Dale chairman tips team to beat drop

ATHLETIC will have to match fire with fire in a derby game that has been labelled as a “must-win” — by Rochdale’s own chairman.

Dale took a point their league form didn’t indicate was likely in a 2-2 draw at Huddersfield last week, thanks to strikes by Andrew Tutte and Ashley Grimes.

In the club’s second season in npower League One, though, the boost of that result doesn’t change the fact that, as the season hurtles towards its climax, Dale have not won in six matches and are a half-a-dozen points adrift of safety.

Dale chairman Chris Dunphy reckons he knows what is needed to stave off relegation.

He said: “I still feel we can get out of this.

“We need six wins and two draws and there are six winnable games.

“Oldham, Tranmere, Exeter, Yeovil — they are all going to be must-win games but the team is good enough to do it.”

One benefit of acquiring John Coleman as manager is his expertise in season-defining runs, as seen with previous club Accrington's late rush to the power League Two play-offs last term.

The 49-year-old Liverpudlian replaced outgoing Steve Eyre in January and started his Dale career with a 3-0 win over rivals Bury, but up to this point, hasn’t had things entirely his own way as he bids to reshape the club’s on-field fortunes.

Athletic have their own reasons to impress at Spotland.

Aside from bragging rights, the feeling in the camp is that points have slipped away in recent games.

The latest setback of a defeat at Stevenage didn’t sit well with Tom Adeyemi, who felt his side were denied a rightful penalty kick for handball at the death — and took his protests far enough to get a yellow card.

Unwise, perhaps, but evidence at least that plenty of passion resides in the hard-running on-loan Norwich City midfielder.

“We have shown in the last few games we can play well enough to get results,” Adeyemi said.

“Nobody is feeling like the end of the season is approaching and we are all still motivated to go out and pick up three points in every game.

“We did well enough to get a point at Stevenage and there will be a bit of disappointment in the camp that we didn’t manage to get it.

“But we will make sure that we are right back on it in training.”

The midfielder (20) went close to netting on a couple of occasions at the Lamex Stadium and would like nothing better than to embark on a scoring run at Spotland.

He added: “In recent weeks, I have had a lot of half-chances and I think it will take one to go in to bring on a few more. That goes for the rest of the team as well.

“It has been our downfall in games, not taking the chances. But I am sure it will come if we keep plugging away and creating opportunities.”