Rochdale AFC v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites aware of magnitude of crunch clash

The 20th-placed Sulphurites take on the side directly below them in the table on Saturday afternoon just two points clear of the relegation zone and knowing that defeat at Spotland could well see them finish the weekend inside the bottom two.

Simon Weaver’s side should head into what is a ‘six-pointer’ full of confidence after comprehensively beating promotion hopefuls Mansfield 3-0 in their previous league outing, however a sobering FA Cup defeat at basement boys Hartlepool last time out highlighted exactly why Town have lost far more than they’ve won so far this term.

And Harrogate’s manager says that neither he nor his players are under any illusions when it comes to Saturday’s match, or the bigger picture.

"Rochdale is a big game and it’s one that we have to make sure that we are right up for,” Weaver said.

"There’s no point being in denial about the position we are in at the moment. We know that we can win on Saturday and still be stuck right down there, and you do feel the pressure when you’re at the wrong end of the table.

"But, our mindset is that the quicker we start picking up points and get ourselves up the table, then the less pressure we will be under.

"We feel as if we have been playing better for the last six or seven weeks and are hoping that Hartlepool was just a blip.

"We believe that in nine out of our last 11 games we have played pretty well and we’re confident that we can perform against Rochdale on Saturday, however we are going to have to do so against a team who are right in it with us and fighting just as hard.”

Rochdale began 2022/23 with Robbie Stockdale at the helm, but he was sacked after the club lost their first four League Two fixtures.

Their form did improve under current boss Jim Bentley, who oversaw three wins in four attempts between late September and mid-October, however they have found points harder to come by of late.

Dale have lost four of previous six league matches, though Weaver certainly will not make the mistake of underestimating them this weekend.

"They have really come together as a team since he [Bentley] came in, I think they have a renewed energy about them,” the Town chief added.

"I’ve been looking at footage of them this week as part of our preparations and doing some research, and they look a good team. Their XG [expected goals] is higher than their XG for goals against, which tells you something.

"They’ve brought some good forward players into their squad. They are very decent going forwards, so we know we have to remain resolute if we want to come away with a result.

"I think that they can count themselves very unlucky to have come away from Sutton, which is one of the hardest places to go in our division, with nothing in their last league game. They really did deserve something from that one.”

Town’s previous two meetings with Rochdale have been exciting affairs and produced no fewer than 11 goals.

Warren Burrell’s late goal saw Weaver’s men snatch a dramatic 3-2 win at Wetherby Road on the opening day of 2021/22, before the sides played out a 3-3 draw in Greater Manchester back in February.

Harrogate surged into a 3-1 lead on their previous visit to Spotland, only to throw away two points after failing to kill their hosts off.

Saturday’s clash kicks-off at 3pm.