Rochdale
vs
Chester City
Match preview

Build Up

Having swapped a visit to Spotland on Tuesday for the a trip to the Nou Camp, I can't talk too much about Tuesday night's game, apart from the various reports I've had off people suggest that we were full value for our win against the Stokies and that if anything, it was our superior fitness that proved to be the difference against what was a full strength Stoke side. And lots of dog noises for some reason.

But those reports didn't surprise me really, because if anything I thought there was a big over reaction to the defeat at Peterboro last weekend. Not that I came away thinking that we should have beaten them, or that we'd been unlucky or anything. I just thought we played a lot better than a lot of people gave us credit for.

Make no mistake, Peterboro are a very good side, and as we mentioned in our pre-season previews, Ferguson has done a very clever job there. He's avoided going for the big name players that 99% of managers would have done having been given the same sort of cash, and he's gone out and signed what he considers the right sort of players. And it showed. And it showed again when they stuffed

And the game seemed to transpire in just the way that suited Posh. There wasn't a great deal between the two teams early on, but a great bit of skill saw them take the lead, and after that, we were always up against it against a side who seemed suited to playing on the break.

But last Saturday is now history and all that, and the focus is on Saturday's game against Chester City. Games between us and the Cestrians have tended to be well matched encounters, particularly at the Deva Stadium with the return game at Spotland perhaps not living up to the same sort edge of your seat atmosphere.

Victory against Stoke in midweek has certainly took a bit of pressure off the well fancied Dale side. Every team always has that bit of an edge until they find their first win of the season, and with the league tables even appearing before the first game of the season these days, teams are considering adopting the AFC Wimbledon technique to ensure a good start to the season. But that win on Tuesday has shown the Rochdale public (or at least those who didn't bugger off on holiday) that the much hyped revolution is still in full swing, and was certainly no flash in the pan.

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Oppositionwatch - Chester City

I'm not trying to make out that they are the worst team in the division - far from it. And putting them down as under achievers is probably a bit misleading, as with the crowds they get, they have done well to be where they are. Last season, Barnet were the only club with a lower average attendance to finish above Chester.

But they just seem to have this thing of offering so much more. They're like the old NME thing. The club builds up the expectations of the supporters, only to knock it down over and over again. Even their return to the Football League a couple of years ago was marred by the manager disappearing the same weekend as their opening match.

They've had good players too. Certainly enough to warrant a challenge at the top half of the table. And most of them have done too, albeit with Shrewsbury after heading down that lovely road that is the A49.

Bobby Williamson's spell in charge is two days old so far, and there's signs that things might be a bit different this time round. The talk of going out and signing Kevin Ellison turned out to actually happen for once, and he assembled a decent squad over the Summer.

We picked out one time Dale target John Murphy as our dangerman in our pre-season prediction, and we stand by that claim. They might have suffered successive goalless draws, but Murphy will remain a danger. He's as experienced as League Two strikers get whilst still remaining quite good. Normally, "experienced League 2 striker" is reserved for the likes of Broughton, Alsop and Andy Morris.

He did a sterling job for Macc last season, and was probably more responsible for keeping them in the League last season than Paul Ince ever saw.

And we never did find out why Stephen Vaughan jnr ended up at Spotland last season on loan, without coming within a million miles of the first team. Answers on a postcard please.....

Played for both - a Dale / Chester XI

1 Dave Felgate
2 Alan Reeves
3 Matt Doughty
4 Darren Ryan
5 Dave Bayliss
6 Joe Ashworth
7 Dave Flitcroft
8 Paul Carden
9 Steve Johnson
10 Paul Tait
11 Ronnie Hildersley

Subs:
Stuart Rimmer
Mark Leonard
Leo Bertos
Andy Milner
John Bramhall

Form Guide

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