THE CHALKBOARD
ROCHDALE may not be one of the stellar names in League One but they are on course for another solid season since their promotion back into the third tier in 2014.
Swindon Town may be satisfied with survival this term but Keith Hill’s side are aiming a little higher and are still in with a chance – albeit a big outside one – of finishing in the play-offs.
Dale are in reasonable form and had suffered just one defeat in eight games before they were beaten heavily at Port Vale last week and their games tend to provide entertainment – they have not been involved in a goalless draw since October.
Hill favours a three-man attack, which should make for an interesting match-up against Town, who tend to play three at the back.
Rochdale boss Keith Hill
A MAN IN FORM: Callum Camps
CALLUM Camps may have been one of the three Rochdale players unceremoniously hauled off at half-time by manager Keith Hill in last weekend’s 4-1 defeat at Port Vale but he had been in decent nick prior to that.
That loss to the Valiants was just Dale’s second in the past nine games, with Camps playing a part in that good run of form thanks to three goals in the previous six games.
Camps came through the ranks at Spotland and had just a handful of first-team appearances to his name prior to this season but has quickly become a key man for Hill in midfield.
The 20-year-old Irishman made a name for himself in the opening game of the season with a goal in Rochdale’s win at home to Peterborough and has gone on to make 34 appearances in all competitions so far in 2015-16.
Lee Camps (right)
MANAGER Keith Hill does not have too many injury concerns to worry about within his Rochdale squad at present and in fact could hand two influential players their first starts for some time against Swindon Town this weekend.
Striker Calvin Andrew has made two substitute appearances so far as he continues his comeback from two months out with a foot injury.
He played the whole of the second half of Dale’s 4-1 defeat at Port Vale last weekend but was able to get himself on the scoresheet.
Fellow forward Ian Henderson is another in contention to return to the starting XI after also coming off the bench against Vale in his first match back following a lengthy suspension.
The 31-year-old picked up a one-match ban for collecting two bookings in Dale’s 3-2 win at Oldham on March 19 but was then suspended for four games after receiving a straight red card in his comeback appearance against Wigan on March 28.
Ian Henderson (left)
Oppo form guide
Sat, Apr 2
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2-2 draw v Doncaster (H)
Sat, Apr 9
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2-1 win v Peterborough (A)
Sat, Apr 16
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3-0 win v Blackpool (H)
Tues, Apr 19
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1-1 draw v Gillingham (H)
Sat, Apr 23
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4-1 loss v Port Vale (A)
ODDS
Dale Win – 8/11
1-0: 13/2
2-0: 15/2
3-0: 12/1
2-1: 7/1
3-1: 12/1
3-2: 22/1
Draw – 13/5
0-0: 10/1
1-1: 6/1
2-2: 14/1
3-3: 50/1
4-4: 250/1
Town Win – 15/4
1-0: 14/1
2-0: 25/1
3-0: 50/1
2-1: 14/1
3-1: 40/1
3-2: 40/1
Goalscorers
Ian Henderson: 13
Joe Bunney: 9
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing: 9
Discipline
Ian Henderson: 7Y 2R
Peter Vincenti: 9Y
Matthew Lund: 8Y
The stat
When Luke Williams did not make a substitution in the 1-0 win over Chesterfield that was the first time since the 2003/04 season that Town have gone back-to-back games without making a change.
Fixtures
Blackpool v Wigan, Barnsley v Colchester, Burton v Gillingham, Chesterfield v Bury, Coventry v Sheff Utd, Crewe v Doncaster, Millwall v Oldham, Rochdale v Swindon, Scunthorpe v Port Vale, Shrewsbury v Peterborough, Southend v Bradford.
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