ADVER Sport's guide to Swindon Town's next opponent: Rochdale AFC.

Chalkboard

KEITH Hill sets his side up in a 4-2-1-3 with a focus very much on attacking.

Ian Henderson plays the role of central striker where his eye for goal has seen him pushing up the near the top of the division’s goalscoring charts.

Supporting Henderson from the flanks is a rotating cast, usually led by Peter Vincenti, who aim to feed their top scorer.

Hill’s side have a repuation for being a long-ball team on occasion, but supporters insist these are not aimless hoofs. Instead the diagonals are designed to spring the two wider forwards.

The most notable feature of Hill’s set-up are the two holding midfielders who show great willing to go forward. Former Town man Michael Rose in particular is known to break from deep to support the men up top.

Likely line-up

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

Man in form: Ian Henderson

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

FOR a man better known as a midfielder Ian Henderson’s goal record this season has been phenomenally good.

When top-scorer Matty Done was snapped up by League One big boys Sheffield United at the end of the January transfer window many thought Rochdale’s play-off challenge might end.

Instead Henderson has taken on the mantle. The Dale skipper has scored nine goals since the turn of the year to take his tally to 19 for the season.

Moving into the central striker’s position has reduced his impact as a creative force and before the weekend he had been on a four-game goal drought, but over the last few months his goals have earned wins at Crawley, Chesterfield, Crewe, Colchester, Notts County and Scunthorpe.

In fact when he’s scored Dale have lost one game all season.

Treatment Room

DALE have had their share of injury worries of late.

Matty Lund has been out since December with a dislocated shoulder, perhaps a worrying portent for Town’s Louis Thompson, and has recently returned to the squad.

Another who has made a return is Jamie Allen, who recovered from a head injury to feature in the draw at Doncaster last weekend.

Defensive pair Ollie Lancashire and Scott Tanser have also recently come back into the fold after recovering from ankle and calf injuries respectively.

Strikers Joe Bunney and Calvin Andrew have also been absent of late and are feeling their way back into first-team action.

A longer-term absentee is midfielder Stephen Dawson, who suffered his latest setback, having endured a long spell on the sidelines at previous club Barnsley. The Irishman recently underwent surgery on a cartilage problem that will likely see him ruled out until the start of the 2015/16 season.

Form Guide

Tue, Mar 24 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 3-0 DEFEAT V OLDHAM (A)

Sat, Mar 28 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 2-1 WIN V YEOVIL (H)

Fri, Apr 3 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 1-0 DEFEAT V PRESTON (A)

Mon, Apr 6 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 1-0 WIN V PORT VALE (H)

Sat, Apr 11 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 1-1 DRAW V DONCASTER (A)

Goalscorers

IAN HENDERSON: 19

PETER VINCENTI: 14

CALVUN ANDREW: 5

Discipline

ASHLEY EASTHAM: 1R, 1Y

RHYS BENNETT: 7Y

JOSEPH RAFFERTY: 7Y

The Stat

There has been only one goalless draw in the 102-year history of fixtures between Town and Rochdale.