County will be looking to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive this weekend as we take on Rochdale at Edgeley Park, on an afternoon that could see Dale relegated from the Football League.
Connor Evans’ late goal on Tuesday night salvaged a point for County in a thriller at Brunton Park; that 2-2 draw with Carlisle making it ten games unbeaten for Dave Challinor’s side, and just one defeat in the last 17.
In normal circumstances, a point away at a promotion rival would be viewed as a good result for County, but with just three games to go it leaves our top three hopes in the balance. We remain in 4th place, but are now four points shy of third place Stevenage, who have a game in hand, and just three points above Mansfield Town, who sit just outside the play-off places. Those two sides go head to head tomorrow, at Field Mill.
For opponents Rochdale, rock bottom of League Two, the permutations are much simpler. Anything over than three points at Edgeley Park would see their 102-year stay in the Football League come to an end with two games to spare – and even that wouldn’t be enough, if Crawley Town go on to beat relegation rivals Hartlepool United.
Things you need to know:
- At the time of writing, there are a limited amount of tickets in the Railway End still available for this fixture. We recommend purchasing tickets for this game in advance to avoid disappointment – click here to order yours today!
- Please note that there will be spot checks taking place before the game, to detect any pyrotechnics being brought into the ground. Anyone found attempting to bring them into the stadium will be dealt with by the relevant authorities. Click here for more information.
- County fans can now park at the NCP Car Park at Stockport Train Station for a discounted price of just £3 on a match day, via the ParkPass App! Click here for more information.
- Coming to the game on Saturday? Click here to view our Fan Information pack, containing all you need to know ahead of your visit to Edgeley Park.
- Don’t forget to turn up early to Edgeley Park to visit the County Courtyard, which will be opening its doors from 1.00pm! For more information on all the food and drink on offer this week, click here.
Since we last met:
Boos from the home crowd greeted the full-time whistle when we visited the Crown Oil Arena in February – a second-half brace from Will Collar securing a fifth straight win for County that lifted us to within a point of the top three, but left the Rochdale six points adrift of safety, having won just five games all season.
It was an eighth game without a win for Dale at the time, a run that included seven defeats, with the pressure mounting on former Morecambe manager Jim Bentley with every passing week. Four points gained from their next two games, including victory over high-flying Stevenage, offered a brief reprieve, but a timid defeat at relegation rivals Crawley at the end of March spelt the end of the 46-year-old’s time in charge.
Bentley left the club having won just six of his 32 league games in charge since replacing Robbie Stockdale in August, with that final defeat leaving them ten points adrift of Crawley and safety; relegation to the National League likely.
Rochdale defender Jim McNulty, part of County’s 2007/08 Wembley winning side, has been named as interim-manager until the end of the season – eight games in charge that he described as a free hit for his side.
He has certainly had a galvanising effect since taking charge, inspiring his teammates to a 1-0 win away at AFC Wimbledon in his first game, before following that up with a 4-2 win at home to Walsall a week later – just their second back-to-back wins of the season.
They followed that up with an impressive point away at play-off chasing Mansfield, a run that moved them to within six points of safety with five games left to play.
Unfortunately for Jim and his team it looks like it may well prove a case of too little, too late in their bid for survival, with a 3-0 defeat at home to Bradford and a draw with Tranmere leaving the Lancashire club on the brink. Maximum points are now required from games against County, Sutton and Harrogate Town to have any chance, and even then a single win for Crawley Town would condemn them to non-league.
One to watch:
The fact that Rochdale come into this game with any chance of still retaining their Football League status is owed in large parts to the impact made by former County man, Danny Lloyd.
Lloyd was a popular figure at Edgeley Park across two spells with the club, and has quickly become a fan favourite at Rochdale too since joining the club in late December. After recovering from a long-term injury suffered whilst playing for Gillingham last season, Lloyd has scored six times and registered three assists in 23 appearances for Dale – five of them coming in his last nine games.
He scored the winner at Wimbledon in McNulty’s first game in charge and was on target again in Tuesday’s draw with Tranmere – he is one player who is sure to get a great reception from the Edgeley Park faithful this weekend.
Match Stats:
- This will be the 136th competitive meeting between the two sides since 1898, with County winning 59 previous encounters to Rochdale’s 42.
- County have now won eight of the last nine meetings between the two sides, a run dating back to 2005. Our only defeat in that time, however, saw Rochdale run out 7-2 winners at Edgeley Park in March 2007.
- County remain the only side in League Two not to have lost a home league game in 2023 – our unbeaten home run now stands at 11 games, dating back to November 2022.
