing against Accrington and has just became the clubs all-time appearance holder. Holds everything together.

Player of the season: Jones is a strong candidate for this accolade too. But

McArdle... Player of season?

their are others including defensive warrior Rory McArdle. The centre back has been awesome at times and a chief reason in a fine defensive record at Spotland. McArdle also pops up with crucial goals at vital times from the back and is a threat in both areas.

Promotion history: Dale have a record they would rather not as being the team most associated with the basement tier in English football. They have flirted with relegation more often than they have looked like getting promoted - until this season at least. However, they have been in the bottom division since 1974 - the longest any team has spent in this league.