Rochdaleafc.com bring you right up to date with what our friends from Humberside have been up to since we met last October.

We welcome Grimsby Town to Saturday as Keith Hill’s Rochdale continue to apply pressure to the other play off hopefuls.

Alan Buckley’s team have improved since we last met them in on a Friday night in October. And we’re going to try and bring you up to date on how the famous fishing town has done since then. 

Last Sunday whilst some of us were still recovering from Brentford away, Alan Buckley’s Grimsby were at Wembley taking on Paul Ince’s Milton Keynes in the Johnstones Paint Trophy Final.

In a final marred by controversy, Grimsby’s first real effort on goal by Peter Till, found itself deflected into the path of Paul Bolland, who was consequently brought down by MK goalkeeper Willy Gueret.  

Below: Expect the fish f… followers to turn up in large numbers on Saturday, or not. 

Unfortunately for Grimsby, Danny Boshell lacked kahunas as Gueret turned from villain to hero in a matter of seconds. That save was to prove the turning point as the game swung in Milton Keyne’s favour as they piled the pressure on Grimsby.

But it wasn’t till there was only 15 minutes remaining that MK finally made the breakthrough, and they couldn’t even manage that without the officials stepping in. 

In a scruffy goalmouth struggle between both sides in Grimsby’s penalty area which included Colin Cameron hitting the post, and two excellent saves by Phil Barnes. Referee Phil Joslin decided to ignore his assistant as he flagged for offside, instead awarding MK a penalty with Nick Hegarty being adjudged to foul defender Danny Swailes. 

MK captain Keith Andrews showed how a penalty should be taken, to put his side ahead, placing his effort past the unlucky Barnes with ease. And the salt was to be rubbed in Grimsby fan’s gills when the ‘embarrassing’ Dean Lewington saw his headed effort deflected off ex Rochdale loanee Rob Atkinson into the net to make it 2-0 for Paul Ince’s side.  

So it was heartbreak for Grimsby at Wembley, but how’s there season been since we last met them? 

Well they’ve been on a mixed run of form in the past couple of months as they, like many other League Two sides, tried to attempt a late play off push. But despite putting four past Barnet, Chesterfield and Morecambe, as well soundly seeing off Macclesfield and Mansfield in recent League fixtures, they’ve found themselves on the wrong side of results against Milton Keynes, Brentford, Darlington and Dagenham & Redbridge. 

It’s that inconsistency that has seen Grimsby’s League season fade away with the only competition they had to play for being lost out to Milton Keynes.

Although I’m sure the majority of Mariners will be content with a 10^th place finish in League Two, especially with all the negativity towards Buckley that was present when we beat them in October. 

So who will we recognise on the Grimsby team sheet in tomorrow’s programme? Obviously there’s former Rochdale manager Alan Buckley, who despite not having the best of spells at Spotland, there’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s a legend over in Humberside.  

There’s also former defender/goalkeeper/midfielder/striker/coach driver Jamie Clarke who’ll be returning to Spotland. As well as former loanee centre defender Robert Atkinson who joined us from Barnsley ages a go this season when we still had that Scott Taylor fella from Milton Keynes and full back Kelvin Lomax from Oldham. 

Other familiar names come in the form of former Walsall, Reading and Rotherham United striker Martin Butler, ex Stoke and Hull defender Justin Whittle, midfielder’s James Hunt and Tom Newey, as well as highly rated striker Danny North. 

As for team news, perhaps it’s best that Grimsby no longer have anything to play for this season looking at the injury crisis they are suffering at the moment.

It seems that Buckley will have to turn to some of his fringe players tomorrow with Town having serious doubts on the fitness of Paul Bolland (dead leg), Danny North (knee), Peter Bore (thigh), James Hunt (hamstring), Robert Atkinson (groin) and Ciaran Toner (knee). 

This means that the younger Grimsby players such as strikers Andy Taylor, ex Bucket Shaker Nathan Jarman and ex Ipswich Town Matthew Bird could all have the chance to impress Buckley in tomorrow’s game. 

So let’s hope that Dale can take advantage of a weakened Grimsby side and that the Football Gods smile on us once again tomorrow as I’m already running out of nails to bite and the season isn’t even over yet!

Photo: Action Images

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